One of the most influential rock acts during the 60s era, The Kinks were a London-based band formed by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. We can easily say that the Kinks got their breakthrough immediately with their formation, because although the band already existed under different names for 2 years, “The Kinks” was adopted as a band name exactly in 1964 and that’s when things finally started happening for these four young English boys.
At that time the boys had a deal with Pye Records. The Kinks released 2 singles through them, but both of them failed to enter the charts, so Pye Records threatened them with a termination of their contract. In August 1964, the Kinks recorded and released their third single, which was also their last hope of staying with Pye Records. The song was entitled “You Really Got Me”. Having the chance to perform it live on the “Ready Steady Go” show, which was the most popular music programme on TV at that time, The Kinks received the acclaim of the fans and “You Really Go Me” quickly reached #1 in the UK.
Hearing of the success of “You Really Got Me” in England, Reprise Records quickly signed a deal and started importing the single in the United States, where it earned its place on the US Top 10 chart. The guitar sound that Dave Davies achieved on this track became extremely influential on the (at that still time developing) American garage rock scene and “You Really Got Me” itself became a signature rock guitar song for years to come, being performed by many popular bands.
In fact, up to this day many people recognize the Van Halen version better than the original. Van Halen recorded the song for their debut album, which was released in 1978. The cover gave Van Halen a real jump start and “You Really Got Me” soon transformed from a 60s garage rock hit into a hard rock anthem. However, Dave Davies of The Kinks stated several times that he dislikes Van Halen’s version and expressed his irritation of the fact that the Kinks fans keep congratulating him on “playing such a great Van Halen cover” and at the same time Van Halen fans keep accusing him for “ripping of Van Halen”.
However if we dig a bit into music history and do a comparison, using the Billboard Chart as a base, we will notice that the original version was much more successful for its time compared to the cover. In 1964 You Really Got Me by The Kinks reached #7 on the Billboard Singles Chart, while You Really Got Me by Van Halen peaked at #36 in 1978. Still, whether you prefer the Van Halen version or the Kinks original, if you sit down and try to play them on your guitar, you’ll see that they are really the same.
In fact, it’s really a great idea to learn to play You Really Got Me by The Kinks on your guitar, because that signature guitar lick that the song begins with is really a lick that every respected rock guitarist should have in his arsenal. So don’t hesitate – grab your guitar and learn the song!
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Each Song Includes Step By Step Videos For Lead & Rhythm Guitar
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Tags: Andy Partridge, BandJammer, Guitar Songs, Learn Guitar, The Kinks, You Really Got Me
May 9, 2012 at 7:41 am 
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