I remember buying the album when this came out. It is absolutely criminal that the single failed even to reach the charts - this is a total masterpiece of song crafting.
Ray Davies another genius who wrote some amazing music and made you think at the same time, this is a beautiful song and illustrates the price of fame.
Sanders had just committed suicide the month before The Kinks recorded this song and album. Sanders left this final note: "Dear World: I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool-good luck." It has been since revealed that Sanders was suffering from the early effects of dementia. He was 65.
It’s so strange I just listened to this one. The lyrics were so important in it. I’m 70 years old and I never really knew any of these stars. After I listened I learned a little about each one!
I really don’t think they’re underrated-after all, Ray was knighted not long ago (deservedly so). I’ve seen them five times, each performance better than the last. Long Live the Kinks!!! 🎸🎸
Such a beautifully emotional song. It never fails to get to me the way he sings, "Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain and celluloid heroes never really die."
What's especially good about that last verse is that after several quite clever, poignant rhyming verses, Ray abandons rhyming for this last verse, laying it straight on us and making it stand out. This is a subtlety in songwriting, of which Ray was a grandmaster.
How a masterpiece of music and storytelling, that was released as a single in 1972, never even entered the charts is totally UNBELIEVABLE, and even criminal in my opinion!!
Ray Davies (pronounced Davis) is an absolute genius, on par with the best songwriters of his time. He composed one of the most beautiful pop songs ever -- "Waterloo Sunset." This is another fantastic song, much too under-rated in its time. Thanks David and Harri.
Thanks Harri, The Kinks are a favourite of mine along with Eric B & The Animals from the 60’s, they were different from other great bands back then & when I think of British bands from 60’s these two always come to mind - and of course The Beatles !!☮️💜
This song was inspired by Hollywood's famous Walk of Fame, & all the stars - in the pavement - that commemorate celebrities. And it's also about just how fleeting stardom & fame can be. How many stars, that were huge once, that are now forgotten.
"Sic transit gloria mundi" "Part of the journey is the end" Sheer brilliance. A bit of a shocker that the Kinks couldn't maintain their sales momentum after "Lola", honestly.
700 songs in their catalog… check out these gems: Around the dial I need you Artificial Man Holiday Romance To the bone Big sky Picture book Pictures in the sand
When I saw you get up and applaud, Harri, I must say that I followed your lead and did the same. "Celluloid Heroes" has been among my favorite songs since the first time I heard it after purchasing the album "Everybody's in Show-Biz" upon release back in Aug. '72. Fifty-one years later and I still get goosebumps when I hear Ray Davies sing this classic. I hope you will give a listen to the title track of the Kinks "Village Green Preservation Society" album, Harri, another beautiful song. Spending this Sunday afternoon listening to "Celluloid Heroes" with you has been a blast, Harri!
The kinks are an unbelievable band. They have so many songs that the public doesn’t even know, but are so good. When I went and saw them for the first time, I wasn’t very aware of what they played. The crowd was so into the entire show. When this song started, I didn’t even know what it was. But I heard people whispering . “they’re gonna do it” the guy next to me said this is what I came for. The whole crowd sat down and listened. I have loved this song ever cents. It was my favorite show of all time. And the list of people I have seen you wouldn’t believe. Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the who Tom Petty Eagles, Joe Cocker, The Guess Who, Muddy Waters, J Geils, Fleetwood Mac and that’s just off the top of my head. Yet the kinks played my favorite show.
Right on the money - 700 songs in their catalog- so many songs that should have been hits - I’m 73 been a fan since 1964 - even when they were banned- songs I’ve been listening to of late…..around the dial - holiday romance- artificial man - I need you - 2 sisters- alcohol live - celluloid Heroes live - holiday live - ladies of the night - big sky - dreams - moments- pictures on the sand - rock n roll fantasy- the list goes on and on - GSTK!
Thanks for doing this song - only an Englishman could capture the true essence of Hollywood like this. The whole LP that this is from is about being famous and being on the road, often times about the rigors of that fame. And also about how everyone is a star in their own world/lives. For a completely different mood you should give a listen to Ducks On the Wall, a true piece of R&R energy.
thanks so much, Harri! This is one of my favorites by the Kinks... they were brilliant and did so many different genres... always with cleverness and humor.. hope you react to more from them!
Grand Hotel, Greta Garbo, “I want to be alone”. Sunset Boulevard final scene, Betty Davis “all right, Mr. Deville I’m ready for my close-up”. To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall “You know how to whistle Steve? Just put your lips together and blow”, talking to Humphrey Bogart. Watch some classic movies, you’ll understand this song better.
One of the great Ray Davies compositions. It's mainly about Ray Davies and his melancholic disposition. It's a warning about getting lost in fantasy. If you listen to his songs he expresses his wish to escape from the harshness of modern life. He himself fell into despair at times hoping to regain an idyllic past. Or escape into the future with hopes of an idealized world there. In Celluloid Heroes he wants to suspend his own life in a fantasy world of films that has never and can never exist. He is saying that these wonderful stars of classic film can't save us. They are fantasy, and you can't get lost in a world that doesn't exist. The stars themselves were often lost souls themselves. Ray suffered a lot of deep mental anguish in his life and the past, nor the future nor movies could redeem him. It's a very sad song on a personal level. I find the saddest Ray Davies song to be Young and Innocent days, about despairing over lost younger days....
one of my most memorable concert experiences was seeing the kinks at the hollywood palladium in the 90s. they played celluloid heroes,and when they got to the line "you can see all the stars as they walk along hollywood blvd." everyone pointed outside toward the boulevard which was a couple of miles away. still gives me chills thinking about it.
I can always pass on LOLA, but this song and Rock And Roll Fantasy hold legendary status with me. There are plenty other really good Kinks songs, as well.
This song never played on the radio where I lived when I was a kid. I was a Kinks fan growing up -- even saw them live in the 80s -- but it wasn't until I was in an LA restaurant in the early 90s that I first heard this song. I couldn't believe I didn't know it already, but back then to hear a song you either had to have the record or your local radio stations had to play it. The other great Kinks song I didn't know until much later was "Father Christmas".
Thanks for requesting this David! I love this song from when I first heard it on the Everybody’s In Show Biz album 50 years ago!!! I think Harry is the first person to do a reaction to it. Maybe “Here Comes Yet Another Day” can be next.
...by th' way, near the end is a pic of Leslie Howard with Bette Davis. He was a British actor and WWII spy who was Churchill's decoy on a separate secret flight from the front in France back to England. Nazis shot the plane down thinkin' it was Churchill. All kill'd. There's a few variations of the story about how he died but I like this one.
The Kinks were huge & had a lot of hits. I especially love their music from the 60's & 70's. You've done a lot of their songs. Some other favorites are "All Day & All Of The Night", "Set Me Free", "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion", "Dead End Street", "Waterloo Sunset" etc.
The Kinks put out so much music. It takes a long time to listen to all their songs but just think of the time they spent making it. They were a workforce . Truly Amazing . One of my favorite albums is Muswell Hillbilly's . But the # 1 album for me is the ''Village green preservation society'' .The first Kinks album i bought. It's good music .Everyone give a big hand to Harribest reactions for all he does, in this fairly new line of work that is ignored by the music industry . One more thing, It's a shame what Hollywood has turned into.
I remember buying the album when this came out. It is absolutely criminal that the single failed even to reach the charts - this is a total masterpiece of song crafting.
Probably a bit too long to make the Billboard Top 10, great song regardless.
I was 14 when this album came out and heard Celluloid Heroes on a Boston FM station. I immediately bought the album.
San Francisco is where I would listen and it was very popular
Without a doubt their best song
I think that the songs Ray creates are always relevant.-- the themes he chooses are perennial
Ray Davies another genius who wrote some amazing music and made you think at the same time, this is a beautiful song and illustrates the price of fame.
If I could like this a thousand times I would, The Kinks are such a great band.
"if you covered him with garbage George Sanders would still have style" what a line! My fave Kinks track
Sanders had just committed suicide the month before The Kinks recorded this song and album. Sanders left this final note: "Dear World: I am leaving because I am bored. I feel I have lived long enough. I am leaving you with your worries in this sweet cesspool-good luck." It has been since revealed that Sanders was suffering from the early effects of dementia. He was 65.
@@John_Chu 😥❤😇
@@John_Chu so sad. didn't know that. Thanks
One of the greatest lines of any song!
It’s so strange I just listened to this one. The lyrics were so important in it. I’m 70 years old and I never really knew any of these stars. After I listened I learned a little about each one!
Kinks very best. I think Ray was also thinking of his own life and climb to stardom.
Thanks for playing the Kinks the most underrated band of all time.
I really don’t think they’re underrated-after all, Ray was knighted not long ago (deservedly so). I’ve seen them five times, each performance better than the last. Long Live the Kinks!!! 🎸🎸
@@alabhaois As long as they´re not considered the best band of all time, or top 2 or 3, theyr underrated
One of the best bands all time.
Check out 80 days bootleg cd from 1980
Such a beautifully emotional song. It never fails to get to me the way he sings, "Because celluloid heroes never feel any pain and celluloid heroes never really die."
What's especially good about that last verse is that after several quite clever, poignant rhyming verses, Ray abandons rhyming for this last verse, laying it straight on us and making it stand out. This is a subtlety in songwriting, of which Ray was a grandmaster.
How a masterpiece of music and storytelling, that was released as a single in 1972, never even entered the charts is totally UNBELIEVABLE, and even criminal in my opinion!!
1972
Wow, I have never heard this. Thank you fir surprising me again!
It's been said of many but to me I consider the Kinks extremely underrated. A truly great, diverse and original band.
I really like this song.
The subject matter is very good.
Underrated, under appreciated and underplayed… masterpiece!!
Great great great.
Ray Davies (pronounced Davis) is an absolute genius, on par with the best songwriters of his time. He composed one of the most beautiful pop songs ever -- "Waterloo Sunset." This is another fantastic song, much too under-rated in its time. Thanks David and Harri.
Great reaction. The Kinks were such great songwriters and musicians. Thanks.
Treat yourself to the live version. Has an incredible intro, features keyboards and Dave Davies guitar talent.
Yes, the live version is fantastic!
A great version, but it skips the lines about George Sanders and Mickey Rooney.
@@jimwilson5148 Hmm, I guess I didn't notice those missing parts, I'll have to have another listen.
Dave is awesome in the beginning of the song - kinks forever!
One of the most beautiful songs Ray Davies ever wrote. It's criminal it was never a hit. I bought the single when it was released
The Kinkswere so creative.
I've walked that boulevard with that song lilting through my brain.
And their music hasn't aged-- it's still relevant, still stuns 💌💌
The message of this song is simple . Famous show biz people have the same trials and tribulations of non famous people
My favorite Kinks song, with Come Dancing a close 2nd.
At first you think this song is about "show biz", but it's really about the "human biz"!
Love The Kinks. I’ve seen this title over the decades but never listened to it before. Thanks for playing. It’s a good one 👍🏽
Ray Davies vocal phrasing is just first class.
Really puts meaning into the written words.
The Live Album One for the Road. It's shorter but it's amazing live.
Great choice!
Another one of those remarkable tunes that you could hear any day on the local FM radio stations in the '70s!
One of my favs!
This has always been one of my favorite Kinks songs.
Ray Davies is one of the all time great songwriters ever.
This song makes me cry every time I hear it. The Kinks were one of the best bands ever.
Thanks Harri, The Kinks are a favourite of mine along with Eric B & The Animals from the 60’s, they were different from other great bands back then & when I think of British bands from 60’s these two always come to mind - and of course The Beatles !!☮️💜
Love this song. Sad but great.
This song was inspired by Hollywood's famous Walk of Fame, & all the stars - in the pavement - that commemorate celebrities. And it's also about just how fleeting stardom & fame can be. How many stars, that were huge once, that are now forgotten.
"Sic transit gloria mundi"
"Part of the journey is the end"
Sheer brilliance. A bit of a shocker that the Kinks couldn't maintain their sales momentum after "Lola", honestly.
50 years later, and this song still moves me so deeply. A masterpiece of songwriting.
The Kinks were a group that were wsy ahead of their time..i appreciate their music more now than i did back then..their lyrics are super ❤
700 songs in their catalog… check out these gems:
Around the dial
I need you
Artificial Man
Holiday Romance
To the bone
Big sky
Picture book
Pictures in the sand
When I saw you get up and applaud, Harri, I must say that I followed your lead and did the same. "Celluloid Heroes" has been among my favorite songs since the first time I heard it after purchasing the album "Everybody's in Show-Biz" upon release back in Aug. '72. Fifty-one years later and I still get goosebumps when I hear Ray Davies sing this classic. I hope you will give a listen to the title track of the Kinks "Village Green Preservation Society" album, Harri, another beautiful song. Spending this Sunday afternoon listening to "Celluloid Heroes" with you has been a blast, Harri!
This song is truly one that will live forever, I'm so grateful to have seen them a few times and was able to hear them play it live
The kinks are an unbelievable band. They have so many songs that the public doesn’t even know, but are so good. When I went and saw them for the first time, I wasn’t very aware of what they played. The crowd was so into the entire show. When this song started, I didn’t even know what it was. But I heard people whispering . “they’re gonna do it” the guy next to me said this is what I came for. The whole crowd sat down and listened. I have loved this song ever cents. It was my favorite show of all time. And the list of people I have seen you wouldn’t believe. Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, the who Tom Petty Eagles, Joe Cocker, The Guess Who, Muddy Waters, J Geils, Fleetwood Mac and that’s just off the top of my head. Yet the kinks played my favorite show.
Right on the money - 700 songs in their catalog- so many songs that should have been hits - I’m 73 been a fan since 1964 - even when they were banned- songs I’ve been listening to of late…..around the dial - holiday romance- artificial man - I need you - 2 sisters- alcohol live - celluloid Heroes live - holiday live - ladies of the night - big sky - dreams - moments- pictures on the sand - rock n roll fantasy- the list goes on and on - GSTK!
It was written once that "The Rolling Stones are pornographic, but The Kinks are geographic".
Ray's songwriting is legendary!
Their song Destroyer rocks as hard as anything ever, Love it!
Thanks for doing this song - only an Englishman could capture the true essence of Hollywood like this. The whole LP that this is from is about being famous and being on the road, often times about the rigors of that fame. And also about how everyone is a star in their own world/lives. For a completely different mood you should give a listen to Ducks On the Wall, a true piece of R&R energy.
They're Welsh ... but that's ok, so was Henry VIII. 🙂
@@tkengathegrateful4844 the Davies brothers are from London.
@@tkengathegrateful4844 After all these years I never knew this about them. Thanks for the info!
@@jeffmartin1026 Well put me in overshoes and call me a duck, so they are. With their last name and looking so damn Welsh, I assumed they were Welsh.
@@tkengathegrateful4844 They are the absolutely quintessential London band. Half of their songs are about London in some way.
Thank yo so much for this request David!! This is my favorite Kinks song. Great commentary from Harri 🌺✌️
Great choice. This is such a deep song
Harri youre a pleasure to watch✌
thanks so much, Harri! This is one of my favorites by the Kinks... they were brilliant and did so many different genres... always with cleverness and humor.. hope you react to more from them!
Great song, story and reaction!
Thanks.
Kinks a great, yet often overlooked band. Asgroups go they are way up there!
A true lyrical gem.
Grand Hotel, Greta Garbo, “I want to be alone”. Sunset Boulevard final scene, Betty Davis “all right, Mr. Deville I’m ready for my close-up”. To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall “You know how to whistle Steve? Just put your lips together and blow”, talking to Humphrey Bogart. Watch some classic movies, you’ll understand this song better.
Gloria Swanson starred as "Nora Desmond" in Sunset Boulevard, not Betty Davis.
One of my favorite Kinks songs
Harri, I’m so glad you were able to get this reaction posted; your comments were right on and as brilliant as the song. Thanks.
Really have to be a fan of old timey movies to appreciate this song, which I am so I recognize all of them.
One of the great Ray Davies compositions. It's mainly about Ray Davies and his melancholic disposition. It's a warning about getting lost in fantasy. If you listen to his songs he expresses his wish to escape from the harshness of modern life. He himself fell into despair at times hoping to regain an idyllic past. Or escape into the future with hopes of an idealized world there. In Celluloid Heroes he wants to suspend his own life in a fantasy world of films that has never and can never exist. He is saying that these wonderful stars of classic film can't save us. They are fantasy, and you can't get lost in a world that doesn't exist. The stars themselves were often lost souls themselves. Ray suffered a lot of deep mental anguish in his life and the past, nor the future nor movies could redeem him. It's a very sad song on a personal level. I find the saddest Ray Davies song to be Young and Innocent days, about despairing over lost younger days....
one of my most memorable concert experiences was seeing the kinks at the hollywood palladium in the 90s. they played celluloid heroes,and when they got to the line "you can see all the stars as they walk along hollywood blvd." everyone pointed outside toward the boulevard which was a couple of miles away. still gives me chills thinking about it.
thanks man. this is one of my faves. keep on rockin
Way back this song gave me my first insight that being famous wasn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Love me some Ray Davis🥰☮️
What a fantastic track from the Kinks. I was almost in tears.
Great song! As a great follow-up to this song I would recommend "Stars" by Janis Ian. I think you would like it.
I can always pass on LOLA, but this song and Rock And Roll Fantasy hold legendary status with me. There are plenty other really good Kinks songs, as well.
I hadn't heard this. Thank you ❤
You're a gentleman Harri!
Every track they did was a short story, fantastic band that at long last getting the credit they deserved cheers for posting
About time someone listened to that song , I’ve been pushing it for a long time .
I love The kinks and I love this song it is a very good album
A favorite from the past that few people get a chance to hear these days - thanx for what you do Harry.
A superb song from one of my favorites of the time, The Kinks. Very well done David T and Harri!
What an beautiful song
This song never played on the radio where I lived when I was a kid. I was a Kinks fan growing up -- even saw them live in the 80s -- but it wasn't until I was in an LA restaurant in the early 90s that I first heard this song. I couldn't believe I didn't know it already, but back then to hear a song you either had to have the record or your local radio stations had to play it. The other great Kinks song I didn't know until much later was "Father Christmas".
I confess I hadn't heard this song until a couple of years ago, absolutely beautiful
Thanks for requesting this David! I love this song from when I first heard it on the Everybody’s In Show Biz album 50 years ago!!! I think Harry is the first person to do a reaction to it. Maybe “Here Comes Yet Another Day” can be next.
The Kinks are legendary for there writing music. their live shows are extraordinary. please check out their live music. thanks for this.
A quick lil' Hollywood history story from my generation... to be pass'd on. Thanx Harri.
...by th' way, near the end is a pic of Leslie Howard with Bette Davis. He was a British actor and WWII spy who was Churchill's decoy on a separate secret flight from the front in France back to England. Nazis shot the plane down thinkin' it was Churchill. All kill'd. There's a few variations of the story about how he died but I like this one.
great choice … one of the best Kinks songs
Very first concert I attended in 1981, then the album came out! WOW! My fave song from that album! Please treat yourself to the live version! ❤ 🇨🇦
Yes the beginning solo by Dave ….priceless! Of late listening to ….around the dial - I need you - holiday romance - artificial man.
My favorite Kinks song. Thanks Harri.
One of the greatest songs ever written, thanks for this reaction.
GOD SAVE THE KING AND GOD SAVE THE K I N K S !
A truly special song here Love you
Be careful what you wish for, you might get it ....
Love it Harri , one of my favorite Kinks songs. The Kings are great.
Thanks at @Harribest. Lovely man and a true music fan. Learnt to appreciate stuff cus of u big man. Much love and keep em coming
The Kinks were huge & had a lot of hits. I especially love their music from the 60's & 70's. You've done a lot of their songs. Some other favorites are "All Day & All Of The Night", "Set Me Free", "Tired Of Waiting For You", "Dedicated Follower Of Fashion", "Dead End Street", "Waterloo Sunset" etc.
it's funny how youtube has become sort of like Hollywood. and you've become a star (you've got the play button)
That is why there is a band called the kinks
Ray Davies is in my top 5 lyricists of all time
This song is an absolute masterpiece.
Fame seems like the ultimate golden cage.
❤❤❤
This is great live....
Thank you for reacting to this, Harri. The Kinks have always been one of my favorite bands. Check out Waterloo Sunset if you haven't already.
Thats the idea -nice.
Harri, how weird I just listened to this hour ago then turned on your reactions and you're doing the same song!!! Keep up the good work!!!
You nailed the message early on in your reaction. Bless you Sir! You're doing good work on your channel, please don't stop brother.
My favorite Kinks song I believe is '20th Century Man'.
Glad you enjoyed it, Harri....perhaps the most tragic injustice in all of The Kinks failed singles...should have been number one!!!
The Kinks put out so much music. It takes a long time to listen to all their songs but just think of the time they spent making it. They were a workforce . Truly Amazing . One of my favorite albums is Muswell Hillbilly's . But the # 1 album for me is the ''Village green preservation society'' .The first Kinks album i bought. It's good music .Everyone give a big hand to Harribest reactions for all he does, in this fairly new line of work that is ignored by the music industry . One more thing, It's a shame what Hollywood has turned into.
Still gets me... love it ❤
so many amazing songs by the Kinks , check out misfits. please do streetheat under my thumb , from under heaven over hell or here comes the night .
Great edit
Liked and subscribed
At 8:30 the Bass Sax is reminiscent of Celtic Carnyx,
Keep it up
Oh Mr Davies, there are no words....