Kinks – All Day and All of the Night

Happy Monday everyone…if that is possible. I hope you all had a good weekend.

This simple riff is raw and cutting like Louie, Louie, and Wild Thing…and became a staple of garage bands forever.

The sound of the guitar was revolutionary. Dave Davies got the dirty guitar sound by slashing the speaker cone on his amplifier with a razor blade. The vibration of the fabric produced an effect known as “fuzz,” which became common as various electronic devices were invented to distort the sound. At the time, none of these devices were available to Dave, so Davies would mistreat his amp to get the desired sound, often kicking it.

The song peaked at #7 on the Billboard 100, #4 in Canada, #5 in New Zealand, and #2 in the UK in 1964. It’s punk…raw rock and roll to the core. The guitar was really distorted and hard for the time.

The record executives in their wisdom didn’t like this song when they heard it. They said the guitar sounded like a barking dog. Later on, the Doors would borrow this melody for Hello I Love You.

One of my favorite things about these early Kinks singles is Dave Davies’s solos. They were always driving and exciting…and yes Dave played on this song, not studio musician Jimmy Page.

The Kinks would revisit this melody with the song “Destroyer” off of the “Give The People What They Want” album.

James Hetfield from Metallica: “schooled on early riff-rock by this man [Ray Davies] and his band – The Kinks”.

Ray Davies:“I cranked up my guitar more than on ‘You Really Got Me’, when we went into the studio, everybody knew what they were doing. I think we did it in three takes… the first time the band heard it was when I ran through it with them at the soundcheck, afterwards we drove back down to London, got up in the morning, and finished the song by midday”.

Ray Davies getting the truth out…this is what he said about the rumor of Jimmy Page playing on this record: “I remember Page coming to one of our sessions when we were recording ‘All Day And All Of The Night.’ We had to record that song at 10 o’clock in the morning because we had a gig that night. It was done in three hours. Page was doing a session in the other studio, and he came in to hear Dave’s solo, and he laughed and he snickered. And now he says that he played it! So I think he’s an asshole, and he can put all the curses he wants on me because I know I’m right and he’s wrong.”

Ray Davies: ” I was a rebellious, angry kid anyway, but that had a profound effect on me. I was full of rage.” That anger was coupled with the frustration that The Kinks song ‘You Really Got Me’ just wasn’t translating in a studio setting. “I could easily have slashed my wrists,” but I had a little green amplifier, an Elpico, that was sounding crap. I thought, ‘I’ll teach it’ – and slashed the speaker cone. It changed the sound of my guitar. Then, when I wired that amp up to another, a Vox AC30, it made it a lot, lot louder”.

Dave Davies: “A little later, I was very depressed and fooling around with a razor blade. I could easily have slashed my wrists, but I had a little green amplifier, an Elpico, that was sounding crap. I thought, “I’ll teach it” – and slashed the speaker cone. It changed the sound of my guitar. Then, when I wired that amp up to another, a Vox AC30, it made it a lot, lot louder.“

All Day and All of the Night

I’m not content to be with you in the daytime
Girl I want to be with you all of the time
The only time I feel alright is by your side
Girl I want to be with you all of the time
All day and all of the night
All day and all of the night
All day and all of the night

I believe that you and me last forever
Oh yeah, all day and nighttime yours, leave me never
The only time I feel alright is by your side
Girl I want to be with you all of the time
All day and all of the night
All day and all of the night
Oh, come on

I believe that you and me last forever
Oh yeah, all day and nighttime yours, leave me never
The only time I feel alright is by your side
Girl I want to be with you all of the time
All day and all of the night
All day and all of the night-time
All day and all of the night

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Author: Badfinger (Max)

Power Pop fan, Baseball, Beatles, Alternative music, 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. Not the slightest bit interested in politics at all.

49 thoughts on “Kinks – All Day and All of the Night”

  2. This is the song that made a group of us 5th graders want to start a band. Only one of actually played (a little), but it was a nice fantasy while it lasted. Somehow we thought it was already too late to start learning an instrument. We wanted a band NOW, not after we learned to play.

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    1. Yep…the Monkees made me feel that way when I watched them in 1974 or so on reruns. I didn’t learn until 8-9 years later. That would have been a perfect time.

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  3. Another great Rock and Roll song and a good example of what set the Kinks apart as you nicely laid out. I didn’t really get into them until I bought Low Budget , 79 I think and then started to work my way backwards. Then as you noted the follow up of Give the People what they want. Couple phenomena albums right there!

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    1. Glad you mentioned Low Budget…love that album and most of their 70s and 80s output. The first real Kinks album I bought was Give The People What They Want other than greatest hits packages…

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  4. a rock classic. It was amazing how versatile they were being able to churn out proto-punk tunes like this then turn on a dime to full melodic singles like “sunny Afternoon”.

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    2. Yes, the anger of this, then ‘Waterloo Sunset’ later ‘Destroyer’ then ‘Misfits.’ And always the odd but perfect lyrics. ‘I mean, who else would talk about the non romance of Autumn days in a pop song?

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    2. Oh…btw…last night I got about halfway through…and I thought…well this aint fair…I haven’t heard Badlands so I listened to about 7 of their songs…but I have! That guy…you posted before on Dave’s site…I like them…not your typical everyday metal band…different…anyway…hopefully I don’t lie tonight…it will be finished!

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  8. This song continues to thrill me, as much of The Kinks catalogue does. It has so much going for it. Everything you said. I see 2 quotes that say almost the same but one by Ray and one by Dave?

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    1. Yes…and I will say…while looking for quotes…the newsmen or whoever that put interviewed them… sometimes got the brothers mixed up…I had to change Ray to Dave more than once in this when I found the same quote more than once by Dave…so really…it’s a coin toss.

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  9. p.s. I believe Davies on who played the guitar in the song. It doesn’t sound like Page and since Zep got sneaky with taking others’ songs, who is to say he wasn’t trying to claim credit for this.

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    1. Yea I completely think Dave Davies plays the solo…You Really Got Me has the same style and he for sure did that one.
      Lisa…of all the live bands I’ve seen…I put them over The Stones and McCartney… thats how good they were. Of course I saw them when they were in their early 40s or late 30s. The Kinks and Who…were made to be heard live.

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    1. Me also dude! I love this…it’s like You Really Got Me’s sister.
      Hey man…I didn’t mean to yap so much last night…I was hyped of because of the movie lol.

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      3. Unfortunately, I haven’t. And I guess by now it’s safe to assume I’ve missed the boat for good.

        While I recall reading a year ago or so that Ray and Dave have resumed talking without trying to kill each other, I very much doubt we’ll see a reunion. I also just read Mick Avory told AllMusic in March this year he didn’t think a reunion was feasible.

        Instead, I guess they will continue to issue anniversary editions of their albums. Plus, there’s the 60th anniversary anthology.

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      4. I’m sorry….for some reason I thought you saw them…some blogger did that I talk to a lot. I was lucky….say them in thir late 30s early 40s.

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      5. You surely were, Max, that’s what I should have done as well!

        While I’ve been going to concerts since the mid-‘80s, until 10-15 years ago, it was more sporadic.

        There’s only so much catching up you can do. With ticket prices having reached levels I oftentimes can no longer justify, going to big ticket acts increasingly is becoming a more tricky proposition.

        While unfortunately I missed a good number of bands and artists, I also have to acknowledge I’ve been to some amazing concerts over the years.

        So rather than having regrets about what I missed, at the end of the day, I think I need to be grateful for the shows I could make.

        I love live music and have every intention to continue going to concerts, as long as I can get reasonably affordable tickets.

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      6. Oh ticket prices…well you saw what Ringo was…no way….and I’d love to see him. I did look at other places and they weren’t that high but still 150….
        I missed a lot also so don’t feel alone. Plus the giant bands didn’t come to Nashville back in the 80s because we didn’t have a place big enough.

        I think tribute bands will be my future

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  13. Pingback: Kinks – All Day and All of the Night – MobsterTiger

  14. Is it okay if I never knew that’s what they were singing? Gosh, the diction is lacking, but wasn’t that part of the style? There’s a “laziness” to the singing that makes it more fun to listen to! So damn catchy too!

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      1. He was right. It’s the mystery and cool appeal, right? Even when the words make sense audibly, some artists still screw with you (like Pink Floyd).

        When you were a teen, where/how did you listen to your tunes?

        (Probs the best question to be ever asked)

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      2. That is a good one… I listened to albums….and get this…I would tape them on 8 track. Yes my stereo had a recordable 8-track…so I would record them and listen to them on my 8-track. When I got a car I moved up in the world and got a casette tape deck…same thing…rinse and repeat. I never did like CDs much…but I did get them.
        Albums are the best…
        How did you? This is an original question

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      3. Cassette tape all the way because I was a kid during their peak. CDs weren’t as portable and as easy to copy as tapes. It took me a while to give up tapes until I had to and Sam Goody was only selling CDs 😦

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      4. Funny thing is…I’m back on albums again though. I want those now…I have a few left over.
        Bailey…just bought a vinly album on Friday…that is all he gets.

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