I Go to Sleep
| "I Go to Sleep" | |
|---|---|
YouTube |
"I Go to Sleep" is a song written by
Ray Davies's demo
Ray Davies composed "I Go to Sleep" on 23 May 1965.[1] Working on the piano at his parents' home in Fortis Green, north London,[2] he wrote the song while awaiting news about the birth of his and his wife's first child.[1] The following day, the song was one of seven for which he recorded demos at Regent Sound Studios in central London.[1][nb 1] The recording features a solo vocal from Davies while he plays piano.[3]
The Kinks never formally recorded the song.[4] Band biographer Johnny Rogan considers the lack of a Kinks recording strange, since the material they recorded around the same time was "obviously inferior".[5] Davies's demo remained unreleased until April 1998, when it appeared as a bonus track on the CD remaster of Kinda Kinks.[5] Sanctuary Records later included it on the 2014 box set The Kinks Anthology 1964–1971.[6]
Cover versions
Early covers
In June 1965, during the Kinks' first US tour, Davies's song publisher Edward Kassner shopped his song catalogue to various artists. Kassner succeeded in convincing the American jazz singer Peggy Lee to cover "I Go to Sleep",[7] which she recorded backed by a studio orchestra conducted by Sid Feller.[8] Capitol Records included the song on Lee's 1965 album Then Was Then – Now Is Now!,[8] and the label also released it as a single, but it failed to chart.[9][nb 2]
During the same US tour, after a Kinks show in Philadelphia on 19 June, the singer Mary Wells expressed to Davies a desire to record the song, but he rejected the offer since it had already been promised to Lee.[11] Around 30 June, as the American singer Cher finished recording her debut album at Gold Star Studios, Larry Page convinced her to record the song for that album.[7] The English Beat group the Applejacks issued a cover of the song as a single in the UK on 27 August 1965,[12] but it failed to chart.[13]
The German singer
The Pretenders
| "I Go to Sleep" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
The Pretenders singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "I Go to Sleep" (Official Music Video) on YouTube | ||||
"I Go to Sleep" was covered in 1981 by
"I Go to Sleep" had been rumoured to have been one of the first songs that
| Chart (1981–1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[17] | 6 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[18] | 4 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100)[19] | 9 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[20] | 28 |
| 7 |
| Chart (1982) | Ranking |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop Flanders)[22] | 83 |
Later covers
In 2018, Z Berg released a cover of “I Go To Sleep” as a B-side.
Notes
- ^ The biographer Doug Hinman hypothesises that all of the demo recordings may have been rushed to tape for potential clients at the Music Publishers Association's First British Song Festival, which was held that same day.[1]
- ^ In a 2012 interview with BBC Radio, Davies suggested that the song was commissioned by Lee, adding that he wrote the song specifically with her voice in mind.[10]
References
- ^ a b c d Hinman 2004, p. 56.
- ^ Rogan 2015, p. 211.
- ^ Webb 2013, p. 53.
- ^ Rogan 2015, pp. 503–504.
- ^ a b Rogan 1998, p. 182.
- ^ Rogan 2015, pp. 730–731.
- ^ a b Hinman 2004, p. 59.
- ^ a b Webb 2013, p. 52.
- ^ Rogan 2015, pp. 224, 504.
- ^ Rogan 2015, pp. 211, 658.
- ^ Rogan 2015, p. 224.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 64.
- ^ Rogan 2015, p. 504.
- ISBN 392369699X, p. 75–76.
- ^ a b Greenwald, Matthew. "Pretenders - I Go to Sleep". Allmusic.
- ^ Select, July 1990
- ^ "The Pretenders – I Go to Sleep" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 2, 1982" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "The Pretenders – I Go to Sleep" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "The Pretenders – I Go to Sleep". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "The Pretenders: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
- ^ "Jaaroverzichten 1982". Ultratop. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
Sources
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- ISBN 978-0-7119-6314-6.
- Rogan, Johnny (2015). Ray Davies: A Complicated Life. London: ISBN 978-1-84792-317-2 – via the Internet Archive.
- Webb, Robert (2013). 100 Greatest Cover Versions: The Ultimate Playlist. Carmarthen: McNidder and Grace Limited. ISBN 978-0-85716-057-7 – via Google Books.
