Wonderboy I can't recall my original attraction however i was aware it generally wasn't highly regarded & didn't chart highly so my paying attention and looking for the charm (after the initial play/s) was a bit Kinksian in itself. I think Ray actually had a fair idea it wouldn't be a major hit in advance but didn't care to make that a priority as the song was important to him at the time and he was one eyed to complete and release it. I don't know if it is a cry for help or not but it is very personal and also more insular in theme than most if not all of Ray's previous work. Stylistic devices aside i find maturity in the work & feel that was also something that attracted Lennon. I agree it is not very commercial is very sentimental and also conveys fatherly love so perhaps it went as far as it could chart wise but I find it far more rewarding than the earlier comparative flop (of the time) Everybody's Gonna Be Happy. There is a gentle beauty and care given to the songs melodies and vocal delivery that i find to be the real mcoy & we also get the wonder of existence and kin viewed from both sides in the very same stroke and ain't that wonder!
There's a lot of good 1968 Kinks data in here, but it would be getting a little ahead of ourselves to post it in full... From the Internet Archives Full text of "The History Of Rock 1968" I was curious about the source and context of this quote, mentioned upthread by Steve62. Here it is in full: *** "Days", the current hit, pleases him quite greatly because it proves The Kinks could come back after a dud single like “Wonderboy", of which he says, “It should never have been released. I didn't want it released. We did it as a favour to someone!" It's from an interview with Keith Altham, published in August 1968, maybe in the NME. **** I found this next quote here, on 45cat.com: The Kinks - Wonderboy That was one of John Lennon's favourite Kinks songs. What the song is about is looking at a child for the first time and wondering what's going to happen in its life - how ****ed-up it's going to be when it gets into the world. "Wonderboy, some mother's son" is probably the line that triggered it off. We were about to have our second daughter, Victoria: maybe I wanted a boy. I also thought I'd experiment as a song writer because I was a big fan of those older writers like Cole Porter and Irving Berlin. I had the two things happening and I'd thought I'd experiment. On paper, as it's written, it's one of my favourite songs. (from "The Kinks - The Official Biography" by Jon Savage)
Gentle, pretty, sentimental, "Wonderboy" is all these things. It is also quite an eccentric sounding record, making it a strange choice for a single, as we've established. The la la la-s and archaic seeming instrumentation make it unclear if it's meant to be taken seriously. The pop chart posted above (in fact almost any pop chart until about 1990) illustrates that gentle, pretty and sentimental songs are big hits all the time, but eccentricity is a gamble. It also lacks a singular hook, though each part is memorable enough. "How does it go?" You could sing any of it and still not pin it down. So much for that. That's just selling 7" singles. As a song it's a thoughtful, resonant piece, and if it was an album track no one would bat an eyelid. In fact we'd probably say "should have been a single, this". Rewards repeated listening, with a depth of lyrical honesty and wisdom that mean it still endures. Not surprised Ray rated it as a favourite.
“Wonderboy” I remember being familiar with the song title years ago, and I am 99% sure I heard it a couple times and watched the promotional video online years ago. It didn’t leave much of an impression on me. It’s light, it’s bouncy, like one of those soothing baby swings and goes back and forth with a piano lullaby playing. It’s a nice song, but I can see why it wasn’t a hit or as memorable as their recent string of singles. To me, this seems like a song that many other bands could have put out around that time — whereas Autumn Almanac and Waterloo Sunset are so uniquely Kinks. On a sidenote, I am about to go on vacation for 2 weeks and I am trying to mentally figure out how I can contribute to the VGPS while away! I have a lot of thoughts, as that album has just ingrained itself into my soul like few other albums have.
He contradicts himself. It should never have been released vs one of my favorites. Unless he wanted it to be a secret favorite.
Wonderboy I love Wonderboy - It's certainly much weaker than Waterloo Sunset and Autumn Almanac, but how do you follow that up? I see nothing wrong with a single being a bit 'lightweight' anyways. Waterloo Sunset in particular is such a serious and meaningful song imo that I probably listen to Wonderboy more often anyway. And as other people have mentioned, once you read into it, it isn't all that lightweight. I believe that at this period especially, Ray was very calculated in every composition he did ... especially for singles. I'm also a sucker for the harpsichord. The Kinks had a lot of harpsichord in this era, and it really shines on Wonderboy. As Vagabone mentioned, it feels like a very timely flower-power parody record. I think of all the Kinks singles, this one sounds the most of it's time. And the childlike lyrics and delivery really are in line with British psychedelia. Just thinking about late 1967/early 1968 all of the 'childlike psychedelia' that went on ... Mark Wirtz/Tomorrow 'Excerpts From a Teenage Opera,' Pink Floyd 'Apples and Oranges,' Small Faces 'Happydaystoytown,' David Bowie 'Uncle Arthur,' Manfred Mann 'My Name is Jack,' Bee Gees 'Jumbo,' Idle Race 'I Like My Toys' ... That whole style has since been re-evaluated as Toytown Psych, and there are many great compilations (bootleg and legitimate) that collect them. I think Wonderboy is a perfect entry into that subgenre.
Batman first aired in America in January 1966 The Beatles started recording Taxman in April. I wonder if George somehow saw it on a visit to America (did he visit in early ‘66?) or someone brought a copy to England & played it to him?
Perhaps Bruce Johnston had two LPs when he went to visit John and Paul in ‘66: Pet Sounds and Batman Theme
Sometimes I wonder if I'm the only person on the planet who has ever noticed something obvious. Not only did John Lennon love this song, but he actually borrowed a couple of measures from it for the opening melody of "Child Of Nature/Jealous Guy" ("Turn your sorrow into wonder..."). It's a theme that recurs at the end of each bridge ("I see you and you see me"). I believe the proper term for it is "Pentatonic." I love this record for entirely musical reasons. The lyrics are alright, but it's the structure of the melody that has always had me dazzled. I love the fact that there are two whole melodic sections of it that only occur once: Day is as light as your brightest dream Night is as dark as you feel it ought to be and: And the world is joy, every single day So Ray's giving us two whole bonus sections to go along with the standard verses, refrains and bridges. It might not have as many chords as "Autumn Almanac" (what does?) but many of the chords changes it does have are easily just as unexpected upon first hearing. This is definitely not music that one dances to, but that one listens to and absorbs. It conjures up images of an elaborately staged stop-motion animation short that involves multi-colored tinker toys. I'm really glad that while The Beatles, The Stones and The Beach Boys had all decided to "get back to their roots," The Kinks decided to stretch 1967 into 1968 for one more record. And yes, the stereo version has the lead vocal mixed way too low. I suspect that that's because it's locked onto the same track as the drums (which are also centered), so making it any louder would result in also making the drums louder and needless to say, they are already more than loud enough:
Next week, we will barely touch on VGPS, though there will be the Days single. The following Week will be six VGPS songs.... VGPS is going to be quite a stretch of time though, as we have the monster box to get through. I think that will give you a fair bit of time to catch up, if posting thoughts from your phone isn't feasible? (although I know posting through the phone can be irritating and slow)
I guess as a heads up is in order too, while I'm thinking about it. September 18-25 we'll probably be taking the week off, as I will be away for the week. Although I will still be able to chat through my phone, I probably won't be able to set the songs up in a satisfactory way.
Ray says Wonderboy was one of his favorites “on paper, as written”. It is quite possible to love the composition but hate the record.
I can't tell you how often I've heard that. And it so happens that I, too, have a daughter, Victoria. wonder where I got that name from?? Anyway, I adore this song. It has a level of joy to it that you don't always get from Ray. So full of hope. And I can see why Lennon loved this song. Especially watching the performance posted earlier...I was watching Ray sing and could totally superimpose John singing on this easily. Even the vocal has a similarity. who wouldn't love this lyric? But I see you and you see me, And ain't that wonder? I've seen criticism elsewhere of this song, but I just don't see a flaw in it.
Wonderboy is one of the weaker Kinks singles of this era, but that doesn't mean it is a bad song as the competition is mostly great songs. I would give Wonderboy a 3/5 rating (most Kinks singles of this era would be 5/5 with a few at 4/5)
"Wonderboy" I have been humming and singing this song all day after playing it a few times this morning. A great song for a sunny afternoon. With the harpsichord and whimsical feel it would sound right at home on Face to Face. This thread is very educational in pointing out which songs were singles and how they fared in the charts. In the CD age these songs are mostly heard as bonus tracks. It may not be as great as several of the previous singles, but that's only saying how high he set the bar for himself. This is still a wonderful song that is a pleasure to listen to and have stuck in your head all day. I don't hear whatever Pete Quaife was going on about. It sounds like a great Ray song not unlike many others he was writing around this time.
Ray has stated his strong positive feelings about the song See My Friends however will not unreservedly claim it to be a great record.
Oh you've MORE than earned it Mark and I wanted to suggest that you post links to your other wonderful A by A, S by S threads. I'm a graduate of Genesis, The Who, INXS and Bob Seger and a few others that escape me at the moment. I can't imagine anyone being offended and ot would be like ads for other acts on the back of our favorite 60's LPs
Here’s the thing, I didn’t realise this until today. And I could very well be that my son arrives later today (or in the next couple of days...). I’ve never wholly been captured by Wonderboy. There’s so much here to break apart, that it’s a lot to take in. But at the same time, there doesn’t seem enough variance in arrangement. I think the issue is - yes - it’s just not really Kinky enough to make that proper imprint. Had this been some lost Toytown Psych track, it would be a very sweet melodic gem, but here we are with it in a Kinks thread! I agree that the melodies are what save it, being utterly captivating, and... Given the news stated in my first sentence, I played the record and this line truly made me deeply emotional. He’s going to be hearing this single a lot once he’s here...
And the answer to that question is "yes" since Wonderboy is better than the vast majority of songs on VGPS, even though I love the album.
