Long time attentive readers may recall that I sometimes consider that song the most beautiful written in the English language in the second half of the 20th century, and that I wrote an essay about another memorable performance of it back in 2007 that I remain extremely proud of.
In any case, somehow I missed that See My Friends album at the time of its original release, and nothing I've heard this year has given me more pleasue. I recommend it unreservedly and you should download or purchase it immediately.
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Just lovely.
The narrator is in Paradise "as long as I gaze on" - but it's a sunset. It doesn't last, by definition. This level of meaning is all the more powerful because it goes unspoken.
I'll post the picture again later, but on our first trip to London, BG and I went to Waterloo Bridge and she took a photo of me gazing on an actual Waterloo sunset. One of the great thrills of my life.
Two great stories about this song, as quoted in John Mendelssohn's bio of Ray:
1. When the song was a hit in England, the Kinks and Jimi Hendrix were on TOP OF THE POPS (or some other Brit TV show) together. While waiting to go on, Hendrix told Ray that he thought the song was brilliant. Ray apparently did the British equivalent of kvelling, and with good reason.
2. After the Kinks recorded the song, Ray did something he described as "very pretentious." He went on Waterloo Bridge and had himself photographed. He described it as the equivalent of posing with a lion you'd just hunted and killed on safari. :-)
That is good!!
Raymond Douglas Davies RULES!!! (as always)
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