"
Apeman" is a song by the British rock band
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
. It was written by Ray Davies and appears on the album
Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part OneLola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One[Variations on the title exist. It is often known by the title "Kinks Part One: Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround"] is an album by the English rock band The Kinks, recorded and released in 1970...
. It is 3:54 in length. "Apeman" was released as a single in the fall of 1970, with a B-side of the
Dave DaviesDave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
composition "
Rats- Overview :"Rats" is a song written by Dave Davies and performed by The Kinks on their album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. It is the tenth song on the album, and has a duration of 2:40. "Rats" is one of two songs by Davies on Lola vs Powerman, the other being "Strangers"...
". While it did not do as well on the U.S. Pop Singles chart as its predecessor, "
Lola"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a Soho club in London....
," did, it was a major hit in the UK, peaking at number five on their
singles chartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
.
Overview
"
Apeman" is a song by the British rock band
The KinksThe Kinks are an English rock group categorised in the US as a British Invasion band. The Kinks have been cited as one of the most important and influential rock bands of the British Invasion era....
. It was written by Ray Davies and appears on the album
Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part OneLola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One[Variations on the title exist. It is often known by the title "Kinks Part One: Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround"] is an album by the English rock band The Kinks, recorded and released in 1970...
. It is 3:54 in length. "Apeman" was released as a single in the fall of 1970, with a B-side of the
Dave DaviesDave Davies is an English rock musician , best known for his membership with the English rock band The Kinks....
composition "
Rats- Overview :"Rats" is a song written by Dave Davies and performed by The Kinks on their album Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. It is the tenth song on the album, and has a duration of 2:40. "Rats" is one of two songs by Davies on Lola vs Powerman, the other being "Strangers"...
". While it did not do as well on the U.S. Pop Singles chart as its predecessor, "
Lola"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a Soho club in London....
," did, it was a major hit in the UK, peaking at number five on their
singles chartThe UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record industry. The full chart contains the top 200 singles based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 of this list...
. In the song, Davies is fed up with the modern world and declares that he wants to, "sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman." He also expresses how man created our problems and, given half a chance, he would leave the cities and traffic to live in the jungle. In some ways, this is the epitome of the nostalgia expressed on the albums
Lola vs. Powerman and
The Village Green Preservation Society.
Controversy and Re-Dubbing
The Kinks caused some controversy, because in the line "...the air pollution is fogging up my eyes...", the word "fogging" sounds much like "fucking". Like the "Coca-Cola" re-dubbing on "Lola", Ray Davies had to re-record this line, dubbing over with a more clear "fogging" prior to its single release. The original lyric remains intact on the album, and is heard at 2:20. On their
Top of the PopsTop of the Pops, also known as TOTP, is a British music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly from 1 January 1964 to 30 July 2006. It was traditionally shown every Thursday evening on BBC1, before being moved to Fridays in 1996, and then moved to Sundays on BBC...
performance filmed later in November, the changed lyric can be heard on the backing tape.
Cover Versions and Usage in Movies
The song was covered by
The FormatThe Format was an Indie Rock band formed by Arizona natives Nate Ruess and Sam Means. The band announced a hiatus on February 4, 2008. Their style can be considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music...
and included on their 2007
B-Sides & RaritiesB-Sides & Rarities is the first compilation album by the Arizona based indie rock band The Format. A CD version was available for a limited time with every purchase of thirty dollars or more on The Format's webstore.-Track listing:...
album. It is featured in the film
MondovinoMondovino is a 2004 documentary film on the impact of globalization on the world's different wine regions written and directed by American film maker Jonathan Nossiter...
, and also appeared in the 1986 movie
Club ParadiseClub Paradise is a 1986 comedy film directed by Harold Ramis starring Robin Williams, Peter O'Toole, and Jimmy Cliff. The film reunites director/co-writer Ramis with most of his SCTV co-stars -- SCTV cast members Andrea Martin, Eugene Levy, Rick Moranis, Joe Flaherty, and Robin Duke play supporting...
starring
Robin WilliamsRobin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian.Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...
.
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