Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks Songfacts Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks Songfacts Songfacts Written by Kinks lead singer Ray Davies, he called this "a romantic, lyrical song about my older sister's generation." Waterloo Bridge is in London, and the lyrics are about a guy looking out of a window at two lovers meeting at Waterloo Station. Davies used to cross Waterloo Bridge every day when he was a student at Croydon Art School. Ray Davies brought this to the band while they were in the middle of recording the album. He was reluctant to share the lyrics because they were so personal. In a Rolling Stone magazine interview, his brother (and Kinks guitarist) Dave Davies said Ray felt "it was like an extract from a diary nobody was allowed to read." It is often claimed that the line, "Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station every Friday night" is about the relationship between actor Terence Stamp and actress Julie Christie. However, Ray Davies denied this in his autobiography.

He subsequently revealed that it was "a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world and they were going to emigrate and go to another country." According to Kinks biographer Nick Hasted, Terry was Ray's nephew Terry Davies, whom he was close to in early teenage years. Further confusing the matter, Davies told Rolling Stone in 2015 that Julie and Terry were "big, famous actors at the time." Ray Davies started writing this a few years before The Kinks recorded it. At first, it was called "Liverpool Sunset," but when The Beatles released " Penny Lane ," he changed the words so it wouldn't look like a rip-off. On February 23, 2003 David Bowie was joined on stage by Ray Davies and performed a duet of this song at Carnegie Hall in New York City for the Tibet House benefit. >> Suggestion credit: Mo - Newark, NJ The perfectionist Ray Davies, before releasing the single, revisited the song's location at sunset to ensure "the atmosphere was right." Ray Davies (From Uncut magazine January 2009): "It came to me first as a statement about the death of Merseybeat.

But I realized that Waterloo was a very significant place in my life. I was in St. Thomas' Hospital when I was really ill as a child, and I looked out on the river. I went to Waterloo every day to go to college as well. The song was also about being taken to the Festival of Britain with my mum and dad. I remember them taking me by the hand, looking at the big Skylon tower, and saying it symbolized the future. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife (Rasa, who left Ray, taking his two daughters, in 1973) and all the other dreams that we had. Her in her brown suede coat that she wore, that was stolen. And also about my sisters, and about the world I wanted them to have. The two characters in the song, Terry and Julie, are to do with the aspirations of my sisters' generation, who grew up during the Second world War and missed out on the '60s. Sometimes when you're writing and you're really on good form, you get into the frame of mind where you think, I can relate to any of these things. It's something I learned at art school-let all the ideas flow out.

But if you listen to the words without the music, it's a different thing entirely. The lyrics could be better. But they dovetail with the music perfectly." Popular British singer Paul Weller has said this is his favorite song. Ray Davies performed this with Jackson Browne on Davies' 2010 collaborative album See My Friends. In an interview for Daniel Rachel's book The Art of Noise: Conversations with Great Songwriters, Davies recalled that Browne was taken with a particular lyric: "He said, 'I don't need no friends?' He said it twice. I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'That's the most beautiful thing I've ever had to sing. It doesn't make sense on the page but when you put it with the music...' I hadn't thought about it that way. The melody takes the curse off the grammar fault. The choice of words, the way they're pronounced, sometimes gives an emotion that's unexpected. Don't is the killer word because it's not correct.

Great lines are only great because of what precedes them, maybe sometimes when they happen after." Chords for "Waterloo Sunset" Chords for "Waterloo Sunset" From: Franz Lemmermeyer Subject: CRD: Waterloo Sunset (Kinks) Waterloo Sunset (Ray Davies) D A G 1. Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, rolling into the night D A G People so busy make me feel dizzy, taxi lights shine so bright Em B Em7 A But i don't need no friends D A G G B E As long as i gaze on Waterloo Sunset, i am in paradise E7 A G B E Every day i look at the world from my window E7 A7 The chilly-chilliest evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine. 2. Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night But i am so lazy, don't want to wander, i stay at home at night But i don't feel afraid As long as i gaze on Waterloo Sunset, i am in paradise Every day i look at the world from my window The chilly chilliest evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine. 3.

Millions of people swarming like flies round Waterloo underground Terry and Julie cross over the river where they feel safe and sound And they don't need no friends As long as they gaze on Waterloo Sunset, they are in paradise Every day i look at the world from my window The chilly chilliest evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine. '&' ******************************************************** # Franz Lemmermeyer ** - These people have * # Erwin-Rohde-Str. 19 ** been your enemies * _#_ 69120 Heidelberg ** for 20,000 years! * ( # ) ** - I'm not that old, * / O \ xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.de ** said Hagbard. * ( === ) ***** Illuminatus ***** '---' ******************************************************** From: PSHAW Date: Thu, 01 Feb 1996 13:16:00 -0500 (EST) [...] Also, Waterloo Sunset is off, but I don't know the names of the chords that are right. It is one of those songs that is really so nicely put together, that I wish I knew what the chord names were so I could tell them.

Still, what is on the page is very nice too, although the song is in E, not D. D is easier to play though, and that makes it fine for me. My God--in so many ways is Waterloo Sunset fine. From: Jim Smart Date: Fri, 3 May 1996 07:05:31 -1000 Subject: chord changes for Waterloo Sunset I have been strumming away at this song, which IS in the key of E, not D. Still, this is the easiest key, so you should put a capo on the 2nd fret, and play it like this. Thanks for the chords. I have made a few changes...The following lines should emphasize the descending notes from E, Eb, D, and C#, while the bass should also climb from E to A, like this: E, F#, G, A.......... Em B7 Em7 A But i don't need no friends The "Sha La La" part must be changed: do NOT play a B chord, please!

D A G G D(F# bass) E As long as i gaze on Waterloo Sunset, i am in paradise Here, there is a missing D chord, played twice hard, before the second "Sha La La" E7(descending bass line: E,D,C#,B) A D G D(F# bass) E Every day i look at the world from my window E7 (descending bass again) A7 (descending bass line: A, G, F#, E...) chilly-chilly is the evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine. That last part is also the intro....Hope this helps!!! Jim Smart Date: July 8, 1998 12:12 AM From: David M. Toole the song is in E, with NO capo. the intro is a steadily strummed B7 fretted low to high like this: X 2 1 2 0 2 with the lead going over it. the verse chords are E, B7(X 2 4 2 4 2), and A.

the "and i don't need..." part has a screwy chord sequence like this: F#m(2 4 4 2 2 2), F#m something (2 4 3 2 2 4), F#m7 (2 4 2 2 2 2), and the above B7. then back to verse chords. the "sha la la" is A(X 0 2 2 2 0), then the bass line with your pinky on the fourth fret of the low E, F# (major this time, strummed all the way through to "my"), and on "window" go back to the B7 (X 2 4 2 4 2). then two quick strums on E and repeat from the "sha la la", winding back up at the intro of the song, which is also the ending. thanks for taking the time to read this, and i hope my layout isn't too confusing. Date: February 26, 1999 6:18 PM From: jmaxwell I've been struggling with Waterloo Sunset for several years now.

I feel most comfortable with the version which Franz Lemmermeyer has presented. I believe that the "And I don't need no friends" bit should be corrected to the following: and I don't(Emajor)-(Bmajor)...need no friends(Gmajor)-(Amajor) as long as I gaze etc. Part of the problem with trying to figure this song out is that the record is not "pitched" to a proper tuning. Its impossible to play along with it unless your guitar is somewhat sharp or flat. I believe that Ray Davies played the song with the capo on the second fret when he did the live program for the television. Hope this helps, John Maxwell Date: July 26, 1999 5:28 PM From: Jonathan Longstaff First of all, I have to give my guitar teacher, Troy, credit for this as he taught it to me and figured out the leads. Throughout the song, Ray has a capo on the second fret and is playing the following chord pattern: Chords are relative to capo Intro: 4 bars of A Verses: ||: D . . . | A/C# . . . | G/B . . . | % :|| Em . . .

| Em+7 . . . | Em7 . . . | Chorus: | A . . . | D . . . | A/C# . . . | G/B . . . | G/B . G G/F# | Em . . . | % | A . . . | D . G G/F# | Em . . . | % | repeat four bars of A from intro For the fuzzy electric guitar (plus bass), play this (no capo, slightly muted): Intro: | B . B/A . | B/G# . B/F# . | B/E . B/D# . | B/C# . B . | Verses: ||: E . . . | B/D# . . . | A/C# . . . | % :|| F#m . . . | F#m+7 . . . | F#m7 . . . | Chorus: | B . . . | E . . . | B/D# . . . | A/C# . . . | A/C# . A A/G# | F#m . F#m/E . | F#m/D# . F#m/C# . | B . B/F# . | E .

A A/G# | F#m . F#m/E . | F#m/D# . F#m/C# . | repeat intro chords I know that's awfully convoluted, but I don't know how to do it any better than that. Here are the leads: This one comes at the beginning and at the end. Basically, it's just the melody. e|----------------------------------------------------------------| B|----------5-----------------------------------------------------| G|----4s6s4---s6-4--------4---------------------------------------| D|-----------------4-s6s4---4s6-4--------s6-4-2-------------------| A|--------------------------------2-s4s2--------4-----------------| E|----------------------------------------------------------------| When Dave plays this at the end, though, some of the slides become hammer-ons. Now, here's the very subversive, hard-to-hear lead throughout the song.

It is played in several variations, but here's how it appears the first time: e|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| B|----------5----------------------------------------------------------5-----------| G|----2-4s6---6s4-2----------4---------------4-------------------2-4s6---6s4-2-----| D|---------------------2-4s6---6s4-2-2-2-4s6---6s4-1-1-1-2-4-2---------------------| A|------------------s5-----------------------------------------4-------------------| E|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------| Date: Nov. 12, 1999 4:07 PM From: Scott A. Smith I play the song in E without a capo, similar to how David Poole describes it, but when I reach the screwy chord sequence, I play it. F#m Faug A B E But I don't need no friends/ As long as I gaze on. . . . Try it out.

Scott Smith Date: January 2, 2000 6:30 PM From: jeff cooper Waterloo Sunset E B7 Dirty old river, must you keep rolling A Rolling into the night E B7 People so busy, makes me feel dizzy A Taxi lights shine so bright C#m C#m(maj7) Cm7 F#7 But I don't, need no friends E B7 As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset A [E E/D#] I am in paradise... C#m F# E B Every day I look at the world from my window C#m F# Chilly, chilly is evening time F# F#/E F#/D# F# Waterloo sunset's fine...Waterloo sunset's fine...

Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station Every Friday night But I am so lazy, don't want to wander I stay at home at night But I don't feel afraid As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset I am in paradise Every day I look at the world from my window But chilly, chilly is the evening time Waterloo sunset's fine Millions of people swarming like flies 'round Waterloo underground But Terry and Julie cross over the river Where they feel safe and sound And the don't need no friends As long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset They are in paradise Waterloo sunset's fine Date: January 20, 2001 4:01 PM From: kim.d Waterloo sunset. I've just been looking at the chords for the above on the Kinks chords & tabs site. The above is my own version obtained by listening to the single and trying to match on my Fender! Maybe some of the B chords could be B7's other wise it seems ok. Let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy it. Guitar run down. B 3 _ bars E B F#m E B F#m Dirty old river must you keep rolling, rolling into the night.

E B F#m People so busy, make me feel dizzy, taxi light shines so bright. F#m7 C#m A B E But I don't, need no friend, as long as I gaze on, B F#m Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise. Chorus. E F#m B E Sha la la. Every day I look at the world from my window. F#m E F#m B Sha la la. Chilly chilly it's evening time, Waterloo sunset's fine. /////////// E B F#m Terry meets Julie, Waterloo station, every Friday night. E B F#m But I am so lazy, don't want to wander, I stay at home at night. F#m7 C#m A B E But I don't, feel afraid, as long as I gaze on, B F#m Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise. Repeat chorus. E B F#m Millions of people, swarming like flies round, Waterloo under ground. E B F#m But Terry and Julie cross over the river, where they feel safe and sound.

F#m7 C#m A B E And they don't, need no friends, as long as they gaze on, B F#m Waterloo sunset, they are in paradise. Guitar run down. E B F#m End on B. Date: March 16, 2001 4:40 PM From: Navin Johnson WATERLOO SUNSET E B A dirty old river,wont you keep rolling,rolling into the night.ect... F#m Db7 A B but i dont,need no friends. A E F#m B E,E sha,la,la-every day i look at the world through my window A E F#m B sha,la,la-chilly,chilly is evening time.waterloo sunsets fine... JUST THOUGHT ID ADD TO THE FIVE PAGES OF WATERLOO SUNSET MADDNESS YOUVE GOT GOING. I DO AGREE WITH THOSE WHO SAY IT SHOULD BE PLAYED WITH CAPO ON TWO,BUT THIS IS AN EASY WAY TO PLAY IT WITH NO CAPO.AND IT SOUNDS GOOD.ITS NOT PERFECT BUT OH,WELL.

JEFF HASSETT Date: April 15, 2002 2:51 AM From: jgleeson Theres about ten different "Waterloo Sunse"t tablatures and there all wrong. Heres the correct version enjoy.........

waterloo sunset chords B E B7 A F#m C#/E# A/C# F# B E5/B A G#m E/B B5 A5 # 0 2 0 2 1 # 2 7 # # 4 7 # # 4 0 0 2 2 2 2 2 7 # # 4 9 # # 4 1 2 2 2 1 2 3 8 9 6 4 9 # # 4 2 1 2 4 3 2 4 9 9 7 6 9 9 7 2 2 2 0 4 # 4 4 9 7 7 6 7 9 7 # 0 # # 2 # # 2 7 7 5 4 7 7 5 intro (bass) B B/A B/G# B/F# B/E B/D# B/C# B B ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- ----------------------------- -0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0-0--0-0- -----------------------------

 E B7 A --------------------------------------------------- -------5------------------------------------------- -s6--4---s6-4-----------4-------------------------- ----------------4-s6--4---s6--4----------6-4---2--- -----------------------------------2-4-2---------4- --------------------------------------------------- riff 1 -------------- ------5------- -2-s6---6s4-2- -------------- -------------- -------------- verses E B7 A(w/riff 1) (1)dirty old river must you keep rolling rolling into the night (2)terry meets julie waterloo station every friday night (3)millions of people swarming like flies round waterloo underground people so busy make me feel dizzy taxi lights shine so bright but i am so lazy dont want to wander i stay at home at night terry and julie cross over the river where they feel safe and sound F#m C#/E# A/C# B7 but i dont need no friends but i dont feel afraid and they dont need no friends E B7 A (bass/A G#) as long as i gaze on waterloo sunset i am in paradise as long as i gaze on waterloo sunset i am in paradise as long as i gaze on waterloo sunset they are in paradise F#

 B E5/B (bass/A G#) (Sha la la) every day i look at the world from my window F# B (Sha la la) but chilly chilly is evening time waterloo sunsets fine Outro B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 A5 B5 E From: Mike Freemont Date: May 1, 2007 The last one you have posted is nearly perfect, but i think the C#/E# chord maybe off so i looked up some live performances from youtube to see as many of the actual finger postions as i could make out and this is the best i can come up with, hope you enjoy Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks Chords: E - 022100 B7 - x21202 B - x24442 A - 002220 Asus2 - 002200 F#m - x44222 F#m+7- x43222 F#m7 - x42222 F# - x44322 AII - x776

55 G#m - x66444 BII - x99877 intro: B chord (descending notes B A G# F# E D# C#) opening riff e ------------------------------------------------ b ------------------------------------------------ g ------9----------------------------------------- D -9-11---9/11-9--------9------------6------------ A ---------------9-11-9---9/11---------9-7-------- E -----------------------------7-9-7-------9--(7)- E B7 Dirty old river, must you keep rolling A (Asus2)* Flowing into the night E B7 People so busy, makes me feel dizzy A Taxi light shines so bright F#m F#m+7 F#m7 B But I don't.....

need no friends E B7 As long as I gaze on waterloo sunset A AII G#m** I am in paradise (sha la) F# B E A G#m la Every day I look at the world from my window sha la F# la But chilly, chilly is the evening time B B7 Waterloo sunsets fine (Waterloo sunsets fine) Terry meets julie, waterloo station Every friday night But I am so lazy, dont want to wander I stay at home at night But I dont feel afraid As long as I gaze on waterloo sunset I am in paradise Every day I look at the world from my window But chilly, chilly is the evening time Waterloo sunsets fine Millions of people swarming like flies round waterloo underground But terry and julie cross over the river Where they feel safe and sound And the dont need no friends As long as they gaze on waterloo sunset They are in paradise BII Waterloo sunsets fine..repeat until fadeout *Ocassionally he switches to asus2 **he Could possibly be just playing a plain G# major, but its not all that noticable since its played so quickly From: Fatherflot Date: July 27, 2011 Waterloo Sunset

 - This is it!

OK, here goes: Intro is B barred on the second fret with a descending bassline: B, A (open on A string) G#, F# (on E string) Dirty Old River etc. E B(not 7!) A But I don't etc. F# min - F# aug (Davies loves this change see "Set Me Free"!) A B As long as I gaze on etc. E B A Sha La La A E F# (now it's a major) Then walk down the Bass for the F# the same way you walked it down on the B chord in the intro. Here it's: F# E (on the low E string) D# C# (on the A string) Waterloo sunset's fine. . . B (later goes to a B 7) That's it. The walk down basslines for the B and F# are key, as is the change from F#minor to F# augmented. Please, everyone try this and listen carefully. This is it. From: Chris Tanis Date: 21 Feb. 2013 OK The trouble with this song is that you can't necessarily hear the rhythm guitar's chord changes clearly.

So, you must listen to the whole band to figure out a way to play it satisfactorily by yourself on a single acoustic guitar. SO, Here goes my version.

Cheap & cheerful it is, but I think it's right on: INTRO: B B/A B/G# B/F# and then just B as the bass continues the B Mixolydian scale downwards again to B (E, D#, C#, B) with a B7 at the very end VERSES: E B A x3 PRE-CHORUS: F#m F#m add9/E# (The third chord is either F#m7/E or A/E, almost the same, really, except for the F# on top- voice it with an A on top as A/E to simulate Dave & Rasa's backing vox) B CHORUS: E B A BRIDGE: A E/G# F# F#/E F#/D# F#/C# B E A E/G# F# F#/E F#/D# F#/C# REPEAT INTRO CHORDS OUTRO: E B A Bmodal (no 3rd) *** The F#m add9/E# chord in the PRE-CHORUS section is problematic, in the sense that the added 9th (G#) is, to my ears, only in the backing vox, and may not be in the chords

 that Ray was playing at the time, but that really makes no difference.

There may be additional notes in that chord, but there is no question that E# (otherwise known as "F natural" just to confuse things a bit) is the bass note. Whether ALL the instruments are playing it or just the lead guitar and the bass is open to debate, but functionally, it makes little difference. The other notes of the chord as I've written it (A, C#, G#) are at least not *incorrect*, and between what the chord would most likely be and what my ears tell me, are correct. The progression in that section is sort of like the Beatles' adaptation of A Taste of Honey, which goes: F#m F#m/E# F#m/E B9/D# It's a standard device to walk the bass note downward that way over a minor chord, but unique here in that it's the ii chord in the key. Usually it'd be the i or iv in a minor key, or the vi (the relative minor) in a major key. So, I'm fairly satisfied with this when I play it this way. I played it along with the original recording and with a live version from '73, and it sounds correct in both cases.

Been a long time since I posted here, but wanted to share this with you. Of course, it's just the way I hear it. Waterloo Sunset's Fine: An Insight into Male Solitude - shares One of the main symptoms people with depression describe isn’t upset, but detachment. In a past line of work I was helping a woman move into a retirement home. It was a nice enough building, a good ten or so stories, with a few self contained flats on every level. It had a nice big communal room on the ground floor, and a rota with social events and activities. For the next three months or so, part of my job was to make sure that she was settling in all right. I visited several times, and although the flats were full, on every single occasion the whole place was completely empty. Besides a single member of staff, in the halls and communal areas there was no one ever to be seen. I would meet with the member of staff in charge. She made it clear quickly enough that the reason the place was so quiet was because the residents were mostly men.

“They just keep themselves to themselves.” Asking a little further, she explained that this was the case consistently in every place that she had worked—the women were mostly sociable, engaged with activities, while most of the men were all but completely reclusive. Withdrawal I find the isolated world of individual men one of the biggest unspoken issues facing our day to day lives. Suicide rates in men are consistently between three and five times that of women across the world, which suggests a common isolation, and could be seen as the most extreme form of withdrawal. The perpetrators of school shootings are more often than not male—an extreme result of not relating to the people around you. We don’t go to the toilet in groups, we aren’t supposed to cry. Men are saddled with a lot of guilt for the state of the world and there aren’t many platforms to share it all. Of course I’m speaking in generalisations, but unfortunately, somehow, for men to heap everything on their shoulders and keep it to themselves seems to be the norm. It’s the beginnings of an idea as to why so many men depart, and some explode. Maybe I’m misinterpreting, maybe he is just saying “Waterloo sunset’s fine” to mean that he enjoys it.

But he’s not calling it great, or beautiful, or moving, as so many poems and songs about the setting sun ramble on about. It’s fine. This will do. I don’t have to move from here. It’s going to be a tough one to bring into the open, but for starters, I think the best beginning is to realise how many other people feel that same appeal in solitude. And I’ve found it in the most unlikely of places: from a song I always took to be calming, reassuring and relaxing. I’m talking about “Waterloo Sunset,” written and performed by Ray Davies of The Kinks. Waterloo Sunset The song is a surprisingly fantastic insight into choosing to be alone. I had always taken it to be a serene, dreamy tune about just appreciating something simple that is right in front of you. Just before writing this article, I was thinking about that image in the lyrics of someone in their room, who wonders about a couple meeting at the station very close to him. Then follows the line “But I am too lazy.” I’ve been through my own phases of depression, my younger brother even more so. Laziness is a common theme when emotional issues aren’t being acknowledged.

It’s a way to explain away anxiety. My older brother has said that for years he thought that my younger brother’s lying in bed throughout the day was just laziness. Seeing a hint that this song might be about withdrawal, I went back to look at it from the beginning, in a new light. “Dirty old river, must you keep rolling / Flowing into the night.” The opening, making a plea for the river to pause, for the world to stop turning, is far from the serenity that I was expecting. For those who don’t know the place, Waterloo Station is the busiest railway station in Britain, right in central London. The description later of “Millions of people swarming like flies” makes it quite clear that this isn’t the most appealing place to the solitary voice of the song. From the opening lines, it moves on to describe feeling dizzy at watching busy people, the bright light of taxis, general city noise. I had always thought the next line was “but I don’t feel afraid”—setting up a reassuring punch line about looking at the sunset. It’s actually “but I don’t need no friends”. This comes a bit out of the blue for me.

The question isn’t why doesn’t he need friends—why does he bring it up at all? Why does he see this scene and declare that he doesn’t need them now? Maybe he’s turning away from the world below, the one he feels that he should be engaging with. True or not, he’s turning away from those he should feel at ease with. The chorus could now easily be about someone who doesn’t want to, or never leaves the house. He looks at the world from his window “every day”, using the excuses of the the cold weather to stay home at night—“chilly is the evening time.” He resolves that just staying and watching the sun setting is enough for him. I’m reminded of the time I’ve wasted flipping TV channels, scrolling through pictures of kittens, lurking on message boards—getting caught in a bit of a loop so as not to make the next decision. My brother would talk about staying just one more hour in bed, and then another, and another. Maybe I’m misinterpreting, maybe he is just saying “Waterloo sunset’s fine” to mean that he enjoys it.

But he’s not calling it great, or beautiful, or moving, as so many poems and songs about the setting sun ramble on about. It’s fine. This will do. I don’t have to move from here. Terry meets Julie Back to the couple—“Terry meets Julie, Waterloo Station, every Friday night.” This isn’t a song about two people meeting up; for a start, they don’t show up until verse two. It’s about someone who can’t really relate to them. The voice in the song thinks about these people, but doesn’t feel that he can join them. And just as Jesus shows up in the film Ben Hur and steals the show, this couple become the focus: they are the real event, which he stays away from. The song ends with their walking away together. The man sitting alone in his room has no story: he is deliberately avoiding everyone else. Like the recluses of retirement homes, he is left on his own. I now think that this is a song about depression. And I don’t mean that to be a downer—I think it shares something rarely touched upon, offers up insight, and is absolutely touching and beautiful.

Other than feeling ‘dizzy’ there’s no mention of feeling down or sad—that’s not what solitude and avoidance are about. One of the main symptoms people with depression describe isn’t upset, but detachment. An Anthem It was only when researching this all further that I found out that Ray Davies is bipolar, and would have undoubtedly experienced some serious lows, even if he wasn’t directly writing about them. Last week he sang his song at the Olympic closing ceremony—it was hailed as “an anthem for London.” But I can see something far more personal, powerful and actually quite comforting in Waterloo Sunset. It’s not about London any more than it’s about Terry and Julie. I can identify with it. I’d like to think that many others can too. I encourage you to go back to the lyrics, have a read through, or better yet, listen to the man himself sing the song. And if at times you struggle to open up to others, if seeing friends feels like an effort rather than a joy, if you just want to be on your own and be distracted. Know that many others feel just like this too.

In Canada and the U.S., the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-TALK (8255). In the U.K., ring the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90. Read more on Solitude . Carl’s Rock Songbook #34: The Kinks, “Waterloo Sunset” | Carl Scott | First Things Carl’s Rock Songbook #34: The Kinks, “Waterloo Sunset” 1 . 10 . 12 Mans greatness comes from knowing he is wretched.

Pascal This entry will wrap up the Songbooks oft-interrupted series of loneliness and individualism songs, all from 1965-1967, which by way of review, began with The Beach Boys Thats Not Me, went on to consider two Simon and Garfunkel songs, I Am a Rock, and The Sounds of Silence, and then compared and contrasted the Beatles Eleanor Rigby, with the Zombies A Rose for Emily. Tocqueville, Rousseau, About a Boy , and wouldnt you know, my own socio-cultural theories regarding Three Stages of Modernity were considered along the way. If you want to see what I say about these, just enter Rock Songbook into the Search First Things window in the upper right. I planned from the beginning to finish the series with Waterloo Sunset. Something about its humbly sad and yet life-affirming tone, and something about the poignancy of the But I dont . . . need no friends line guaranteed it pride of place.

The song was hit in Britain, but is not very well known in the U.S. A shame, because its about as melodically beautiful as pop-song gets, at least in the genre of mid-to-late 60s pop-art rock. The Kinks even seemed to want to ironically lighten its perfectionor thats why I think they sang the background choral parts with child-like voices. But as you can hear in this recent re-arrangement by its songwriter Ray Davies , the song also works great with the choral parts sung straightforwardly. (Hat-tip to chastity advocate and mid-60s pop connoisseur Dawn Eden .) In the Eden-provided link, the song is introduced by Ray Davies answering a question about its lyrics. He says that its narrator is a shut-in, but one who observes people in the busy scene around Waterloo Station in London. The songs chorus describes his situation: (Sha-la-la) Every day I look at the world from my window. (Sha-la-la) But chilly, chilly, is the evening time . . . Waterloo sunsets fine.

The chorus occurs with an up-swell in the music, and lyrically, it at least ends with a happy and beauty-evocative idea. Still, its effect is mixed—if a Sha-la-la is a sixties pop cliché that always signals a kind of youthful triumphalism, here it is sung in a rather muted and even distant fashion. The three verses work as follows. The first introduces the narrator alone, the second contrasts him with the couple he observes, and the third stays entirely with the couple. Heres the first: Dirty old river, must you keep rolling, flowing into the night? People so busy, makes me feel dizzy, taxi-light shines so bright. But I dont . . . need no friends . . . as long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise. And then comes the Sha-la-la and the chorus. So far, we can notice one obvious motivation for his withdrawing from society: its busyness unsettles him, rattles whatever inner equilibrium he has. The second verse reveals several more motivations: fear (of crime?), laziness, and not wanting to wander. Terry meets Julie, Wateloo Station, Every Friday night.

But I am so lazy, dont want to wander, I stay at home at night. But I dont . . . feel afraid, as long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset, I am in paradise. But upon closer look, were not so sure about a couple of these motivations. True, the next verse suggests Terry and Julie have some concern about being in a part of the city where they feel safe and sound, which sounds like a fear of crime is involved, but the narrators statement about his not feeling afraid follows his report of staying indoors and is conditioned upon his gazing on the sunset. The possibility of his being afraid is not eliminated by his staying in. So if he is afraid of something, it seems to be more than just the threat of crime. In contrasting himself to Terry and Julie, he notes that he doesnt go out at night, but of course, the chorus tells us that during the day-time he is shut in also. And is laziness really the major reason he doesnt go out? If a person fails to work enough, exercise enough, etc., we might well primarily blame the vice of laziness.

But if a person fails to make friends, or fails in some other way in interpersonal relationships, does it suffice to chalk it up to laziness? I think the narrators telling us he doesnt want to wander is a more honest description of why he doesnt go outhe doesnt have friends, or anyplace to go like Cheers where everybody knows his name, and so he will of necessity be a wanderer in the modern city if he goes out. And yet, as Peter Lawler has taught us many times in his books and in his blogging , there is a necessity for some wandering in the spiritually honest human life(it wont quite do to say spiritually healthy human life). Wandering is discontented, needy, wondering, and vulnerableand the last quality means it must to some extent involve feeling afraid, feeling unsafe and unsound. With Aristotle and common-sense, we know that the happy life must include friends; and we sense that our narrator does need them and deep down knows it, despite what he tells himself. And if we grant that, surely the echoing line in the second verse regarding fear similarly suggests that our narrator really does feel afraid.

But again, we must ask, of what? Crime, noise, bustle, indignity, yes, but is there not something else he is afraid of? Could we push further, and suggest that as Pascal, Percy, and Lawler would teach us, but which common-sense does NOT know, that feeling afraid (like feeling needy) is not to be avoided, but is a pathway to the true health? Could we say that it is not just friends he needs, and not just the fear of seeking them he needs to face, but also the admission of the depths of his neediness, a neediness which goes beyond the ability of any friends to meet, and, which is connected to the fear of death? Whether this point about wandering works with the song or not, I am certain of this: weariness with life and a fear of death are factors here. Notice its beginning must you keep rolling? —is a question the narrator directs towards the human pageant, and yes, towards his own life. It cannot simply be a throwaway line about the river itself. An eastwards flowing river, the dirty Thames flows away from the sunset, and into the night.

Looking upon the darkening evening to the East is like old ages ever-closer view of deaths prospect. For that reason, and perhaps also for reasons of social isolation, old-age can be chilly , and one looks away from it by looking at the sunset, and by looking at others lives. But it will not do to simply look upon anonymous lives, as the third verse indicates: Millions of people, swarming like flies round Waterloo Underground. But Terry and Julie, cross over the river, where they feel safe and sound. And they dont . . . need no friends, as long as they gaze on Waterloo sunset, they are in paradise. Terry and Julie are like the narrator in apparently not needing friends, in seeking to draw away from the general bustle and unsafe/unsound feeling of the Waterloo station scene, and in gazing appreciatively upon Waterloo sunset. The geography of the song invites us to imagine our narrator watching them, as they walk all the way across the river, where he can see them also watching the sunset. But they are unlike him in going out at night, in having at least one another, and, in being young. They are not a Mr.

and Mrs., but a Terry and Julie, about to begin life, and likely to bring life into the world with their love; and I think we must also conclude, for the sake of symmetry and to account for the symbolic suggestions given the river and night, that our narrator is elderly, or at the very least a shut-in old enough to be tired of life and meditating upon death. Is our narrator right about Terry and Julie? About their being, apart from their having one another, persons largely isolated and withdrawn from society, pretty much like he is? About their needing the serenity of Waterloo sunset, pretty much like he does? It is impossible to say. As far as we know he only observes them, has no other knowledge about them, and thus has probably made up the names for them. At best he could observe them regularly crossing the Waterloo Bridge each Friday night and see that they were lingering on the other side. He cannot observe them closelyhe cannot look into their eyes, nor observe their behavior anywhere but here. I have a sense, however, that the description of Terry and Julie might be more Ray Davies than the narrators.

It is, after all, thematically neat if we just take it as fact that Terry and Julie feel they need no friends , for then, we have a song in which an old shut-in copes with modern loneliness by means of observing others, and sunset appreciation, presented alongside a young couple who cope with modern loneliness by means of couple love, and sunset appreciation. People-observing, eros, and beauty appreciation would then stand as three compared ways of coping. Lets consider the last of these. Is our narrator right to rely on Waterloo sunset? We must note here, as Davies was likely aware (recall the art-history savvy lyrics our John Presnall pointed out in Twentieth Century Man ), that the painters Turner, Whistler, and Monet had all painted the sun shining through Londons fog and smoke right above the Waterloo Bridge that Terry and Julie cross. So, our narrators aesthetic appreciation of this particular sunset view has prestigious precedent. There is natural beauty to be discerned and savored even in the heart of one of the busiest modern cities; perhaps such beauty, artistically created or appreciated, can save us.

Additionally, if I am right about the directional symbolism in the song, looking away from the night in the direction of sunset is a way for our likely elderly narrator to keep focused upon lifes goodness. Thats why it makes sense for him to also gaze upon Terry and Julie. And yet, while it is horrid when we become so busy that we neglect to gaze upon the creations beauty, it is not ultimately the case that beauty, or the aesthetic way of life, can save us from our modern maladies. That is, the only responsible Christian answer is that it looks like our narrator has placed the sunsets beauty between himself and his need for God, and relatedly, as any contemporary atheist psychologist might agree with as well, between himself and his need for other people. He needs to stop gazing and get out of his safety zone, both socially and spiritually. So we must say. But what he needs to do, and what he is capable of doing, well, those may differ quite a bit. Pascal reminds us that to be human is to employ diversion, and prior to coming home to heaven, no human employs no diversion.

On those terms, we can respect our fragile narrators reliance on the beautiful diversion of sunset gazing. And surely the song itself causes us to celebrate this act, even to musically partake of it. The song is not, like Eleanor Rigby or Sounds of Silence, mainly about displaying or lamenting modern loneliness, but is rather mostly about how people cope with it, even if their ways of doing so are problematic, or indeed, part of the problem. And our narrators diversion is a dignified one, following in the footsteps of great artistssuch dignity reminds one of the way the lonely maid in A Rose for Emily, keeps her pride somehow , but it goes even further, channeling raw human need towards gratitude and perhaps into artistic creation. All the elements of the 60s lonely crowd song are present here: anonymity in the big city, isolating individualism, and particular persons, like our narrator or Eleanor Rigby, who seem forgotten by society. But the difference with this song is that the songwriting observer of the lonely actually steps into their experience.

Davies says he enjoyed sitting at busy places like Waterloo Station to observe people. Perhaps he could tell how lonely some people were as he observed them; perhaps he even saw a person like our narrator peering out of a window. But Davies did not, as Lennon/McCartney did, assume hopeless things about such persons. He rather tried to imagine how he would feel as such a person, were he gazing upon modernitys swarming crowds. Thus, he also explored how he, not himself a shut-in, nonetheless did really feel to some extent the things he imagined the shut-in would. And that allows, I think, this song to speak for all of us, to the extent we have ever felt despair about connecting with others, about making and keeping friends, and have whispered to ourselves: I dont really need them. Davies song has thus partially preserved the personally involved perspective Brian Wilson brought to Thats Not Me, while retaining the sociological perspective necessary for the big picture. Waterloo Sunset is thus simultaneously about particular lives of others, his own life, and our common modern life.

We can see (shades of the Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle ) that couple-love is not the answer to the problem of modern loneliness, for Terry and Julie apparently use such love to delude themselves into thinking they do not need friends, and we can see that even the very beauty-appreciation the song itself cultivates cannot quite be the answer, for we see how our narrator has made himself all-too-dependent upon it. Maybe an E.M. Forster is correct to advise us all, in modern times more than ever, to only connect. Maybe Tocqueville and the Porchers are right to play up the societal cultivation of genuine liberty, to revive a sense of community and the communal practices of ruling and being ruled in turn.

Or maybe its Pascal we need most of all, who reminds us that when the sun goes down, when the painting is finished or the musics over, when the battles won or the meetings concluded, and when the friends have left, and nothing petty nor momentous can divert us any longer, we are left alone in a room, aware of our unhappiness, aware of our impending death, and needing to become aware that only Jesus can bring us to the only real paradise that we really were made for. Waterloo Sunset provides no opinion about these maybes, and makes no allusions to these thinkers, but it seems to me commendably honest about the situation were in. Unlike an Eleanor Rigby or a Sounds of Silence, it contains not a whiff of a suggestion that there just has to be some sociological/political/psychological solution to the problem, because otherwise we are utterly lost. It does not present us with the typical 60s Rock choice of either utopianism, or despair.

It knows that we shouldnt be shut-ins, that is, extreme manifestations of individualism in the Tocquevillian sense, and why we might be tempted, in modern times particularly, to nonetheless become such lonely individualists. The songs power, however, is that it can present such human misery while simultaneously embodying the ineradicable and linked element of human greatness. For there is not another creature on earth that can appreciate sunsets, or songs, as we can. 0 The Top Ten Songs About London | Spinditty The Top Ten Songs About London The Top Ten Songs About London Updated on April 20, 2016 London's Tower Bridge, 2002 | Source London has been in the spotlight this summer with the Olympics and Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations. The city has also provided inspiration for several pop songs written over the last 50 years. Ten of these tunes make up the list of my favorite songs about England’s capital: 1) London Calling by The Clash (1979)-“London Calling” was the title track of The Clash’s 1979 double album.

The phrase “This is London Calling” was used on air to identify the BBC World Service’s shortwave radio broadcasts during World War Two. Written by the group’s Joe Strummer and Mick Jones, the song reached number 11 on the UK singles chart in December 1979. In the U.S., “London Calling” ended up as the “B” side to the band’s first American hit single, “Train in Vain”. “London Calling” paints a post apocalyptic view of London. Strummer sings such lyrics as ,“The ice age is coming, the sun’s moving in/Meltdown expected, the wheat is growing thin” and “A nuclear error but I have no fear/’Cause London is drowning and I live by the river”. The nuclear error line refers to the U.S. Three Mile Island partial meltdown in 1979. Surprisingly, “London Calling” was heard in commercials advertising Jaguar cars in 2002. A decade later, NBC used the song in its promos for their London Summer Olympics coverage. This wasn’t the first Clash song to appear in a commercial. “Should I Stay or Should I Go” was used in a U.K.

Levi’s jeans ad in 1991. London Calling music video,1979 2) London’s Brilliant Parade by Elvis Costello (1994)-This track and single from the 1994 album, “Brutal Youth”, was a mini London travelogue, but with Costello’s biting lyrics. In the liner notes to the “Brutal Youth” CD reissue, he explained, “Lyrically, it was a more affectionate look at the city in which I was born than I could ever have managed when I was actually living there.” Still, he doesn't sound totally positive when he sings, “Just look at me/ I’m having the time of my life/ Or something quite like it/When I’m walking out and about/In London’s brilliant parade". The song included references to such locations as Regent’s Park, site of the London Zoo; Kensington, where the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Royal Albert Hall are located; and Camden Town, the northwest London district where Amy Winehouse lived a decade after this song was written.

“Brutal Youth” brought Costello and his band The Attractions together to record for the first time in eight years ,since the “Blood and Chocolate” album. London's Brilliant Parade, 1994 3) Waterloo Sunset by The Kinks (1967)-Kinks lead singer and main songwriter Ray Davies said in a 2010 interview the song was originally titled “Liverpool Sunset”, but the lyrics are all about London. “Waterloo Sunset” reached number two on the UK singles chart , but wasn't a hit in the U.S. In his 2007 autobiography, “X-Ray”, Davies said the lyrics were based on memories of his childhood home on a hill overlooking the Waterloo underground (tube) station in London. As one line in the song describes, “Millions of people swarming like flies 'round Waterloo Underground." According to the song’s lyrics, the two protagonists Terry and Julie, meet every Friday night at the Waterloo station. However, the song’s narrator (Davies) isn't lonely or jealous. He sings, “ But I don't need no friends/ As long as I gaze on Waterloo sunset/I am in paradise”.

Davies is rumored to be singing this song as part of the London Summer Olympics closing ceremony. Waterloo Station, 1988 | Source The Kinks on Beat Club, 1967 4) Baker Street by Gerry Rafferty (1978)- Rafferty’s song sold four million copies worldwide, and was number two on the U.S. singles chart for six weeks. Andy Gibb’s disco hit “Shadow Dancing” kept “Baker Street” out of the top U.S. spot, but It did reach number one in Canada. Scottish musician Raphael Ravenscroft performed "Baker Street"'s distinctive saxophone parts. Rafferty wrote the song about his contract problems with his former band, Stealer’s Wheel. The group’s big hit was 1973’s “Stuck in the Middle with You”, co-written by Rafferty and Joe Egan, and produced by legendary songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. Rafferty had a friend who lived in a flat off of Baker Street, and often visited him to talk or play guitar there overnight.

Surprisingly, the song’s been covered by such varied artists as Foo Fighters, David Lee Roth, Waylon Jennings, and even the London Symphony Orchestra. Of course, such fictional characters as Sherlock Holmes, Basil from Disney’s “Great Mouse Detective”, and Danger Mouse all lived on Baker Street. Baker Street music video, 1978 5) West End Girls by Pet Shop Boys (1985) –This synth pop dance smash from Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe, Pet Shop Boys, had that late night feel of the mid 1980’s London dance club scene. In the booklet included with the pair's reissued “Please” CD, Tennant said “West End Girls” was inspired by Grandmaster Flash’s song,“The Message”. Tennant also explained,” I loved the whole idea of the pressure of living in a modern city, and I decided to write a rap which could be done in an English accent over this piece of music." In this case , the “West End Girls” lyrics deal with the class differences of people in London’s more affluent West End versus the city’s East End.

Helena Springs, formerly a backing vocalist for Bob Dylan, provided the brief female vocals for the track.The video, directed by Eric Watson, went perfectly with the song. Tennant, dressed in a long dark overcoat, followed by Lowe, were filmed walking through the London streets and in a train station. Meanwhile, intercut with this footage were shots of a London double decker bus, aerial sequences filmed above Tower Bridge and Big Ben, and more. West End Girls music video, 1985 6) Hometown Glory by Adele (2007): The last track on Adele’s debut album “19”, the London tribute song “Hometown Glory”, was written by the singer herself. It was her debut single in the U.K., released in 2007 on the indy label Pacemaker Recordings. It was re released a year later on the XL label. Adele told Pete Lewis of Blues and Soul Magazine, that “Hometown Glory” was the first song she ever wrote from start to finish. The song is loosely based on Adele and her mother disagreeing on where Adele would attend university.

Adele wanted to stay in London and go to school there, while her mother preferred she attend a university in Liverpool. So, Adele wrote “Hometown Glory” as an ode to the town she's always lived in, London. “Hometown Glory” has the mostly vocal and piano (along with strings) backing that would work so well on “Someone Like You” from the "21" album. While “Hometown Glory” did not make the U.S. Billboard singles chart, it was used in such television shows as “One Tree Hill”, “Grey’s Anatomy”, and “So You Think You Can Dance”. Hometown Glory music video, 2009 7) Werewolves of London by Warren Zevon (1978)-Zevon’s very witty song from his album, “Excitable Boy”, reached number 21 on the U.S. Billboard singles chart.

The tune with the catchy piano riff also had Fleetwood Mac’s rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood playing on it.“Werewolves” was part of the 1986 film “The Color of Money”’s soundtrack album and sampled in 2008 for Kid Rock’s hit single, “All Summer Long”. Zevon ‘s lyrics mention the Mayfair and Soho areas of London, as well as the horror movie acting team of Lon Chaney Jr. and Sr. “walkin' with the queen." And how can you not like a song with the lines, “”I saw a werewolf drinkin’ a pina colada at Trader Vics/And his hair was perfect.” Werewolves of London music video, 1978 8) London Town by Paul McCartney and Wings (1978)-The title track of the 1978 album from McCartney’s post Beatles group, consisting at this point in time of Paul and his wife Linda McCartney and Denny Laine.

While not made up of doom filled lyrics like “London Calling”, this song is not all cheerful, as the narrator sings the line, “Silver rain was falling down/Upon the dirty ground of London Town”. He also asks in the lyrics,“Oh where are there places to go/Someone somewhere has to know.” The “London Town” album reached number two in the U.S. (kept from the top spot by the monster selling “Saturday Night Fever” soundtrack) and number four in the U.K. A bit of trivia is that most of the “London Town” album was recorded in 1977 on a boat in the Caribbean, far from the “silver rain” of London. Not a bad place for a “working holiday”. London Town music video, 1978 9) We are London by Madness (2009):Their renditions of “Our House” and “It Must Be Love” on the roof of Buckingham Palace, along with a great light show, was a highlight of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Concert last month. 2009 saw The “Nutty Boys” release their strongest album in years with “The Liberty of Norton Folgate”.

This track from “that album, would have been perfect for the opening ceremony of London’s 2012 Summer Olympics. Like Costello’s “London’s Brilliant Parade”, the tune name drops a lot of London locations, the most of any of the songs on this list. But, it’s a fond tribute to London, and how the city’s residents should all be able to live together and get along. That includes the city’s Muslims (“From Regent’s Park Mosque on to Baker Street” as the lyric says), the gays of Old Compton Street, the band’s buddies from Camden Town, and the clubbers and rock fans going to shows at The Roundhouse. As Madness lead singer Suggs said in the tune, “You can make it your own hell or heaven/Live as you please/Can we make it if we all live together/As one big family?” We are London, 2009 10) Up the Junction by Squeeze (1979)-A great slice of life song by Squeeze’s songwriting duo of Glenn Tillbrook and Chris Difford. While not overtly about London, it does have a couple of references to the capital.

The song begins, “I never thought it would happen with me and the girl from Clapham”, a district in the southwest area of London. The “Junction” referred to here is the Clapham Junction railway, or train station. The song’s title came from a 1963 British novel, later produced as a BBC play, and then a feature film. The phrase Up the Junction can also mean in deep trouble or pregnant. "Up the Junction" was almost a mini soap opera of lyrics in the guise of a three minute pop song. The narrator gets his girlfriend pregnant, so he takes a job working for Stanley (“He said I’d come in handy”). The girlfriend has a baby girl, but leaves the narrator for a soldier as the dad/boyfriend starts drinking heavily. So, he really is “Up the Junction”. The song reached number two on the U.K. Singles Chart.

Question: In the single ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks, what are the names of the two people who meet at Waterloo Station every Friday night?
Answer: Terry and Julie