The Kinks were trend setters in a lot of different ways. Though most notably, they were one of the first major musical acts to outwardly discuss homosexuality and gender non-conformity. Even though The Kinks made their waves in the time of “Free Love,” these topics were still not often articulated in mainstream music. Prior to The Kinks, one of the only other notable major musicians to discuss these then-taboo topics was Ma Rainey. Though, that changed after The Kinks released their single, “Lola”.
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“Lola” is the most notable Kinks’ song to discuss such topics. However, it isn’t their first, as they released “See My Friends” in 1965, which grapples with themes of sexual identity and self-acceptance. While “See My Friends” was successful, it was not nearly as successful as one of The Kinks’ greatest hits, “Lola”.
Other than being a song opening the world’s eyes to a different subsect of human life, “Lola” is also just a masterful urban ballad. Though, Ray Davies can’t receive all the credit for the lyrics and the story they tell. As some of the credit has to also be given to the man who actually lived the tale, The Kinks’ manager, Robert Wace.
How It All Went Down, According to The Kinks’ Ray Davies
Per Ray Davies’ comments, the general events in the song mirror the true events that happened in real life. Specifically, Davie’s told a journalist at Louder Sound, “It was a real experience in a club.” “I was asked to dance by somebody who was a fabulous-looking woman. I said, ‘No, thank you.’ And she went in a cab with my manager[Robert Wace] straight afterwards. It’s based on personal experience. But not every word.”
Given the subject matter of the experience and the song, organizations and people gave The Kinks’ hit a lot of heat and a lot of praise. After its 1970 release, “Lola” peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100 and at No. 2 in the United Kingdom. On the contrary, radio stations altered the lyrics of the song and also just flat-out banned it from their airwaves. And no, this wasn’t all due to the accidental product placement of Coca-Cola.
Regardless, this experience and the retelling of it created a dialogue between LGBTQ+ and the rock ‘n’ roll community. While there is no definitive connection between the rise of the two movements. After the success of “Lola”, acts such as Lou Reed, David Bowie, Elton John, Donna Summer, and Sylvester introduced themselves to the world of popular music. And they didn’t just exist, but also flourished.
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
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