A Well Respected Man
| "A Well Respected Man" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Dutch picture sleeve
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| Single by the Kinks | ||||
| B-side | "Such a Shame" | |||
| Released |
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| Recorded | c. 5 August 1965 | |||
| Studio | Pye, London | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 2:41 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Shel Talmy | |||
| The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
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"A Well Respected Man" is a song by the British band the Kinks, written by the group's lead singer and rhythm guitarist Ray Davies, and originally released in the United Kingdom on the EP Kwyet Kinks in September 1965. The song was released on the album Kinkdom in the United States. It was also released as a single in the US and Continental Europe.
"A Well Respected Man" remains one of the band's most popular and best known songs. It is one of four Kinks songs included on The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's list of the 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll along with "You Really Got Me," "Waterloo Sunset," and "Lola".
Background
Davies composed the song based on a negative experience with upper class guests at a luxury resort where he was staying in 1965. He crafted the song to mock what he perceived as their condescension and self-satisfaction.
Pye refused to release "A Well Respected Man" as a single in the UK because the record company wanted a song more similar to the band's raunchier previous hits. It was released as a single in the United States during October of that same year and reached No. 13. Following the success of "Dedicated Follower of Fashion", "A Well Respected Man" was also released as a single in mainland Europe in March 1966 (although pressed in the UK, it was an export-only issue).
The song also includes the word "fag", interpreted by Americans as a reference to homosexuality. However, Davies later said that this was not intended:
I had naively meant a fag to either be slang for a cigarette or, at worst, that the well-respected man had been at public school, where [he performed] the most humiliating tasks.
Cash Box described it as a "very catchy folkish number with a message lyric." Record World described it as a "jaunty and yet bitter song about conformity" that is one of the Kinks' best songs.
Music and lyrics
Musically, it marked the beginning of an expansion in the Kinks' inspirations, drawing much from British Music Hall traditions (a style which was to feature prominently on later 1960s songs such as "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" and "Mister Pleasant"). Lyrically, the song is notable as being the first of Ray Davies' compositions to overtly address the theme of British class consciousness. Indeed, the song offers a satirical commentary on the entrenched mores and conventions of the English upper and middle classes, while hinting at the frustration and casual hypocrisy that underlie this fastidiously maintained veneer of "respectability".
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:
- Ray Davies – lead vocals, acoustic guitar
- Dave Davies – backing vocal, electric guitar
- Pete Quaife – bass
- Mick Avory – drums
Charts
| Chart (1965–1966) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (Kent Music Report) | 11 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders) | 20 |
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia) | 36 |
| Canada (CHUM) | 4 |
| France (IFOP) | 20 |
| Malaysia | 8 |
| Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) | 8 |
| Netherlands (Single Top 100) | 6 |
| Singapore | 3 |
| South Africa (Springbok Radio) | 7 |
| Sweden (Kvällstoppen) | 5 |
| Sweden (Tio i Topp) | 1 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 13 |
| US Cash Box Top 100 | 9 |