_JPG.jpg)
Ray Davies of The Kinks had six older sisters, and today's Great Song of 1983 was about all of them in general, and two of them in particular: Gwen and Rene.
(Note: Ray also had a brother, Dave, who also was a member of The Kinks).
Gwen was 7 years older than Ray, and as a young boy, he noticed that she loved to dance, and would go out on dates to the local dance hall for an evening of fun. He also noticed that she--like many other young ladies back in the '50s--would end the evening with a kiss on the cheek and a carefree "thank you," leaving her dates disappointed that there would be nothing more.
Ray eventually realized some of his other sisters would do the same thing--which brings us to Rene.
Rene was 18 years older than Ray, and as a child, she suffered through a bout of rheumatic fever, which weakened her heart. That didn't stop her from dating handsome young men and spending time at the dance halls herself. She later married a Canadian and emigrated to Canada.
The marriage was not a good one, and Rene would often get away from the stress by visiting Ray, Dave, and her sisters back in England.
On one such visit, (in 1957), she presented Ray with a guitar for his 13th birthday--something he had always wanted. Later that night, Rene went dancing, and her weak heart gave out. She died on the dance floor--in the arms of a stranger. She was 31.
Several years later, Ray wrote "Come Dancing" as a tribute to
Rene, as well as Gwen and the rest of his sisters.
Clive Davis, the music business guru and owner of Arista Records, didn't think it would be a big hit, but allowed The Kinks to release it as a single, most likely because he thought it was such a personal song for Ray and Dave. He, and everyone else, was delighted when "Come Dancing" became their biggest hit since "Tired of Waiting" in 1965!
It climbed to #6 on Billboard's Hot 100 and #16 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. It did even better in Canada, where the matching numbers were 6 & 3, respectively.
Fun Fact: The title "Come Dancing" came from a BBC TV Show than ran in the UK from 1949 to 1995.
Fun Fact #2: In the video, Ray played the suitor who takes the girl dancing.
"Come Dancing" by the Kinks: a very personal song for Ray and Dave Davies, and a Great Song of 1983!
Tomorrow: The weather forecast from Eurhythmics.
Comments