Where Have All the Good Times Gone
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by the Kinks. It was released as the B-side to "Till the End of the Day,"[1] and then on their album The Kink Kontroversy (1965 UK, 1966 US).
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone" | ||||
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Single by the Kinks | ||||
from the album The Kink Kontroversy | ||||
A-side | "Till the End of the Day" | |||
Released |
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Recorded | 23–30 October 1965 | |||
Studio | Pye (No. 2), London | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 2:49 | |||
Label | ||||
Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||
The Kinks UK singles chronology | ||||
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The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
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Ray Davies said, "We'd been rehearsing 'Where Have All the Good Times Gone' and our tour manager at the time, who was a lot older than us, said, 'That's a song a 40-year-old would write. I don't know where you get that from.' But I was taking inspiration from older people around me. I'd been watching them in the pubs, talking about taxes and job opportunities."[2]
The song has since gained "classic" status and featured on numerous compilations. Pye Records released the track as a single in November 1973 (Pye 7N 45313 b/w "Lola"). This re-release failed to chart. Although the Kinks had performed the song live on the TV show 'Ready Steady Go' in 1965, it would not become a staple of their live shows until the 1970s. The song was covered and released as a single in 1982 by Van Halen for their album Diver Down, reaching 17 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart.
References
- https://www.telegraph.co.uk/music/what-to-listen-to/kinks-10-greatest-songs/7-have-good-times-gone-1966/
- Hasted, Nick (2011). You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks. Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84938-660-9.