Berkeley Mews
"Berkeley Mews" | ||||
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Pye, London | ||||
Genre | Novelty song | |||
Length | 2:25 | |||
Label | Pye | |||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
The Kinks UK singles chronology | ||||
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Single mix | ||||
"Berkeley Mews" on YouTube |
"Berkeley Mews" is a song by the English
Background and recording
Ray Davies composed "Berkeley Mews" in reference to a street of the same name in London, located near Pye Records's offices at Marble Arch.[3] The lyrics recount a drunken one-night stand.[3] The music is influenced by that of the 1940s,[4] and historian Carey Fleiner writes the song evokes the decade's "hard life and grim economy".[5] Band biographer Johnny Rogan characterises the song as a "playful novelty number". He describes its arrangement as "chaotic", joining both a pub-styled piano with drunken-sounding vocals.[4]
The Kinks recorded "Berkeley Mews" from around January to March 1968 during the sessions for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.[1][b] Recording took place in Pye Studio 2,[9] one of two basement studios at Pye's London offices.[10] Ray is credited as the song's producer,[8] while Pye's in-house engineers Alan MacKenzie operated the four-track mixing console.[11] Session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins – a regular on Kinks recordings since 1965 – played piano.[12] Additional contributions included Mellotron, handclaps and a saxophone.[13]
Release
"Berkeley Mews" remained unreleased to the public for roughly two-and-a-half years.
"Berkeley Mews" was first released in July 1969 on the US
And then along came "Lola". [When I turned the single over,] I thought, is that me? Wait a minute – it is me![13]
– Pete Quaife on his surprise at hearing "Berkeley Mews" in 1970, c. 2002–03
Pye released "Berkeley Mews" in the UK as the
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman,[8] except where noted:
The Kinks
- Ray Davies – lead vocal, Mellotron[c]
- Dave Davies – electric guitar
- Pete Quaife – bass
- Mick Avory – drums
- Unidentified (played by the Kinks) – handclaps[22]
Additional musicians
- Nicky Hopkins – piano, Mellotron[c]
- Unidentified session musician – saxophone[23]
Notes
- ^ Doug Hinman provides a range of January–March 1968.[1] Andy Miller hypothesises that additional overdubs may have taken place in May or June 1969.[2]
- ^ In Doug Hinman and Jason Brabazon's 1994 self-published Kinks discography, they date the recording to late 1967 or early 1968.[6] Later authors like Miller (2003) cite Hinman & Brabazon's book to provide the same dating.[7] In his 2004 book, Hinman updated his dating to a range of January–March 1968.[8]
- ^ a b Miller does not specify whether Ray or Hopkins contributed Mellotron.[22]
References
Citations
- ^ a b Hinman 2004, pp. 111, 142.
- ^ a b c Miller 2003, p. 110n35.
- ^ a b c Miller 2003, p. 110.
- ^ a b Rogan 1998, p. 23.
- ^ Fleiner 2017, p. 23.
- ^ Hinman & Brabazon 1994, quoted in Miller 2003, pp. 109, 146.
- ^ Miller 2003, pp. 109, 146.
- ^ a b c d Hinman 2004, p. 142.
- ^ Hinman 2004, pp. 111, 121.
- ^ Miller 2003, p. 21.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 142; Miller 2003, p. 21.
- ^ Hinman 2004, pp. 72, 92, 104, 142; Miller 2003, p. 109.
- ^ a b c d Miller 2003, p. 109.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 111.
- ^ Hinman 2004, pp. 115, 116.
- ^ Miller 2003, p. 31n4.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 116; Miller 2003, p. 31n4.
- ^ Mendelsohn 1985, p. 101; Kitts 2008, p. 146; Hinman 2004, p. 130.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 126.
- ^ Hinman 2004, pp. 142, 161.
- ^ Rogan 2015, pp. 731, 734.
- ^ a b Miller 2003, pp. 22, 109.
- ^ Miller 2003, pp. 109, 110n35.
Sources
- Fleiner, Carey (2017). The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon. Lanham, Maryland: ISBN 978-1-4422-3542-7.
- Hinman, Doug; Brabazon, Jason (1994). You Really Got Me: An Illustrated World Discography of the Kinks, 1964–1993. Rumford, Rhode Island: Doug Hinman. ISBN 978-0-9641005-1-0.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day by Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- Kitts, Thomas M. (2008). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else. New York City: ISBN 978-0-415-97768-5.
- ISBN 978-0-688-02983-8.
- ISBN 978-0-8264-1498-4.
- ISBN 978-0-7119-6314-6.
- Rogan, Johnny (2015). Ray Davies: A Complicated Life. London: ISBN 978-1-84792-317-2.
External links
- "Lola" / "Berkeley Mews" at Discogs (list of releases)