Song of the Day: "L-O-L-A, Lola"

The Kinks' classic trans-mutation plus covers by Lake Street Dive, Madness, Weird Al, Jimmy Fallon and Kevin Bacon.

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books and now writer/director of award-winning films. He was also a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy.

When I first heard “Lola” back in 1970 I knew it would be one of my favorite songs forever, and provide my beloved Kinks with a much-needed comeback on the radio. This followed two years where they had declined so badly in U.S. sales, despite producing two classic albums, Village Green and Arthur, that their record company had resorted to promos offering the records for free or one penny in a “God Save the Kinks” campaign.

The song, despite (or because) being wedded to controversy—trans or not trans?—did become a hit and it paved the way for a nice commercial run for the boys that lasted more than a decade. It even survived threatened legal action by Coke which forced the lyric change from “Coca-Cola” to “cherry cola.” Maybe that turned the Kinks into Dr. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?

I finally saw the group live that year, and then in April 1971 Kinks’ leader Ray Davies became my first big-time rock interview after I revived Crawdaddy. He was wonderful and also (as rumored) a bit mad. I told the story earlier right here. Excerpt:

As for the future, he just wanted to enjoy “the little things,” such as Muhammad Ali “beating the shit” out of Joe Frazier in a rematch with “Amazing Grace” playing in the background—a fantasy, as an Ali fan, that I instantly embraced.  He also looked forward to the release of a film called Percy, the English word for penis. In fact, it was a movie about a penis transplant. The producers wanted him to write a funny song for it but instead he had written "God's Children," a protest tune.   “I couldn’t bring myself to actually write a funny song about a penis transplant,” he explained, displaying his trademark lopsided grin. The refrain:  Don't want this world to change me / I want to go back / to the way the good Lord made me.

I hailed the current Kinks surge that was strong enough, after all, to land them in Philharmonic Hall.  Ray would have none of it.  “I tried to stab my brother Dave last month,” he whispered. “We were having something to eat after a gig and he took one of my chips.  Got him right under the ribs.  It was horrible.”  The pair had famously fought, sometimes physically, for years. But he added:  “When I’m onstage it’s the only relaxing time for me. Although sometimes I get too emotional.” 

That very night, when an apparently inebriated Ray stumbled backwards towards a bank of amps, brother Dave stepped aside and let his bro crash into them and fall, with the top amp poised to topple over him…even as Ray kept singing….”I’m an apeman, an ape ape man.”

Anyway, below we have The Kinks and “Lola” from that year and a couple of covers (there have, oddly, been few high-level ones in over half a century) and comedy takeoffs. Plus the usual political cartoon. Then subscribe, please, it’s still (for now, if you act quickly) free!

Shortly after the song’s release.

Fine Lake Street Dive cover.

Madness with ska version plus horns.

A “first draft” with Kevin Bacon and Jimmy Fallon.

Weird Al’s “Y-O-D-A, Yoda.”

https://www.youtube.com/live/hm_j50ZVBY8?feature=share&t=3375

Cartoons of the Day

Greg Mitchell is the author of a dozen books, including the bestseller The Tunnels (on escapes under the Berlin Wall), the current The Beginning or the End (on MGM’s wild atomic bomb movie), and The Campaign of the Century (on Upton Sinclair’s left-wing race for governor of California), which was recently picked by the Wall St. Journal as one of five greatest books ever about an election. His new film, Atomic Cover-up, just had its world premiere and is drawing extraordinary acclaim. For nearly all of the 1970s he was the #2 editor at the legendary Crawdaddy. Later he served as longtime editor of Editor & Publisher magazine. He recently co-produced a film about Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony.