Fifty years ago on this date, The Kinks reached the top of the charts with the immortal classic "You Really Got Me," perhaps the band's best know track to this day.
It's historic for a number of reasons, not even taking the lyrics into consideration. The guitar riff for the song, developed by Dave Davies, is the first hit based on power chords, a songwriting tool that has been recycled time and again by performers in the punk, metal and hard rock genres.
Accordingly, a number of bands have taken to covering the Kinks' classic over the years, which you can check out below.
NOTES: Another big element form the song that has influenced rockers for years to come was Davies poking holes in the cone of his amplifier to create a distortion effect. Another heavy metal connection: Jimmy Page is featured on the track...but not playing guitar. The later Led Zeppelin star is featured on the tambourine in the song.
Van Halen (1978)
The classic Van Halen cover from the band's 1978 debut album is the obvious starting place for "You Really Got Me" covers. It served as a jumping-off point for Eddie Van Halen's guitar theatrics and David Lee Roth's habit of adding sexualized squeals to all of his songs. Kinks guitarist Dave Davies hates the version but it's tough to blame him: Ignorant fans have apparently accused him of ripping off Van Halen, which would be enough to drive any sane songwriter crazy. His belief that "they would be penniless without The Kinks" is a dramatic overstatement however. His brother/cohort Ray Davies enjoys the tune however.
Search (1985)
If you enjoy Van Halen's take on the track then there's no reason for you not to like the version from Search, another band bordering on hair metal. The two renditions are essentially the same track, squeals included. Of course, Search's version is also in the Malay language because this axe-wielding group is from Malaysia. The actual title is "Sirih dan Gambir" but it's an obvious cover nonetheless.
Metallica (2010)
The Davies brothers are much like the other famous sibling songwriting pair from England, Oasis: They don't agree on much. Although Dave hated the Van Halen version of "You Really Got Me" and Ray disagreed, it'd be tough for Dave to dislike Metallica's collaboration with Ray for the See My Friends album. James Hetfield and Ray trade lines throughout the cover and Kirk Hammet keeps his solo respectful to the original blues-oriented notions of Dave's solo, even if it is four-times faster.
801 (1976)
Not all bands felt the need to follow the power-chord structure however. Roxy Music members Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera formed prog group 801 while their primary act was on hiatus and released a cover of "You Really Got Me" on its 1976 live album. Eno's synthesizer comes out stronger where the guitar would normally stand out. Partially because the instruments were recorded live into a mobile studio mixing desk versus stage microphones, and partially because the pair were always experimental, this can be a rather uncomfortable listen, literally.
Dalek I Love You (1980)
The curious British (if you couldn't tell from the Doctor Who reference) synth pop group included a very different take on "You Really Got Me" on its debut album. The drastic split between this and the other versions we've heard is its minimalism. Vocalist Alan Gill is nearly alone on this track, compared to the guitar (and other instrument)-dominated versions heard before. Not at all bad despite the curious take.
Oingo Boingo (1981)
"You Really Got Me" has been a popular cover option for bands to release on their debut albums, and Oingo Boingo is no different (Van Halen, Search and Dalek I Love You also fit this description). This new wave/ska outfit—led by frontman Danny Elfman...yes, the same as composer Danny Elfman—creates a version that sounds just what you would expect from a new wave/ska band. This version is interesting for being more than a minute longer than any other version on this list, breaking the trend of making "You Really Got Me" a short song.
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