Kinks – Apeman

I always feel good when I hear this song. I first heard it when I was using my stereo recordable 8-track to record songs off of the radio. This one and the Walter Egan song Magnet and Steel I got back to back…I can’t hear one without thinking of the other.

The song peaked at #41 in the Billboard 100 and #5 in the UK in 1971. It was on the  Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One album. The song is reminiscent of Lola which is on the same album. The album peaked at #35 in the Billboard Album Charts in 1971. This album was somewhat of a comeback album in the US. They had released great albums but didn’t get the airplay they deserved.

From Songfacts

Ray Davies wrote this song about a man who is unhappy with the modern world. Looking to escape the problems caused by his fellow humans, he plans a journey away from home, where he can live like an “apeman.” Escape from our modern-day society is a theme prevalent in many of Ray Davies’ other songs, both solo, and with The Kinks.

Ray Davies had to re-dub the line “the air pollution is a-fogging up my eyes” for the radio, and for their November 1970 performance on Top Of The Pops, because it sounded too much like “the air pollution is ‘a f—ing’ up my eyes.” The Kinks had the same situation with their previous single, “Lola” where Ray had to replace the line “Where you drink champagne and it tastes just Coca-Cola” with “Cherry cola” for airplay. >>

John Gosling (aka “The Baptist”) wore a gorilla outfit while sitting behind his keyboards during the Kinks’ Top of the Pops performance of this song.

The song was covered by former Marillion singer Fish for his 1993 album Songs from the Mirror.

This appeared in the 1986 Robin Williams movie Club Paradise.

Apeman

I think I’m sophisticated ’cause I’m living my life
Like a good homo sapiens
But all around me everybody’s multiplying and
They’re walking round like flies man
So I’m no better than the animals sitting
In the cages in the zoo man
‘Cause compared to the flowers and the birds and the trees 
I am an apeman

I think I’m so educated and I’m so civilized
‘Cause I’m a strict vegetarian
But with the over-population and inflation and starvation
And the crazy politicians
I don’t feel safe in this world no more
I don’t want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman

I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman
I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman
‘Cause compared to the sun that sits in the sky
Compared to the clouds as they roll by
Compared to the bugs and the spiders and flies I am an apeman

In man’s evolution he’s created the city
And the motor traffic rumble
But give me half a chance and I’d be taking off my clothes 
And living in the jungle
‘Cause the only time that I feel at ease
Is swinging up and down in the coconut trees
Oh what a life of luxury to be like an apeman

I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman
I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman
I look out the window but I can’t see the sky
The air pollution is a-fogging eyes
I want to get out of this city alive and make like an apeman

Oh come on and love me, be my apeman girl
And we’ll be so happy in my apeman world

I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman
I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman
I’ll be your Tarzan, you’ll be my Jane
I’ll keep you warm and you’ll keep me sane
We’ll sit in the trees and eat bananas all day, just like an apeman

I’m an apeman, I’m an ape, apeman, oh I’m an apeman
I’m a King Kong man, I’m a voodoo man, oh I’m an apeman
I don’t feel safe in this world no more
I don’t want to die in a nuclear war
I want to sail away to a distant shore and make like an apeman

Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, old movies, and tv show fan. Also anything to do with pop culture in the 60s and 70s... I'm also a songwriter, bass and guitar player.

22 thoughts on “Kinks – Apeman”

  1. I heard “Magnet And Steel”- yesterday! I love that one too- never thought of them together though- of course I didn’t get them back to back!

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    1. I know…funny how things like that are… just because that one day some disc jockey played them back to back…they will always be intertwined to me… That 8 track though left a lot to be desired.

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  2. Funny how that works… I had home-taped cassettes like that too where I listened to them so much if I hear one song now, I still expect the next one on the tape to automatically follow.

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  3. This is another catchy one. I never paid attention to the lyrics other than the apeman line. That’s a little bit of a serious theme, and very much in line with some other Kinks songs–being unhappy with society’s status quo. I don’t think I’d ever seen the video with the ape costume. That’s a hoot.

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      2. Friends over and they just left a little while ago. Stayed a little too long. Fun day but lasted too long.
        Hope you had a good day.

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      3. I had a great day. It even rained for awhile so no need to go out and water the plants. Took a lot of moisture out of the air. My new coloring book and pencils got here today so you’ll see a cool picture tomorrow. Did some cleanup around the house and did aquarium maintenance today. I’m down to just 8 fish now. I lost another one after that last power outage.

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      4. See you had a productive day which is awesome….sorry about your fish…they are so delicate.
        Did you get your generator fixed?

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      5. Not yet 😦 Another thing on the to-do list. I had planned on the handyman (my friend’s husband) coming to cut up some fallen trees and branches but he’s been too busy. If he makes it over I’ll have him take a look at it. If not, probably call someone who will charge me a fortune to look at it.

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      6. I hope he can fix it because you are right…a specialist will charge a bunch for things like that. The to-do list never ends…
        The one item on the to-do list is to add to the to-do list.

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  7. The Kinks were such a great singles band… All the way from ‘You Really Got Me’ to ‘Waterloo Sunset’ to this one, then on to ‘Come Dancing’… Few bands can have as good a ‘Best Of’ as they do

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