"A Well Respected Man" (Ray Davies) [2:41]
Recorded August 1965 at Pye Studios [No. 2]. Released on the Kwyet Kinks EP [Pye NEP 24221], 17 September 1965. UK EP #1.
The Kinks: Ray Davies (guitar and lead vocal), Dave Davies (guitar and vocal), Peter Quaife (bass), and Mick Avory (percussion), and Clem Cattini (drums).
Shel Talmy, producer. Alan MacKenzie [engineer]
The Kinks. 1989. The Kinks Greatest Hits [10]. Santa Monica, CA: Rhino Records [R2 70086].
The Kinks released this commentary on the British middle class—its punctuality, cleanliness, orderliness, and morals—as a single only in the United States. In the UK, they release the song on an EP.
Davies describes the subject of his song as his accountant.
Section Time Meas. Description Text
Intro 0:00 — guitar strum (on dominant) —
verse 0: 12 Solo vocal (Ray) with guitar; joined by ensemble for second half. a
chorus : 14 Two-part harmony for first part of refrain; unison for second half. b
verse : 12 Solo vocal with ensemble. c
chorus : 14 As in refrain above. b
verse : 12 As in verse above. d
chorus : 14 As in refrains above. b
verse : 12 Dave Davies sings a verse. e
chorus : 14 As in refrains above and end. b
Text  
'Cause he gets up in the morning and he goes to work at nine.
And he comes back home at 5:30, gets the same train every time.
'Cause his world is built on punctuality, it never fails.		 a
And/'Cause he's oh so good, and he's oh so fine, And he's oh so healthy in his body and his mind.
He's a well-resepected man about town doin' the best things so conservatively.		 b
And his mother goes to meetings, while his father pulls the main,
And she stirs her tea with counselors while discussin' foreign trade.
And she passes looks as well as bills at every suave young man.		 c
And he likes his own back yard, and he likes his fags the best,
'Cause he's better than the rest. And his own sweat smells the best.
And he hopes to grab his father's roof when pater passes on.		 d
And he plays at stocks and shares, and he goes to the regatta.
He adores the girl next door 'cause he's dying to get at her.
But his mother knows the best about the matter of all these things.		 e
Pop Art Outline The Kinks
  26-Aug-2017