20th Century Man
Encyclopedia
"20th Century Man" is a song recorded by British rock
band The Kinks
. It was released as a single in December 1971. "20th Century Man" was also featured as the opening track of their 1971 LP Muswell Hillbillies
, an album with Music Hall
, Country
, and folk
roots. It centered around such themes as poverty
, housing development, alienation
and other troubles of the modern world.
, Rembrandt van Rijn, Titian
, Leonardo da Vinci
and Thomas Gainsborough
("You keep all your smart modern painters, I'll take Rembrandt, Titian, Da Vinci and Gainsborough"). The song culminates with a bridge, in which he explains that he was born into a welfare state
, "ruled by bureaucracy", as he claims. The singer also claims that he's "Got no privacy", and "got no liberty'. The song finishes with a resounding protest against these "20th century men". As Ray Davies said:
-Ray Davies, Muswell Hillbillies Liner Notes
, peaking at #106.
. Ray Davies also performed the song in his 1996-1997 "Storyteller" show in support of his semi-fictionalized autobiography X-Ray, a recording of which was released on the album, The Storyteller, in 1998.
*Not present on this track, but part of the group on other tracks on the album
British rock
British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by The Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the...
band The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
. It was released as a single in December 1971. "20th Century Man" was also featured as the opening track of their 1971 LP Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies is the ninth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1971. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s.The album centred on...
, an album with Music Hall
Music hall
Music Hall is a type of British theatrical entertainment which was popular between 1850 and 1960. The term can refer to:# A particular form of variety entertainment involving a mixture of popular song, comedy and speciality acts...
, Country
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
roots. It centered around such themes as poverty
Poverty
Poverty is the lack of a certain amount of material possessions or money. Absolute poverty or destitution is inability to afford basic human needs, which commonly includes clean and fresh water, nutrition, health care, education, clothing and shelter. About 1.7 billion people are estimated to live...
, housing development, alienation
Social alienation
The term social alienation has many discipline-specific uses; Roberts notes how even within the social sciences, it “is used to refer both to a personal psychological state and to a type of social relationship”...
and other troubles of the modern world.
Synopsis
In "20th Century Man", the singer expresses his regrets and worries about the modern world, "This is the age of machinery, a mechanical nightmare", and that there is "too much aggravation". As such, the singer claims that he's "gotta get out of here", and that "we've gotta find a solution". As part of the refrain he exclaims he's "a twentieth century man but I don't want to die here". As the song progresses he criticizes modern art claiming he prefers time-honored masters such as William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare
William Shakespeare was an English poet and playwright, widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon"...
, Rembrandt van Rijn, Titian
Titian
Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio (c. 1488/1490 – 27 August 1576 better known as Titian was an Italian painter, the most important member of the 16th-century Venetian school. He was born in Pieve di Cadore, near...
, Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italian Renaissance polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer whose genius, perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance...
and Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough
Thomas Gainsborough was an English portrait and landscape painter.-Suffolk:Thomas Gainsborough was born in Sudbury, Suffolk. He was the youngest son of John Gainsborough, a weaver and maker of woolen goods. At the age of thirteen he impressed his father with his penciling skills so that he let...
("You keep all your smart modern painters, I'll take Rembrandt, Titian, Da Vinci and Gainsborough"). The song culminates with a bridge, in which he explains that he was born into a welfare state
Welfare state
A welfare state is a "concept of government in which the state plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those...
, "ruled by bureaucracy", as he claims. The singer also claims that he's "Got no privacy", and "got no liberty'. The song finishes with a resounding protest against these "20th century men". As Ray Davies said:
-Ray Davies, Muswell Hillbillies Liner Notes
Instrumentation
"20th Century Man" is a slight departure from the rest of the songs on Muswell Hillbillies, with a heavier rock sound and beat. It begins with a gentle strum on the acoustic guitar, but slowly rises and changes into a powerful rock song (see "synopsis" section). It is worthy of mention that Muswell Hillbillies featured purposely dated recording techniques, to give it an antiquated feel. "20th Century Man" was, however, recorded separately with then modern recording equipment.Single Release
"20th Century Man" was released as a single in December 1971 in the US (it would never see single release in the UK), and was backed by "Skin and Bone". It failed to gain a significant hold on the charts, not managing to reach the Billboard Hot 100Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at #106.
Versions
Multiple versions and edits of "20th Century Man" exist. On the original Muswell Hillbillies full-length version, the length is 5:57. In the case of the 7" single, the length is two minutes shorter, at about 3:57. On the "Greatest Hits" compilation The Kinks' Greatest: Celluloid Heroes an edit of about 4:57 is present. A live version is included on The Kinks' live album One for the RoadOne for the Road (The Kinks album)
In their brief review, Allmusic wrote that "One for the Road is a fascinating document of trailblazing elder statesmen who paved the way for heavy metal and punk, but never felt a glorious pop song was out of their grasp."-Track listing:...
. Ray Davies also performed the song in his 1996-1997 "Storyteller" show in support of his semi-fictionalized autobiography X-Ray, a recording of which was released on the album, The Storyteller, in 1998.
Personnel
- Ray DaviesRay DaviesRay Davies, CBE is an English rock musician. He is best known as lead singer and songwriter for the Kinks, which he led with his younger brother, Dave...
- Acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
, Lead vocals - Dave DaviesDave DaviesDavid Russell Gordon "Dave" Davies is an English rock musician best known for his role as lead guitarist and vocalist for the English rock band The Kinks....
- Lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, Slide guitarSlide guitarSlide guitar or bottleneck guitar is a particular method or technique for playing the guitar. The term slide refers to the motion of the slide against the strings, while bottleneck refers to the original material of choice for such slides: the necks of glass bottles...
, Backing vocals - John DaltonJohn Dalton (musician)John Dalton is a British bass guitar player, best known as a member of The Kinks' from 1969 to 1976, replacing original member Pete Quaife.- Biography :...
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John GoslingJohn Goslingnot to be confused with John Gostling John Gosling , is an English classically trained organist and pianist....
- KeyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments... - Mick AvoryMick AvoryMichael Charles "Mick" Avory is an English musician, best known as the longtime drummer and percussionist for the British rock band, The Kinks, joining them shortly after their formation in 1964 and remaining with them until 1984, when he left amid creative friction with guitarist Dave Davies...
- Drums, Percussion - Mike Cotton - TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
* - John Beecham - TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, TubaTubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
* - Mike Bodak; Richard Edwards - Engineer
*Not present on this track, but part of the group on other tracks on the album