You Can't Stop The Music
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"You Can't Stop the Music" is a song by the British rock band
The Kinks The Kinks were an English rock band formed in London in 1963 by brothers Ray Davies, Ray and Dave Davies, and Pete Quaife. They are regarded as one of the most influential rock bands of the 1960s. The band emerged during the height of British ...
. The song, appearing on the band's 1975 album ''
Soap Opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
'', was written by the band's principal songwriter,
Ray Davies Sir Raymond Douglas Davies ( ; born 21 June 1944) is an English musician. He was the lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and primary songwriter for the Rock music, rock band the Kinks, which he led, with his younger brother Dave Davies, Dave pro ...
.


Lyrics and music

One of the themes of "You Can't Stop the Music" is similar to that of two songs from the Kinks' previous ''
Preservation Act 1 ''Preservation Act 1'' is a concept album and the 12th studio album by the English rock group the Kinks, released 16 November 1973 by RCA Records. ''Preservation Act 1'' did not sell well (peaking on the ''Billboard'' 200 at No. 177). However, ...
'' album, "Where Are They Now" and " One of the Survivors" – that rock music can be authentic. The lyrics pay tribute to the inspiration provided by older rock stars, some of whom may not have been big stars, noted that even though the big stars may have faded the power of their music hasn't. At live concerts around the time of the song's release, the band would show pictures and films of
Elvis Presley Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977) was an American singer and actor. Referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as Cultural impact of Elvis Presley, one of the most significant cultural figures of the ...
,
Bill Haley William John Clifton Haley (; July 6, 1925 – February 9, 1981) was an American rock and roll musician. He is credited by many with first popularizing this form of music in the early 1950s with his group Bill Haley & His Comets and million-sel ...
and the
Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...
on the screen as the song was being played. Another theme is that everyone can be a star. On the album, this message was placed before the lyrics of the song: "And so Norman decides to stop living out his fantasy of being a rock star and accept reality. This is the end for Norman but not for us because there will always be someone ready to take his place -- after all, everybody's a star!" In the song, the singer (Norman) says that "stars fade away. They vanish in the haze and they're never seen again, but they can't stop the music playing on." ''
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'' critic Henry McNulty felt that the following lines from the song summed up Ray Davies' career well:
I've been a star down and out / I've been put on, sat on, punched and spat on / They've called me a faggot, a spiv and a fake / They can knock me down and tread on my face / But they can't stop the music playing on
''
Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' critic Bill Mann similar stated that "the lyrics will give you no small insight into Davies and Co.'s remarkable staying power." The music of the song rocks out more than some of the other songs on ''Soap Opera'' and the band, including
Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...
' guitar, plays a prominent role, in addition to the
brass instrument A brass instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by Sympathetic resonance, sympathetic vibration of air in a tubular resonator in sympathy with the vibration of the player's lips. The term ''labrosone'', from Latin elements meani ...
s used on much of the album. When the Kinks performed the song as part of the ''Starmaker'' teleplay on which the album was based, Ray Davies dances in an audience of Kinks' fans watching a Kinks' concert, while his brother
Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...
leads the band. Kinks' biographer Nick Hasted interpreted this as Ray Davies finally being "able to enjoy the Kinks from the outside," admitting he is nothing special.


Release and reception

"You Can't Stop the Music" was first released in May 1975 on the album ''
Soap Opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
'', where it was the twelfth and final track on said LP. During that same month, the song was released as the album's third and final UK single, backed with "Have Another Drink" (also from ''Soap Opera''). However, the song did not chart in Britain. The single was also released in June 1975 in Australia and in the Netherlands, but it still did not chart in either country. ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...
s
Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and former senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of multiple artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance ...
cited "You Can't Stop the Music" as a highlight from ''Soap Opera''. Mann called it "a rocker that is a solid joy." ''
Melody Maker ''Melody Maker'' was a British weekly music magazine, one of the world's earliest music weeklies; according to its publisher, IPC Media, the earliest. In January 2001, it was merged into "long-standing rival" (and IPC Media sister publicatio ...
'' thought it was better than the Kinks' previous single " Ducks on the Wall" but (correctly) predicted that the single would not perform well. Hasted described it as "a rock version of '
Celluloid Heroes "Celluloid Heroes" is a song performed by the Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. It debuted on their 1972 album ''Everybody's in Show-Biz''. The song names several famous actors of 20th century film, ...
' commemorating its strivers and stars, which the music itself will outshine and outlast". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' critic John Mendelsohn praised
Dave Davies David Russell Gordon Davies ( '; born 3 February 1947) is an English guitarist, singer and songwriter. He was the lead guitarist and backing vocalist for the English rock band the Kinks, led by his older brother (and principal writer and singer) ...
' guitar playing although he said that it amounts to "less than you think you're in for when, at one point, Dave appears to be on the verge, thanks to the miracle of
overdubbing Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio Music track, tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto o ...
, of having it out with an earlier-recorded version of himself."


References

{{The Kinks singles The Kinks songs 1975 singles Songs written by Ray Davies Song recordings produced by Ray Davies 1974 songs