Wednesday, January 23, 2019

A 9 Stone Weakling With Knobbly Knees


The Kinks : ( Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman (extended version)


On January 26, 1979 The Kinks released "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" b/w "Low Budget" in the U.K. Ray Davies says the A-side was inspired by the 1978 movie starring Christopher Reeve.

I've always admired Superman comics. I went to see the film when it came out at Christmas ... I was overwhelmed ... I thought it was so true to the comic books and I wanted to write kind of a rock disco cause I hate disco music as a rule ... but now we've got a sort of mix with a rock and roll backbeat and it works real well.

The disco beat was Arista Records boss Clive Davis's idea. He wanted something that could be played in the clubs. ( Arista would release a six minute version for discos). Brother Dave thought it was a bad idea and now says only the humorous lyrics kept the single from being a big mistake for the band. 

Though "Superman" failed to chart in Europe, it peaked at US#41, and would be the Kinks' last American hit until "Come Dancing" broke into the Top 10 in 1982.


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