Tired of Waiting For
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
"Tired Of Waiting For You"— How The KINKS Reinvented Themselves And Battled For Commercial Success: A Complete Analysis Of The Single's Charting In The UK And The U.S.A. Mark Teehan October 2020 Introduction As "All Day And All Of The Night" gradually faded down the UK charts in mid-December 1964 from its earlier Number Two peak, The Kinks' British fans naturally wondered about the band's next single—its title and musical make-up (descent from #7 to #18, on the New Musical Express, or NME chart, 12/19/64; #2 peak, Record Retailer,11/19/64-11/26/64). Would it be another pounding rocker or something different? Right after New Year's Day 1965 they would learn of its title via the pop weeklies—"Tired Of Waiting For You." (Hinman 2004, 43). Then it was just a matter of two more weeks before the group's fans would be able to actually hear it as they viewed ATV's Ready Steady Go! program (Friday, 1/15/65; ibid., 45). In this essay, the fascinating origins and musical development of "Tired Of Waiting For You" will be explored thoroughly. Then its progress on the UK charts will be analyzed in detail. Afterwards, we will shift to this article's primary focus, the record's reception by the national American magazines and the pop music industry. The latter will be explained in detail, so the reader has a clear understanding of the complex inner workings of American Top 40 radio and how hits were made in the U.S. At the core of this process was the progress of a disc on local radio station surveys across the country, from major markets to the numerous medium centers, and the pivotal interconnectivity these surveys had with the national U.S. charts. This was a much more intricate and challenging operating dynamic than the relatively straightforward UK system which was based on tabulated retail sales. On a tactical level, the crucial objective for Reprise Records, The Kinks' American label, was persuading a sufficient number of program directors at influential stations across the country to go on "Tired Of Waiting For You." The benefit of achieving this goal was generating widespread airplay $1 for the disc, as well as boosting its ascent on some national charts and triggering retail sales. Nevertheless, this was an extremely challenging task, as 115-150 new singles were released weekly, while most programmers could only add 3-8 new releases to their Top 40 surveys. In this essay, the daunting operation of spreading the disc nationwide in a timely, coordinated manner will be analyzed in depth. Furthermore, we will explore the linkage between prominent radio stations among essential markets, and how e"ective Reprise was in connecting with them as an integral part of the preceding exercise.! I. BACKGROUND, UK: "TIRED OF WAITING FOR YOU"—ITS ORIGIN, RECORDING, AND AN EVALUATION OF ITS COMPOSITION The origins of the mid-tempo ballad that evolved into "Tired Of Waiting For You" were somewhat nebulous and went back in time. Unlike The Kinks' previous two hit singles, which were primarily written 'in the moment' and definitely designed to be single releases, "Tired Of Waiting For You"—as Dave Davies recalled—started out as "an instrumental that Ray and I used to play together" as far back as 1961 (as quoted in Hinman 2004, 34; Hasted 2013, 27). Known as "So Tired," the song's backing (band) track was recorded to a 3-track tape at Pye Studios (No. 2) in central London from August 27th-28th 1964 (recording dates are based on an email from Doug Hinman to this writer, 7/21/2020). The rhythm section, as with "You Really Got Me," consisted of ace session drummer Bobby Graham and Pete Quaife on bass guitar. Dave handled lead electric guitar duties, while Ray of course played rhythm guitar. All indications were, at this point in time, that the tune was being considered as an album track for the band's debut LP, then in progress. (Hinman, 32-33; 46).! Ray remembered that, after the instrumental track had been recorded, the band took a break before tackling the vocals. He frankly admitted later that "... Of course, I hadn't worked them [the lyrics] out, and I literally wrote the song on the train and the words in the co"ee shop. They were very simple." (McNeill, 1977, Interview with Ray Davies, NME, reprinted in Uncut, 2012, 95; brackets added). Ray proceeded to record his lead vocal, with Dave and Ray's future wife, Rasa Didzpetris, supplying a high backing vocal. (Hinman, 46; Sleeve notes, Bob Stanley, 6, "Kinda Kinks. Deluxe Edition," 2011). Shel Talmy did the original mixdown from 3-track to 1- track mono for "Tired Of Waiting For You" on August 28th and 31st,1964, $2 when mixing for the first LP, The Kinks, was completed (email from Doug Hinman to this writer, 9/9/2020; Hinman, 34).! It is important to note that at this juncture—nearly the end of August 1964 —"All Day And All Of The Night" had not yet been recorded, and "You Really Got Me" was still racing up the UK charts to its eventual Number One goal ("All Day And All Of The Night" would be recorded 9/23/64; Hinman, 36, 38). Near the end of that last week in August, The Kinks were interviewed by Record Mirror. There, "So Tired" was "first mentioned as one of the ballads recorded for their new LP in progress." (ibid., 34). In a pivotal development one week later, "publishing assignments" were registered for three of Ray's tunes slotted for their debut album, as well as for "Tired Of Waiting For You" and "I Gotta Move." The latter two songs were earmarked for future single release (ibid.). "Tired Of Waiting For You" had, at long last, been recorded and o#cially christened with its full title.! So it was understandable that at this time, Ray would assume that the freshly minted tune would have been the follow-up to "You Really Got Me." Yet producer Shel Talmy took a more strategic view, concluding instead that "Its good, but we should leave it. It's too smooth." (NME, reprinted in Uncut). Talmy was right, and Ray realized it: the pop market needed another dose of heavy, dense, rocking mayhem to fortify The Kinks' position before the o"-speed, relatively mellower new song was unleashed (ibid.).! Nonetheless, a final chapter was yet to be written in this tune's journey. Incredibly, "Tired Of Waiting For You" lay safely tucked away in the Pye vaults for almost four months. After Christmas Day, "All Day And All Of The Night" descended further down the UK charts (#23, NME, 12/26/64). While we cannot know for sure now, 55 years later, it would seem likely that notably, Shel Talmy and Ray, along with Dave, realized that the original late-August mono mix of "Tired Of Waiting For You" was too lean, and needed both some thickening and toughening up musically. So, on December 29th at a standard recording session at IBC Studios in central London, Dave overdubbed "the heavier rhythm guitar part," quite plausibly while the 3-track multitrack tape was being remixed to mono. (Hinman, 34; 43; email from Doug Hinman to this writer, 9/22/2020; note that the overdub was done at IBC, not Pye (No. 2), Studios). The other possible scenario was that Dave's overdub "... was done over the August mix... ." (email from Doug Hinman to this writer, 9/22/2020).! $3 Dave's recollections of this sequence of events regarding the song's development is insightful:! "The recording went well but there was something missing and it was my raunchy guitar sound. Ray and I were worried that putting that heavy- sounding guitar on top of a ponderous song might ruin it. ! Luckily, it enhanced the recording, giving it a more cutting, emotional edge. ... " (as quoted in Kutner & Leigh, 2013, Entry No. 187).! "Tired Of Waiting For You" was both a brilliantly conceived and deceptively simple song. Only The Kinks could have pulled it o"—no one else. The tune was a masterful understatement, utilizing basic, repetitive lyrics while dispensing without an instrumental break. The record subtly captivated the listener by means of its measured, rolling tempo, and cleverly built up to musical crescendos that e"ectively reinforced the singer's earnestness. Bobby Graham's complex drumming powered these crashing surges, which imparted a striking dynamic to the disc. Ray's direct, natural vocal, deftly shifting in tone, was at once impassioned, while also being resigned, and successfully delivered lyrics that had a deeper meaning than those usually found in a ballad:! "It's your life! And you can do what you want! Do what you like! But please don't keep-a me waiting! Please don't keep-a me waiting"! ("Tired Of Waiting For You." Written by: Ray Davies! Published by: Kassner Music Co. Ltd.)! Furthermore, Dave's guitar playing—both on lead and rhythm—neatly fleshed out the single's sound. The latter overdubbed parts gave the record a heavier, solemn tone, as did the high backing vocals delivered by him and Rasa (for insightful evaluations of the song, see the following: O'Rourke, February 2015, Rebeat Magazine; Hasted, 27).! Undoubtedly, the vintage 45 rpm mono single mix by Shel Talmy perfectly encapsulated the tune's rich mix of pace, mood, and sound. It was the first Kinks' single that this writer bought as a teenager back in March-April 1965 after hearing it on WMCA and WABC in New York: memories of $4 listening to it with my sister 'on the sly' are stamped vividly in my mind.