Yes,mum's just jamming to the music and the daughter picking on the lyrics,her expressions were priceless,I think they are both sweethearts anyway and I love their channel.
When the pay-off line hits, Daughter Gap's face shows it! I love your discussion: Mom Gap: "He said he'd never kissed a woman before" Daughter Gap: "And he still hasn't!"
She was giving mom the side eye from almost the beginning of the song... and at the end mom still wasn't getting it. I guess this song is more current events than it was in the 60s.
"Daughter Gap" is wrong. It's hard to believe they pinned your post. Nothing happened between him and Lola. -----> "I pushed her away I walked to the door, I fell to the floor, I got down on my knees. Then I looked at her and she at me. Well, that's the way that I want it to stay and I always want it to be that way for my Lola". In short, in so many words he wants to remain straight, and desires to stay away from Lola. He obviously doesn't care how or what Lola does.
@@generationgapreacts Yes, that's what it says and you're spinning it in your personal way after a cursory and casual first time listening. But, not according to the singer/songwriter Ray Davies. Even his brother (the lead guitarists) witnessed this and his band mates. No way would they allow that to happen to Ray. All that happened was he danced with "Lola". Meaning he turned down "Lola's proposition to "make him a man". Plus the song points this fact out as well. I've listened (and played this song) for over five decades and NEVER interpreted the way it has been in this video. There is robust information available online of Ray's interviews throughout close to 60 years about this song. He's never so much as hinted anything became of it either. He's been married 3 times and has 3 children. The song was partially true, part fiction. After talking to his dad his dad suggested if Ray and Dave [ his brother the lead guitarist ] wanted to be be a world famous band they'd have to write a hit song. Ray dropped some acid, and took some angel dust then started working on this song.
Omg i love this reaction. I’ve never laughed so much in years, I started crying when the daughters eyes looked at her mum… pure entertainment. Btw I remember the Kinks back in the 60/70’s they were ahead of their time and the lead singer Ray Davies is brilliant and thankfully he’s still with us at 78 years young. Love from the uk ladies xx
"Girls will be boys and boys will be girls / It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola" ... such a great line - everyone's confused, but Lola's confident in who she is.
@@michaelrue1400 ...and this can be understood two ways, as the whole song is meant to be ambiguous. "I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" can mean that Lola is also glad that I am a man.
@@douglasfrantzen3011 Yeah, I think that is unlikely the way the line was sung. It's a punchline, it's the what comedians call the 'reveal'. Edited to add: after a little research, the writer of the song, Ray Davies, confirmed that Lola was a man and the song came from an experience Davies had in a night club where he had danced the whole night with someone he had thought was a woman but turned out to be a man.
Mum, your not old you’re beautiful ❤ In England this song is just like listening to a Beatles song, we all know the lyrics and what’s it about even though it was before our time it’s played that much. Even my 17 yr old daughter knows all the words 😊
This song really happened to the band's manger. It's a true story from way back when they used to play in Soho. It also happened to Ray Davies, the lead singer songwriter.
@@John_Chu Danny is right, it happened in Paris. But, it's also ambiguous because Ray hints it also happened to him saying it in a cryptic way. It could have happened to Davies, in Soho and Wace in Paris. YT doesn't let us leave links. But. here's Ray in an interview. Ray has said this was based on real events, mentioning his dance with a beautiful “woman” when The Kinks played an all-nighter at Bridlington’s Spa Royal Hall on May 8, 1965, and Kinks manager Robert Wace’s similar hoodwinking in Paris that April.
Hmm, I guess I'll have to re edit my OP.. Apparently it did happen to Ray Davies. However this is the first time I've heard it happened to both Ray and Robert Wace.
Definitely a very funny moment when the daughter got her first hint, her eyes were so expressive as she looked over to her mom who had totally missed it. I was about 14 when this tune came out, absolutely loved it, and sang my heart out to it, but like you're mom I had no clue what it was about. Those were innocent times, and we were taught to let things just go over our heads...things have changed (except for you're sweet mom). Thanks for the memories and laughter.
I was 14, too. Ray Davies came to my area, and he was on the radio doing a caller interview. He told the radio host before the call in part started that Lola is a true story before everyone starts asking. The next day, I told my older neighbor about and asked what was the big deal. So he had a fling with someone. The neighbor then told me that wasn't the meaning, then played the record and stopped it at all those key verses. I was so shocked. After that, I have been listening to song lyrics since.
There's no song more fun to watch someone react to because there always comes that moment when they realize... wait a minute... oh, that's what it's about.
No joke! No Simp! This was the greatest reaction ever! I have never laughed so hard in my life! The moment the daughter got it, the realization on her face had me clapping and stomping the floor! Mom, I’m probably older but I love your reaction and it made my heart happy when you didn’t get it at first. I’m almost in tears from laughter and joy watching this reaction! He even say how Lola picked him up and put him on her knee lol. And when she squee him it almost broke his spine! lol. I’m gonna be smiling all day after this! It was wonderful, Thank you…
I love watching reaction videos to this song and seeing the moment when the light goes on. Sometimes the reactors are just singing "Lola" and they never do figure it out. You picked up on it quicker than most though. Good job!
Mom got schooled on crap people like so many today. There are more trans and bis and all that lately. Sorry for the new generations for allowing all that crap. We old people didnt allow that crap so out like today. So People tried to be straight. No wonder mental diseases are 5 times of what we had in the 1970's. Even there are 10 times more meds available today; but 5 times more sick young people. Disaster. We fought that garbage. And won. But you lost. You let that happen to you. Young people are more sick due you allowed that. Im a Commercial Pilot... Now Retired.
HAHA!! So glad you did this song! A couple of facts, #1 - based on a true story!! it was their manager or producer that went down to Soho and was picked up in a club down there. Fact #2. The song as originally written could not be released in the US. It had nothing to do with the meaning of the words, I think that just flew past the censors who did not pay attention but had to do with were he sang "cherry cola", it was originally "Coca Cola" and they had to change it for release. So do not feel bad Mama Gap, many missed the meaning at the time! I can go on,... but, enjoy the Kinks!! Rich history!! 😀😀
Correct Bob, it was the UK release, the American versions were never changed, the Apple Music version of the album still says Coca Cola, which was how I remember it growing up as a 9 year old music nerd!
I believe Coca Cola was fine in the US. The change was so that the BBC would play it, which was essential because BBC Radio One and BBC's Top Of The Pops were the main broadcast vehicles for pop music in the UK back then. Pirate radio stations routinely played the Coca Cola version. Mott the Hoople experienced something similar when they had to redo a line in their hit cover of Bowie's 'All The Young Dudes. The line mentioning "stealing clothes from Marks & Sparks" was a colloquial reference to UK retailer Marks & Spencer and therefore, though many disagreed, was held to have breached BBC advertising guidelines. The version the BBC allowed had the line altered to "stealing clothes from unlocked cars".
Great reaction, apparently in Ray Davies autobiography his manager got drunk in a club and danced with what he thought was a woman, and Ray turned this into a hit song.!!
Haha! This is SUCH a great song by The Kinks! Enjoyed your reaction!! The song would probably be considered more controversial today than it was back then.
Yes!..Oddly enough that is true!..There was a lot of male to female gender-bending going on right at that particular time, with Bowie, T-Rex, Lou Reed, The New York Dolls, Jagger, Iggy Pop, and many others, which was really a product of what came out of the Hippie years, (maybe even back to the short beatnik era of th 50's) where men felt comfortable wearing flowery clothing, and growing their hair very long, and even sticking some real flowers in that hair..Experimentation was the order of the day..There was an exceptance, probably because everyone was curious to see just how far things would go..It was a wild time!
There is a another song in the same vain called, "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, It's something y'all may want to react to. It also came out in 1972.
Love the way this one went completely over mums head. So innocent. As someone who grew up in the sixties, I can clearly say that it was so much different than today. Everyone just thought these sort of songs were a bit of fun. No one had ever heard of being triggered. A much more peaceful and tolerant time. I miss it.
I am 60 years old and I heard this song many times as a kid before I figured out that something was amiss. I am like the mom here in this video, even though I was hearing the words I still had no doubt that Lola was female (I never paid that much attention to lyrics anyway so the clues were probably falling on deaf ears). Back in the 1970s this might have been the only “mainstream” song like it in terms of its theme. I don’t know how many years it took me to finally figure out it was even a possibility that Lola might be male.
Welcome to London in the swinging sixties , i think the nearest American version of this you will get is Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed even though it has a totally different vibe . The Guitar is a Resonator (Dobro), most famously used on the cover of a Dire Straights album , it was invented to make guitars louder before the introduction of electric guitars , but has a unique sound of its own .
It is a resonator guitar, but I think it's a national (all metal) guitar rather than a dobro, which generally has a metal resonator disk on a wooden body. Paul Simon wrote "The Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar" (Graceland) to evoke the sun shining on the river as if it was made of steel. Steel guitars definitely have a sound of their own, but I find a dobro has a different sound again.
Ray Davies was in a guitar shop looking for a Martin which he found he couldn't afford. Looking around, he saw the National Steel and bought it because it looked so great.
The look on baby gap's face after hearing "I know what I'am, I'am a man so's my Lola" is priceless. Too bad the song soared over momma gap's head. LOL. ---------> Lola The Kinks I met her in a club down in old Soho Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like coca cola C-O-L-A, Cola She walked up to me and she asked me to dance I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola L-O-L-A, Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine Oh my Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand *Why she walked like a woman but talked like a man* Oh my Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Well, we drank champagne and danced all night Under electric candlelight *She picked me up and sat me on her knee* And said "Dear boy, won't you come home with me?" Well, I'm not the world's most passionate guy But when I looked in her eyes, well I almost fell for my Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola I pushed her away I walked to the door I fell to the floor I got down on my knees Then I looked at her and she at me Well, that's the way that I want it to stay And I always want it to be that way for my Lola La-la-la-la Lola *Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola* La-la-la-la Lola Well, I left home just a week before And I'd never ever kissed a woman before But Lola smiled and took me by the hand And said "Dear boy, I'm gonna make you a man" Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man *But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man* *And so is Lola* La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola Lola La-la-la-la Lola La-la-la-la Lola
"But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man, And so is Lola." Part of the genius of this line is that it can be interpreted in two ways. Lola is glad she (Lola) is a man, or Lola is glad he (the singer) is a man. Maybe that's how it got past censors. But I agree with a previous commenter; the general understanding at the time was Lola was biologically male, and society as a whole was less psycho about it then than they are now. This was pre "Morale Majority," so the culture was less insane back then. Most people who objected would have turned it off and gone about their day rather than claim they were victims of a culture war.
@@munchausen8755 Good point but, Ray Davies has confirmed Lola was a transvestite in countless interviews. He should know, he's the singer songwriter. It happened to the Kink's manager Robert Wace in Paris, and at a different time to Ray in Soho.
The Kinks were one of the British Invasion groups that came to the United States in 1964. "Lola" is one of their most classic songs and was very controversial when it was first released. The next song from the Kinks you should try is "You Really Got Me." It's a rock classic and many people believe was the first heavy metal song
Love me some Kinks. And yes, Lola was taking that walk. Lou's Lola is wild. "A Well-Respected Man" by the Kinks would be a good follow-up song. Great show, y'all.
Great ladies!! I've told you that my hubby was stationed in Japan and he arrived there in June of 70. He'd been there about a month before more replacements, like himself, were being shipped in and one of the newbies asked him if he'd heard the song, Lola. He said of course and the newbie said, "you know it's about a drag queen, right?" And my hubby said he stood there for a minute and said, "Wait a minute....WHAT!" Of course he had to sit down and REALLY listen to it and by God he was right! He said he still laughs about that!
I'm at 5:40. Daughter looks at Mom and Mom is completely oblivious! I'm loving this reaction! Daughter is driving a Ferrari whilst Mom is on a kid's tricycle. 😂
Mom got schooled on crap people like so many today. There are more trans and bis and all that lately. Sorry for the new generations for allowing all that crap. We old people didnt allow that crap so out like today. So People tried to be straight. No wonder mental diseases are 5 times of what we had in the 1970's. 5 times more. Disaster. We fought that garbage. You promoted garbage. Im a Commercial Pilot and Pilot Teacher too... Now Retired. No mental diseases promoted by my people.
BG's face and reaction when they sing the line " I can't understand why she walked like a woman but talked like a man" made me laugh so hard I think I wet myself 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 loved this reaction ❤
Ho Ho, "You're not picking up what he's putting down girl." Very fun song, I have loved it since 8th grade, and yes we all knew what it meant. Almost like we had a secret adults didn't get. "But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man... and so is Lola." Love you guys!
The Kinks have great songs . This song when it came out was banned from airplay on the radio . It's based on a true story . The manager from The Kinks had got really drunk and went into this club. He didn't know who he was dancing with. After he sobered up and realized it , he got really angry . The singer from The Kinks , Ray Davis wrote this song about the managers experience .
Don't think it was banned. Certainly not in the UK. I remember Blackburn and Edmonds both playing on Radio 1. The record reached No 2 in the UK in 1970. CocCola was changed to Cherry Cola before the single was release although the album version still has Coca Cola.
@@williamdeypres1122 in the begining USA banned it . Or so history says . Just like they banned Elvis for a bit . USA back then in those days banned many things .
This is a version for British use.. The regular version says “….drink champagne, and it tastes just like CocaCola” BBC wouldn’t let them mention a brand , so “….cherry cola”.
The look on your face when he sings "I'm a man and so is Lola" is priceless! I've got friends who have listened to the song since the 70's and they've never even realized what the song was about.
I love watching people react to the lyrics of this song for the first time. Best setup ever! Some don't get it until the " so is Lola" line, others get suspicious earlier. Great song, great reaction.
My favourite Kinks song was waterloo sunset but then they made a lot of great tracks. The original words were coca cola but the BBC refused to play it due to advertising hence cherry cola which was not available in the UK at the time.
This is such a great reaction video! Can't stop watching it. The difference between the two of you picking up the references is priceless. Daughter's analysis of the story is so cute it's brilliant!
This was a big hit in the 60's. I don't think it matters what the lyrics were, it was that good. I think the audience knew what the words were since this was one of their biggest hits. One of the great original British invasion bands! excellent review!
The Kinks, London finest and I loved the facial expressions of the pair of you, a great band with a 'different' song. They were great live by the way with the two brothers Ray and Dave Davies always ending up having a fight on stage and not a 'messing about' type fight, blood was drawn on many occasions. Keep up the good work ladies x
Great show . Everybody loves the Kinks, even Loyola. Seen them twice,they act out a lot of songs.I think back then people had more of a live and let live attitude. Thinks
Mom is absolutely hi-larious! 😂 As they say, denial isn't just a big river in Africa! 😅 But yes, what an absolutely progressive, risqué and ahead of it's time this song is for the early 70's. But there was quite a lot of it about from Lou Reed, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, T-Rex and others. Actually I just realised they're all British including The Kinks and Lou Reed recorded in the UK. Hmm Hmmmmmm 🤔🤔🤔 A few years ago a cousin of mine introduced me to his new wife called Lola. Oh, like the song! I said. Yes, she agreed. Then I sang a few note's of the la la la la la Lola refrain. I got a slightly frosty, no not that one, the other one! back in response. It seems it's alright if your name is Lola to identify with a song with your name about a grief stricken and mentally broken alcoholic but not a feel good song about a young man discovering that he's fallen in love with a transvestite!
Lola from the Kings, we played the song in my school band, albeit with German lyrics that weren't quite suitable for minors, and the teachers switched off the electricity. The kids just kept singing, a great memory comes back. Greetings from Germany
Great reaction, it is incredible that this song was not more controversial than it was, I think so many people believed when he said I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola a lot of people thought that lyric meant the Lola was also glad the singer was a man too rather than the truth on that Lola was also a man. Some other great songs from the Kinks are Waterloo Sunset, A Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Sunny Afternoon, You Really Got Me.
If your going to folow the Kinks take a look at "Waterloo Sunset" or "Sunny Afternoon". Apparently Sunny Afternoon was a poke at the British Tax system at the time which took about 95% of every Pound/Dollar they earned. The Beatles did the same with a track called "Taxman" on the album "Revolver" The (Steel) guitar is/was mostly used for blues.
I was 11 years old when this song first came out in the 60's. Even back then I knew what it was about. I guess I wasn't as sheltered as I thought. LOL.
I was 11, too. I realized that Lola was a man, but was much too naive to truly understand the relationship. For a long time (years!), it never crossed my mind they did anything other than dance.
@@CindyNavarro Because they DIDN'T do anything other than dance. He knew he was straight and wanted to remain straight. At the same time he didn't care how Lola acted as long as she didn't do anything to him. -----> "I pushed her away I walked to the door, I fell to the floor, I got down on my knees. Then I looked at her and she at me. Well, that's the way that I want it to stay and I always want it to be that way for my Lola".
@@rdhudon7469 Hmm, did you "get" Black Magic Woman" first time around ? A tongue 'n cheek reference to voodoo (black magic) and being with a black female that he refers to as having feelings for as if she casted a spell on him.
As usual a great reaction from you two. Daughter was right on it from the start. By the way the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was more concerned about the song advertising Coca Cola than a man/man relationship. Hence the song refers to "Cherry Cola" because The Kinks altered the lyrics to accommodate the BBC. I really enjoy your reactions - devoid of drinking, smoking and swearing, all of which can be viewed in some other reactors. At the risk of sounding patronising I would use the following words to describe both of you: beautiful, immaculate, polite, articulate, engaging, enchanting.
The guitar was a National resonator guitar... this sort of guitar is most famous from the cover of the Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms" which the lead singer/guitarist/song write Mark Knopfler used in a number of songs, but most famously for Romeo & Juliet.
@@emilsitka9537 Oh I didn't know that but it does sounds good... interestingly on the subject of the Mississippi Delta National Guitars, Mark Knopfler describes his music as where the Tyne* Meets the Delta. Basically saying a mix of English folk/Celtic and Jazz/Blues. *The River Tyne, in case you didn't know is a river in the North of England that seperates Newcastle and Gateshead (where Mark grew up) out to the North Sea. This is close to the Scottish border, and so the traditional folk music has heavy Celtic influence.
Your reactions made me laugh, because no one is wrong. It was inspired by one time their manager on a night out, ended up dancing with someone who was not entirely what he thought, shall we say. The lyrics however have been so cleverly written, that they never actually say anything for sure, lot's of clues in a certain direction, but rather than a big reveal they say, "I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola", so, is Lola also a man, or is Lola also glad the singer is a man? Still ambiguous really, brilliant. What a great song though right? ❤
Fun song. Apparently Raymond Davies was out with his mates and one of his managers met "Lola" and really thought she was cool. They were like she is a guy! But the manager said i'm in and i don't care. So Ray wrote the song on how that would happen.
The lyrics at the end are actually: “Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man, But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola”. Your mom‘s facial expressions are priceless 😂😂😂
Well, that's the point: the song is ambiguous, just like Lola. Is Lola also a man, or is Lola just also glad that the singer is a man? The line before sets up the ambiguity: girls will be boys and boys will be girls, it's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world EXCEPT for Lola. Ray was a fantastic songwriter.
No Wild Blood. The "actual" lyric is exactly what you hear, and exactly what you see the singer's lips move to. This version is true to the re-tracked version recorded in Britain that changed Coca-Cola to cherry cola due to British broadcasting prohibitions against product placement in songs. The singer also changed the "bed" version of that ending line to the "glad" version although that change is poorly documented. Most lyric sites have the "glad" version of that line. Later live versions and cover versions seem to mix the changes to whatever is desired.
Yes. Lola is a transvestite. Classic song. All sorts of Easter eggs throughout. My favorite is "when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine." LOL
Great reaction to a great song! The generation gap difference in picking up the meaning was so funny, especially the look on Mom's face when Daughter told her that Lola was a man.
One of the better bands in the 60's. Try Al Day And All Of The Night. The lead guitarist slashed his speakers to give a fuzzy sound on this track, because extra guitar sounds hadn't been invented yet.
The daughter made me laugh when it was confirmed to her that lola was a man, by the way, when you said he STILL hasn’t kissed a woman before could’ve easily been added in the lyrics at the end,lol good one😂
They were "having fun" in the US, and the authorities were struggling to cope/as what to do. They said ya play Lola, and that's it, bye bye. They played Lola. byeeee.
This WAS the 60's and the Kinks were ahead of the curve in many ways. But even the meaning of the song is shrouded in ambiguity. At the end of the song you still do not know if Lola was male or female. When he says, "... I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" it can just as easily mean, "I'm glad I'm a man and Lola is glad I'm a man too!! It was this ambiguity that allowed our 1960's brains to accept the song. And everyone loved it -- and we all just went "hmmm" -- maybe this, maybe that.
Don't forget that Lola's hug "almost broke my spine." And, yes, the Kinks were a bit ahead of their time. Not only is their name "the Kinks," which is pretty sexy, but the album is called "Lola vs. the Powerman and the Moneygoround." Nice progressive politics there.
I think most would agree that Lola is a man, but let's not overlook the brilliant writing of Ray Davis when he says: 'I'm not the world's most masculine man But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man And so is Lola' These lines leave just a bit open to interpretation and could be interpreted in two different ways.
I was a teen when this came out. Took me no time to work it out, thought OK and got in with with my life. Love this song, and the courage of The Kinks in releasing it way back then 🌈 🏳️🌈
Loved the reaction ladies, especially your daughter, can’t believe your mom was oblivious to the story.🤣. I was in High School when it came out and was popular at least in California. I dedicate this to the dictator Governor of Florida.
The only thing in this wonderful song that was too controversial was Coca cola, witch had to be changed to Cherry cola to be played in BBC and many other european radio channels.
I love watching the face of people the first time they hear "Lola", I first heard it when I was a kid and it went over my head.
Yes,mum's just jamming to the music and the daughter picking on the lyrics,her expressions were priceless,I think they are both sweethearts anyway and I love their channel.
Your absolutely right, the daughter's facial expressions were priceless!!
I first heard it when it came out in 1970. I was 11 and I got it.
I heard this in the mid 60s and knew immediately what was implied
When the pay-off line hits, Daughter Gap's face shows it! I love your discussion: Mom Gap: "He said he'd never kissed a woman before" Daughter Gap: "And he still hasn't!"
She was giving mom the side eye from almost the beginning of the song... and at the end mom still wasn't getting it. I guess this song is more current events than it was in the 60s.
"Daughter Gap" is wrong. It's hard to believe they pinned your post. Nothing happened between him and Lola. -----> "I pushed her away I walked to the door, I fell to the floor, I got down on my knees. Then I looked at her and she at me. Well, that's the way that I want it to stay and I always want it to be that way for my Lola". In short, in so many words he wants to remain straight, and desires to stay away from Lola. He obviously doesn't care how or what Lola does.
Later on she takes him by the hand and says “little boy I’m going to make you a man” it goes further than you think.
@@mgtow6450 But later in the song she takes him by the hand and says “I’m going to make you a man” - dot dot dot
@@generationgapreacts Yes, that's what it says and you're spinning it in your personal way after a cursory and casual first time listening. But, not according to the singer/songwriter Ray Davies. Even his brother (the lead guitarists) witnessed this and his band mates. No way would they allow that to happen to Ray. All that happened was he danced with "Lola". Meaning he turned down "Lola's proposition to "make him a man". Plus the song points this fact out as well. I've listened (and played this song) for over five decades and NEVER interpreted the way it has been in this video.
There is robust information available online of Ray's interviews throughout close to 60 years about this song. He's never so much as hinted anything became of it either. He's been married 3 times and has 3 children. The song was partially true, part fiction. After talking to his dad his dad suggested if Ray and Dave [ his brother the lead guitarist ] wanted to be be a world famous band they'd have to write a hit song. Ray dropped some acid, and took some angel dust then started working on this song.
And the moral of this story is "don't judge a book by its cover". 🤣
Omg i love this reaction. I’ve never laughed so much in years, I started crying when the daughters eyes looked at her mum… pure entertainment. Btw I remember the Kinks back in the 60/70’s they were ahead of their time and the lead singer Ray Davies is brilliant and thankfully he’s still with us at 78 years young. Love from the uk ladies xx
It was funny watching daughter pick up on the song right away, while mom didn't.
"Girls will be boys and boys will be girls / It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola" ... such a great line - everyone's confused, but Lola's confident in who she is.
Followed by "I know what I am, and I'm glad I'm a man and so was Lola!"
...Lola's confident in who s/he is. Sure s/he is.
@@michaelrue1400 ...and this can be understood two ways, as the whole song is meant to be ambiguous. "I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" can mean that Lola is also glad that I am a man.
@@douglasfrantzen3011 Yeah, I think that is unlikely the way the line was sung. It's a punchline, it's the what comedians call the 'reveal'. Edited to add: after a little research, the writer of the song, Ray Davies, confirmed that Lola was a man and the song came from an experience Davies had in a night club where he had danced the whole night with someone he had thought was a woman but turned out to be a man.
@@douglasfrantzen3011 There's nothing like a good rationalization.
Mum, your not old you’re beautiful ❤
In England this song is just like listening to a Beatles song, we all know the lyrics and what’s it about even though it was before our time it’s played that much. Even my 17 yr old daughter knows all the words 😊
I agree. She and her daughter are both beautiful
Thank you both! ❤
@@generationgapreacts 🎸
Speak for yourself! I was a kid when this came out.
This song really happened to the band's manger. It's a true story from way back when they used to play in Soho. It also happened to Ray Davies, the lead singer songwriter.
I think it was the band's manager.
@@zennenn Yeah, I know. I typed too fast when first posting. I've edited it since then. Plus, I believe it happened in Paris, France. Thank you.
@@dannyboy366 No, it was a bar in Soho. You were right the first time.
@@John_Chu Danny is right, it happened in Paris. But, it's also ambiguous because Ray hints it also happened to him saying it in a cryptic way. It could have happened to Davies, in Soho and Wace in Paris. YT doesn't let us leave links. But. here's Ray in an interview.
Ray has said this was based on real events, mentioning his dance with a beautiful “woman” when The Kinks played an all-nighter at Bridlington’s Spa Royal Hall on May 8, 1965, and Kinks manager Robert Wace’s similar hoodwinking in Paris that April.
Hmm, I guess I'll have to re edit my OP.. Apparently it did happen to Ray Davies. However this is the first time I've heard it happened to both Ray and Robert Wace.
Definitely a very funny moment when the daughter got her first hint, her eyes were so expressive as she looked over to her mom who had totally missed it. I was about 14 when this tune came out, absolutely loved it, and sang my heart out to it, but like you're mom I had no clue what it was about. Those were innocent times, and we were taught to let things just go over our heads...things have changed (except for you're sweet mom). Thanks for the memories and laughter.
Me too 40 years before i got it
I was 14, too. Ray Davies came to my area, and he was on the radio doing a caller interview. He told the radio host before the call in part started that Lola is a true story before everyone starts asking. The next day, I told my older neighbor about and asked what was the big deal. So he had a fling with someone. The neighbor then told me that wasn't the meaning, then played the record and stopped it at all those key verses. I was so shocked. After that, I have been listening to song lyrics since.
There's no song more fun to watch someone react to because there always comes that moment when they realize... wait a minute... oh, that's what it's about.
Weeelll, not always, her mom is a good example, lol.
Tim Minchin - Prejudice
But I do love Lola.
No joke! No Simp! This was the greatest reaction ever! I have never laughed so hard in my life! The moment the daughter got it, the realization on her face had me clapping and stomping the floor! Mom, I’m probably older but I love your reaction and it made my heart happy when you didn’t get it at first. I’m almost in tears from laughter and joy watching this reaction! He even say how Lola picked him up and put him on her knee lol. And when she squee him it almost broke his spine! lol. I’m gonna be smiling all day after this! It was wonderful, Thank you…
One of the best bands and songs from the 70s. It’s always funny when “the penny drops” and people get the meaning of the song. Just brilliant.
I love watching reaction videos to this song and seeing the moment when the light goes on. Sometimes the reactors are just singing "Lola" and they never do figure it out. You picked up on it quicker than most though. Good job!
Mom got schooled... daughter is smart as heck.
Mom got schooled on crap people like so many today. There are more trans and bis and all that lately. Sorry for the new generations for allowing all that crap. We old people didnt allow that crap so out like today. So People tried to be straight. No wonder mental diseases are 5 times of what we had in the 1970's. Even there are 10 times more meds available today; but 5 times more sick young people. Disaster. We fought that garbage. And won. But you lost. You let that happen to you. Young people are more sick due you allowed that.
Im a Commercial Pilot... Now Retired.
Great reaction . Love how Ray smiles throughout the song 😊
HAHA!! So glad you did this song! A couple of facts, #1 - based on a true story!! it was their manager or producer that went down to Soho and was picked up in a club down there. Fact #2. The song as originally written could not be released in the US. It had nothing to do with the meaning of the words, I think that just flew past the censors who did not pay attention but had to do with were he sang "cherry cola", it was originally "Coca Cola" and they had to change it for release. So do not feel bad Mama Gap, many missed the meaning at the time! I can go on,... but, enjoy the Kinks!! Rich history!! 😀😀
Correct Bob, it was the UK release, the American versions were never changed, the Apple Music version of the album still says Coca Cola, which was how I remember it growing up as a 9 year old music nerd!
I believe Coca Cola was fine in the US. The change was so that the BBC would play it, which was essential because BBC Radio One and BBC's Top Of The Pops were the main broadcast vehicles for pop music in the UK back then. Pirate radio stations routinely played the Coca Cola version. Mott the Hoople experienced something similar when they had to redo a line in their hit cover of Bowie's 'All The Young Dudes. The line mentioning "stealing clothes from Marks & Sparks" was a colloquial reference to UK retailer Marks & Spencer and therefore, though many disagreed, was held to have breached BBC advertising guidelines. The version the BBC allowed had the line altered to "stealing clothes from unlocked cars".
Great reaction, apparently in Ray Davies autobiography his manager got drunk in a club and danced with what he thought was a woman, and Ray turned this into a hit song.!!
Haha! This is SUCH a great song by The Kinks! Enjoyed your reaction!! The song would probably be considered more controversial today than it was back then.
Yes!..Oddly enough that is true!..There was a lot of male to female gender-bending going on right at that particular time, with Bowie, T-Rex, Lou Reed, The New York Dolls, Jagger, Iggy Pop, and many others, which was really a product of what came out of the Hippie years, (maybe even back to the short beatnik era of th 50's) where men felt comfortable wearing flowery clothing, and growing their hair very long, and even sticking some real flowers in that hair..Experimentation was the order of the day..There was an exceptance, probably because everyone was curious to see just how far things would go..It was a wild time!
This song would be banned today
@@matthewchance8835 In the Backwards Staets of America for sure. The MAGAs would lose the f"n minds.
There is a another song in the same vain called, "Walk on the Wild Side" by Lou Reed, It's something y'all may want to react to. It also came out in 1972.
I was going to mention that one too.
For that matter there The Beatles' Ob-la-di, ob-la-da
Always hated that song!@@IanMcGarrett
Walk on the Wild Side is about various people who lived/partied at Andy Warhol’s ‘Factory’, those name checked in the song are actual people.
Love the way this one went completely over mums head. So innocent. As someone who grew up in the sixties, I can clearly say that it was so much different than today. Everyone just thought these sort of songs were a bit of fun. No one had ever heard of being triggered. A much more peaceful and tolerant time. I miss it.
🎯💯
I am 60 years old and I heard this song many times as a kid before I figured out that something was amiss. I am like the mom here in this video, even though I was hearing the words I still had no doubt that Lola was female (I never paid that much attention to lyrics anyway so the clues were probably falling on deaf ears). Back in the 1970s this might have been the only “mainstream” song like it in terms of its theme. I don’t know how many years it took me to finally figure out it was even a possibility that Lola might be male.
Welcome to London in the swinging sixties , i think the nearest American version of this you will get is Walk on the Wild Side by Lou Reed even though it has a totally different vibe .
The Guitar is a Resonator (Dobro), most famously used on the cover of a Dire Straights album , it was invented to make guitars louder before the introduction of electric guitars , but has a unique sound of its own .
It is a resonator guitar, but I think it's a national (all metal) guitar rather than a dobro, which generally has a metal resonator disk on a wooden body. Paul Simon wrote "The Mississippi delta was shining like a national guitar" (Graceland) to evoke the sun shining on the river as if it was made of steel. Steel guitars definitely have a sound of their own, but I find a dobro has a different sound again.
Ray Davies was in a guitar shop looking for a Martin which he found he couldn't afford. Looking around, he saw the National Steel and bought it because it looked so great.
The look on baby gap's face after hearing "I know what I'am, I'am a man so's my Lola" is priceless. Too bad the song soared over momma gap's head. LOL. ---------> Lola
The Kinks
I met her in a club down in old Soho
Where you drink champagne and it tastes just like coca cola
C-O-L-A, Cola
She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice she said Lola
L-O-L-A, Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Well, I'm not the world's most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine
Oh my Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Well, I'm not dumb but I can't understand
*Why she walked like a woman but talked like a man*
Oh my Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Well, we drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
*She picked me up and sat me on her knee*
And said "Dear boy, won't you come home with me?"
Well, I'm not the world's most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes, well I almost fell for my Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
I pushed her away
I walked to the door
I fell to the floor
I got down on my knees
Then I looked at her and she at me
Well, that's the way that I want it to stay
And I always want it to be that way for my Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
*Girls will be boys and boys will be girls It's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world, except for Lola*
La-la-la-la Lola
Well, I left home just a week before
And I'd never ever kissed a woman before
But Lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said "Dear boy, I'm gonna make you a man"
Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man
*But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man*
*And so is Lola*
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
La-la-la-la Lola
"But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man, And so is Lola." Part of the genius of this line is that it can be interpreted in two ways. Lola is glad she (Lola) is a man, or Lola is glad he (the singer) is a man. Maybe that's how it got past censors. But I agree with a previous commenter; the general understanding at the time was Lola was biologically male, and society as a whole was less psycho about it then than they are now. This was pre "Morale Majority," so the culture was less insane back then. Most people who objected would have turned it off and gone about their day rather than claim they were victims of a culture war.
@@munchausen8755 Good point but, Ray Davies has confirmed Lola was a transvestite in countless interviews. He should know, he's the singer songwriter. It happened to the Kink's manager Robert Wace in Paris, and at a different time to Ray in Soho.
Yes look at the grin on Ray's face as he sings this. GUILTY ! LOL. C'mon, one can only craft a song this clever from experience. LOL.
@@munchausen8755 Or “society as a whole” was not exposed to this so would not even consider it a possibility, certainly not as readily.
@@munchausen8755 Back then sodomy was illegal. If they were caught, they'd been arrested. Back in the 1960's in England LGBT's had to talk in code.
Those reactions are priceless. Obviously, the Kinks were ahead of their time.
What a superb reaction to a superb band. The Kinks merit more reactions as they had a tonne of great songs.
The Kinks were one of the British Invasion groups that came to the United States in 1964. "Lola" is one of their most classic songs and was very controversial when it was first released. The next song from the Kinks you should try is "You Really Got Me." It's a rock classic and many people believe was the first heavy metal song
It was the first song recorded with heavy distortion because Dave Davies sliced up his speaker cone with a razor .
You guys were so funny. Love the eye rolls.
Love me some Kinks. And yes, Lola was taking that walk. Lou's Lola is wild.
"A Well-Respected Man" by the Kinks would be a good follow-up song.
Great show, y'all.
@John Ashtone Love that one too!
Awe I love your mum. I can tell you as a guy in his fifties she is a product of her time. Never change honey. ❤🧡💛💚💙💜
priceless! may you live long and prosper ;-)
Yes, Lola is a man. Love your channel. Love from Melbourne Australia.
I often search for reactions to THIS song because it is always SO much fun to see who figures out the "twist." LOL. Great reaction!
Great ladies!! I've told you that my hubby was stationed in Japan and he arrived there in June of 70. He'd been there about a month before more replacements, like himself, were being shipped in and one of the newbies asked him if he'd heard the song, Lola. He said of course and the newbie said, "you know it's about a drag queen, right?" And my hubby said he stood there for a minute and said, "Wait a minute....WHAT!" Of course he had to sit down and REALLY listen to it and by God he was right! He said he still laughs about that!
I'm at 5:40. Daughter looks at Mom and Mom is completely oblivious! I'm loving this reaction! Daughter is driving a Ferrari whilst Mom is on a kid's tricycle. 😂
The daughter was very quick to pick up on what this song is about.And I love her facial reaction just priceless.
at 5:00
Mom got schooled on crap people like so many today. There are more trans and bis and all that lately. Sorry for the new generations for allowing all that crap. We old people didnt allow that crap so out like today. So People tried to be straight. No wonder mental diseases are 5 times of what we had in the 1970's. 5 times more. Disaster. We fought that garbage. You promoted garbage. Im a Commercial Pilot and Pilot Teacher too... Now Retired. No mental diseases promoted by my people.
BG's face and reaction when they sing the line " I can't understand why she walked like a woman but talked like a man" made me laugh so hard I think I wet myself 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 loved this reaction ❤
Hahaha thank you Brett! This one was so fun
You could almost see the wheels turning in her mind
Your faces were priceless as you were figuring it out. Don't feel bad, mom, the lyrics are subtle.
You call "I'm glad I'm a man...and so is Lola" subtle???!
So many reactors completely miss the twist. Finally!
Ho Ho, "You're not picking up what he's putting down girl." Very fun song, I have loved it since 8th grade, and yes we all knew what it meant. Almost like we had a secret adults didn't get. "But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man... and so is Lola." Love you guys!
The Kinks have great songs . This song when it came out was banned from airplay on the radio . It's based on a true story . The manager from The Kinks had got really drunk and went into this club. He didn't know who he was dancing with. After he sobered up and realized it , he got really angry . The singer from The Kinks , Ray Davis wrote this song about the managers experience .
Don't think it was banned. Certainly not in the UK. I remember Blackburn and Edmonds both playing on Radio 1. The record reached No 2 in the UK in 1970. CocCola was changed to Cherry Cola before the single was release although the album version still has Coca Cola.
@@williamdeypres1122 in the begining USA banned it . Or so history says . Just like they banned Elvis for a bit . USA back then in those days banned many things .
This was a pretty polished song for the Kinks. I remember a lot of their stuff sounded like a garageband and that's why I liked them.
The Kinks are a legendary english band with many hits. Waterloo Sunset is wonderful, also Sunny Afternoon.
hello beautiful excelent reactions very spontaneous likazo.🌺🌺
The singer definitely had a ‘Joker’ smile on his face.
Always one of my favorites. Adore the Kinks.
I'm 72 years and I remember The Kinks very well, even went to one of their gigs, 1971.
This is a version for British use..
The regular version says “….drink champagne, and it tastes just like CocaCola” BBC wouldn’t let them mention a brand , so “….cherry cola”.
Great reaction girls. Great pick up on the lyrics daughter
The look on your face when he sings "I'm a man and so is Lola" is priceless! I've got friends who have listened to the song since the 70's and they've never even realized what the song was about.
years ahead of their time!!!!
I love watching people react to the lyrics of this song for the first time. Best setup ever! Some don't get it until the " so is Lola" line, others get suspicious earlier. Great song, great reaction.
Ray Davies songwriting skills. He uses word play, sarcasm, implication. It's not just the words with Ray.
Word Play and Sarcasm: 2/14 main types of British humour..:)
My favourite Kinks song was waterloo sunset but then they made a lot of great tracks. The original words were coca cola but the BBC refused to play it due to advertising hence cherry cola which was not available in the UK at the time.
Poor Mom, right over her head, lol Love you both.
🤔🤔🤣🤣😂😂👍👍
This is such a great reaction video! Can't stop watching it. The difference between the two of you picking up the references is priceless. Daughter's analysis of the story is so cute it's brilliant!
This was a big hit in the 60's. I don't think it matters what the lyrics were, it was that good. I think the audience knew what the words were since this was one of their biggest hits. One of the great original British invasion bands! excellent review!
It came out in 1970
The Kinks, London finest and I loved the facial expressions of the pair of you, a great band with a 'different' song. They were great live by the way with the two brothers Ray and Dave Davies always ending up having a fight on stage and not a 'messing about' type fight, blood was drawn on many occasions. Keep up the good work ladies x
Great show . Everybody loves the Kinks, even Loyola. Seen them twice,they act out a lot of songs.I think back then people had more of a live and let live attitude. Thinks
Wow! I always liked the song! Baby Gap you amaze me! I am 56 and never knew Lola was a man!
Mom is absolutely hi-larious! 😂
As they say, denial isn't just a big river in Africa! 😅
But yes, what an absolutely progressive, risqué and ahead of it's time this song is for the early 70's. But there was quite a lot of it about from Lou Reed, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Rod Stewart, T-Rex and others.
Actually I just realised they're all British including The Kinks and Lou Reed recorded in the UK.
Hmm Hmmmmmm 🤔🤔🤔
A few years ago a cousin of mine introduced me to his new wife called Lola.
Oh, like the song! I said.
Yes, she agreed.
Then I sang a few note's of the la la la la la Lola refrain.
I got a slightly frosty, no not that one, the other one! back in response.
It seems it's alright if your name is Lola to identify with a song with your name about a grief stricken and mentally broken alcoholic but not a feel good song about a young man discovering that he's fallen in love with a transvestite!
Lola from the Kings, we played the song in my school band, albeit with German lyrics that weren't quite suitable for minors, and the teachers switched off the electricity. The kids just kept singing, a great memory comes back. Greetings from Germany
Great reaction, it is incredible that this song was not more controversial than it was, I think so many people believed when he said I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola a lot of people thought that lyric meant the Lola was also glad the singer was a man too rather than the truth on that Lola was also a man. Some other great songs from the Kinks are Waterloo Sunset, A Dedicated Follower of Fashion, Sunny Afternoon, You Really Got Me.
Hilarious! The daughter got it straight away but mum was lagging a bit, bless her. Ray Davies, the lead singer, his guitar is a National steel guitar.
If your going to folow the Kinks take a look at "Waterloo Sunset" or "Sunny Afternoon". Apparently Sunny Afternoon was a poke at the British Tax system at the time which took about 95% of every Pound/Dollar they earned. The Beatles did the same with a track called "Taxman" on the album "Revolver" The (Steel) guitar is/was mostly used for blues.
Ahh I watched this over and over - your reactions to this are brilliant!
I was 11 years old when this song first came out in the 60's. Even back then I knew what it was about. I guess I wasn't as sheltered as I thought. LOL.
I was 11, too. I realized that Lola was a man, but was much too naive to truly understand the relationship. For a long time (years!), it never crossed my mind they did anything other than dance.
@@CindyNavarro Because they DIDN'T do anything other than dance. He knew he was straight and wanted to remain straight. At the same time he didn't care how Lola acted as long as she didn't do anything to him. -----> "I pushed her away I walked to the door, I fell to the floor, I got down on my knees. Then I looked at her and she at me. Well, that's the way that I want it to stay and I always want it to be that way for my Lola".
It took awhile for this song and brown sugar by the Stones to sink in what I was really hearing .
@@rdhudon7469 Hmm, did you "get" Black Magic Woman" first time around ? A tongue 'n cheek reference to voodoo (black magic) and being with a black female that he refers to as having feelings for as if she casted a spell on him.
Great reaction ladies! Great job with it Baby Gap teachin' mom! You got it. An excellent tune for a reaction video!
Ya gotta check out their first hit, "You Really Got Me". A true classic. That was a dobro Ray was playing.
One of the best reaction videos I have ever watched.. And I've watched a lot of them! You're both adorable!! ✌🏽❤🎶
Considering the times back then, imagine how we felt the first time we heard it. These were taboo subjects that no one talked about.
Hahaha 🤣 You two are just too cute, I love your reaction during the song (the moment of realisation) and your different interpretations
As usual a great reaction from you two. Daughter was right on it from the start. By the way the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) was more concerned about the song advertising Coca Cola than a man/man relationship. Hence the song refers to "Cherry Cola" because The Kinks altered the lyrics to accommodate the BBC.
I really enjoy your reactions - devoid of drinking, smoking and swearing, all of which can be viewed in some other reactors. At the risk of sounding patronising I would use the following words to describe both of you: beautiful, immaculate, polite, articulate, engaging, enchanting.
That was so much fun. Daughter, you nailed it right from the start. Well done.
The guitar was a National resonator guitar... this sort of guitar is most famous from the cover of the Dire Straits album "Brothers in Arms" which the lead singer/guitarist/song write Mark Knopfler used in a number of songs, but most famously for Romeo & Juliet.
In the song Graceland, Paul Simon sings "The Mississippi delta was shining like a National guitar."
@@emilsitka9537 Oh I didn't know that but it does sounds good... interestingly on the subject of the Mississippi Delta National Guitars, Mark Knopfler describes his music as where the Tyne* Meets the Delta. Basically saying a mix of English folk/Celtic and Jazz/Blues.
*The River Tyne, in case you didn't know is a river in the North of England that seperates Newcastle and Gateshead (where Mark grew up) out to the North Sea. This is close to the Scottish border, and so the traditional folk music has heavy Celtic influence.
The reactions were priceless. And yes, a very ahead of its time song.
Your reactions made me laugh, because no one is wrong. It was inspired by one time their manager on a night out, ended up dancing with someone who was not entirely what he thought, shall we say. The lyrics however have been so cleverly written, that they never actually say anything for sure, lot's of clues in a certain direction, but rather than a big reveal they say, "I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola", so, is Lola also a man, or is Lola also glad the singer is a man? Still ambiguous really, brilliant. What a great song though right? ❤
Plausible deniability! 🤣
I've always loved how far folks will go to deny the obvious! ..... Pretzel Logic!
Im 67 and this tune was played over the radio often..now.find lou reed walk on the wild side.
Fun song. Apparently Raymond Davies was out with his mates and one of his managers met "Lola" and really thought she was cool. They were like she is a guy! But the manager said i'm in and i don't care. So Ray wrote the song on how that would happen.
The lyrics at the end are actually: “Well, I'm not the world's most masculine man, But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola”. Your mom‘s facial expressions are priceless 😂😂😂
I know some lyrics are different in other versions, they had to change Coke -cola for cherry sode for one
Well, that's the point: the song is ambiguous, just like Lola. Is Lola also a man, or is Lola just also glad that the singer is a man? The line before sets up the ambiguity: girls will be boys and boys will be girls, it's a mixed up, muddled up, shook up world EXCEPT for Lola.
Ray was a fantastic songwriter.
No Wild Blood. The "actual" lyric is exactly what you hear, and exactly what you see the singer's lips move to. This version is true to the re-tracked version recorded in Britain that changed Coca-Cola to cherry cola due to British broadcasting prohibitions against product placement in songs. The singer also changed the "bed" version of that ending line to the "glad" version although that change is poorly documented. Most lyric sites have the "glad" version of that line. Later live versions and cover versions seem to mix the changes to whatever is desired.
Great band. great song. I enjoyed your reaction.
Yes. Lola is a transvestite. Classic song. All sorts of Easter eggs throughout. My favorite is "when she squeezed me tight she nearly broke my spine." LOL
That definitely was a clue. I love the song. 😊
Great reaction to a great song! The generation gap difference in picking up the meaning was so funny, especially the look on Mom's face when Daughter told her that Lola was a man.
One of the better bands in the 60's. Try Al Day And All Of The Night. The lead guitarist slashed his speakers to give a fuzzy sound on this track, because extra guitar sounds hadn't been invented yet.
That’s a great song!!! 😊
The Kinks and their lyrical content were way ahead of their time
The daughter made me laugh when it was confirmed to her that lola was a man, by the way, when you said he STILL hasn’t kissed a woman before could’ve easily been added in the lyrics at the end,lol good one😂
Someone should hire me to write lyrics lol
The second he first said that, and the lightbulb went off above you. LOL
"You Really Got Me" 1964
And, LOLA was Released in 1970.
At the end He says, "I'm Glad I'm a Man...So Is Lola".
They were "having fun" in the US, and the authorities were struggling to cope/as what to do. They said ya play Lola, and that's it, bye bye. They played Lola. byeeee.
This WAS the 60's and the Kinks were ahead of the curve in many ways. But even the meaning of the song is shrouded in ambiguity. At the end of the song you still do not know if Lola was male or female. When he says, "... I'm glad I'm a man and so is Lola" it can just as easily mean, "I'm glad I'm a man and Lola is glad I'm a man too!! It was this ambiguity that allowed our 1960's brains to accept the song. And everyone loved it -- and we all just went "hmmm" -- maybe this, maybe that.
Exactly!!
Can’t believe I hadn’t found this channel until now.. love their reactions and interplay
Don't forget that Lola's hug "almost broke my spine." And, yes, the Kinks were a bit ahead of their time. Not only is their name "the Kinks," which is pretty sexy, but the album is called "Lola vs. the Powerman and the Moneygoround." Nice progressive politics there.
Yes, that was a big clue, however… I just figured it out after 50 years. 🤪
The guitar used by Ray Davies is a steel resonator guitar. I believe this one was made by national string instrument company.
I think most would agree that Lola is a man, but let's not overlook the brilliant writing of Ray Davis when he says:
'I'm not the world's most masculine man
But I know what I am and I'm glad I'm a man
And so is Lola'
These lines leave just a bit open to interpretation and could be interpreted in two different ways.
So we’ll said!!! 😊
Agree, deliberately ambiguous.
Yup, the daughter is bang on and her reaction through out the song was so funny because her lovely mum missed it completely ...ahead of it's time 👍
... and this is why we ALL love our Mums' 🙂
Ray Davies the lead singer said this is a true story his brother was talking to who he thought was a woman in a club one night
It was their Young Manager:)
I always loved this song but didn’t pay attention to the true meaning. I love the song more. 😊
I was a teen when this came out. Took me no time to work it out, thought OK and got in with with my life. Love this song, and the courage of The Kinks in releasing it way back then 🌈 🏳️🌈
Loved the reaction ladies, especially your daughter, can’t believe your mom was oblivious to the story.🤣. I was in High School when it came out and was popular at least in California. I dedicate this to the dictator Governor of Florida.
Baby Gap... I loved your reaction to this. Your face was priceless. 😋
The only thing in this wonderful song that was too controversial was Coca cola, witch had to be changed to Cherry cola to be played in BBC and many other european radio channels.
I had no idea, great song. 😊
Great that they picked the performance where Ray Davies plays the resonator guitar. Gives it a unique sound.