God's Children (The Kinks song)

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God's Children (The Kinks song) - Wikipedia

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"God's Children"

Single by The Kinks

from the album Percy

B-side

"Moments" (UK)
"The Way Love Used To Be" (US)

Released

1971

Recorded

1970

Genre

Rock

Length

3:16

Label

Pye (UK)
Reprise (US)

Songwriter(s)

Ray Davies

Producer(s)

Ray Davies

The Kinks singles chronology

"Apeman"
(1970)

"God's Children"
(1971)

"20th Century Man"
(1971)

"God's Children" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks. Written as part of the soundtrack for the film Percy, it features lyrics protesting the use of science to interfere with the natural human form. It was released as a single in 1971 and later appeared on the band's soundtrack album Percy. Critics have praised the song and it has since appeared on several Kinks compilations.

Background

The theme of "God's Children" is the limits of technology, inspired by the penis transplant subject matter of the Percy film.^[1] The song uses acoustic instrumentation, accompanied by an orchestral arrangement by Stanley Myers.^[1]

Dave Davies praised the song as "phenomenal, an amazing song which is timeless and if you play it now it could sit quite comfortably in any decade."^[2] He similarly commented in 2023, "I've always loved it, the lyric, and the melody, the whole concept".^[3] Kinks organist John Gosling regards "God's Children" as one of his three favorite Kinks' songs.^[4]

Release

In addition to appearing on the Percy album and in the film of the same name, "God's Children" has been included on some Kinks compilation albums such as The Kink Kronikles.^[5] Most recently, it has appeared on the compilation The Journey, Part 2, an inclusion Dave Davies noted he was happy to see.^[3]

A 25-second instrumental from the song entitled "God's Children - End" is used as the concluding track of Percy.^[1]

Critical reception

Music critic Johnny Rogan described the melody of "God's Children" as "spellbinding."^[1] Ray Davies sings the lead vocal.^[6] Rogan has stated that Davies' "plea for a return to Edenic innocence was powerful and moving and arguably the closest he has come to writing a religious song."^[1] Billboard Magazine described the song as "a potent lyric ballad set to a rock beat" and regarded it as a "strong entry for Top 40, FM and Hot 100."^[6] However, the single's success was hampered by lack of promotion by the label, and lack of live concert support from the band.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Rogan, J. (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of the Kinks. Omnibus Press. pp. 81–83. ISBN 0711963142.
^ Hudson, Martin (November 1998). "Here's Some Unfinished Business: With Kinks re-releases falling around like confetti it was Anthology time for Dave". Wondrous Stories.
^ ^a ^b "The Kinks' Dave Davies 'quite pleased' with 'The Journey'". X101 Always Classic. 4 December 2023. Retrieved 2 February 2024.
^ Kitts, T. (2007). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else. Taylor & Francis. p. 157. ISBN 9780415977685.
^ "God's Children". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 August 2012.
^ ^a ^b ^c Hinman, D. (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night. Hal Leonard. pp. 145, 155. ISBN 9780879307653.

v t e The Kinks
Ray Davies Dave Davies Mick Avory Pete Quaife John Dalton John Gosling Andy Pyle Jim Rodford Ian Gibbons Bob Henrit
Studio albums	Kinks (1964) Kinks-Size (1965; US-only) Kinda Kinks (1965) Kinkdom (1965; US-only) The Kink Kontroversy (1965) Face to Face (1966) Something Else (1967) Village Green Preservation Society (1968) Arthur (1969) Lola Versus Powerman (1970) Percy (1971) Muswell Hillbillies (1971) Everybody's in Show-Biz (1972) Preservation Act 1 (1973) Preservation Act 2 (1974) Soap Opera (1975) Schoolboys in Disgrace (1975) Sleepwalker (1977) Misfits (1978) Low Budget (1979) Give the People What They Want (1981) State of Confusion (1983) Word of Mouth (1984) Think Visual (1986) UK Jive (1989) Phobia (1993)
Live albums	Live at Kelvin Hall (1968) One for the Road (1980) Live: The Road (1988) To the Bone (1994/1996) BBC Sessions: 1964–1977 (2001)
EPs	Kinksize Session (1964) Kwyet Kinks (1965)
Compilations	The Kinks Greatest Hits! (1966) Well Respected Kinks (1966) Sunny Afternoon (1967) Then Now and Inbetween (1969) The Kink Kronikles (1972) The Great Lost Kinks Album (1973) Come Dancing with The Kinks (1986) The Kinks Are Well Respected Men (1987) The Ultimate Collection (2002) Picture Book (2008) Waterloo Sunset: The Very Best of The Kinks & Ray Davies (2012) The Essential Kinks (2014)
Unreleased projects	Four More Respected Gentlemen A Hole in the Sock of (Dave Davies)
Concert tours	1965 UK tour 1965 US tour
Related articles	Discography Band members Konk The Kast Off Kinks Argent X-Ray Do It Again Give the People What We Want: Songs of The Kinks This Is Where I Belong – The Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks Sunny Afternoon (musical)
Category

v t e The Kinks singles discography
1960s singles (UK & US)	1964 "Long Tall Sally" "You Still Want Me" "You Really Got Me" "All Day and All of the Night" 1965 "Tired of Waiting for You" "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" "Set Me Free" "See My Friends" "Who'll Be the Next in Line" "A Well Respected Man" "Till the End of the Day" 1966 "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" "Sunny Afternoon" "Dead End Street" 1967 "Mister Pleasant" "Waterloo Sunset" "Death of a Clown" (Dave Davies solo) "Autumn Almanac" "Susannah's Still Alive" (Dave Davies solo) 1968 "Wonderboy" "Days" "Lincoln County" (Dave Davies solo) 1969 "Starstruck" "Hold My Hand" (Dave Davies solo) "Plastic Man" "Drivin'" "The Village Green Preservation Society" "Shangri-La" "Victoria"
1970s singles (UK & US)	1970 "Lola" "Apeman" 1971 "God's Children" "20th Century Man" 1972 "Supersonic Rocket Ship" "Celluloid Heroes" 1973 "One of the Survivors" "Sitting in the Midday Sun" "Sweet Lady Genevieve" "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" 1974 "Money Talks" "Mirror of Love" "Mirror of Love" (band version) "Holiday Romance" "Preservation" 1975 "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" "Ducks on the Wall" "You Can't Stop the Music" 1976 "I'm in Disgrace" "No More Looking Back" 1977 "Sleepwalker" "Juke Box Music" "Father Christmas" 1978 "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" "Live Life" "Black Messiah" 1979 "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" "A Gallon of Gas" "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" "Moving Pictures" "Pressure"
1980s singles (UK & US)	1980 "Lola" (live) "You Really Got Me" (live) 1981 "Better Things" "Destroyer" "Predictable" 1982 "Come Dancing" 1983 "Don't Forget to Dance" 1984 "Good Day" "Do It Again" 1985 "Living on a Thin Line" (radio promo only) "Summer's Gone" 1986 "Rock 'n' Roll Cities" "How Are You" 1987 "Lost and Found" 1988 "The Road" 1989 "Down All the Days (Till 1992)"
1990s singles (UK & US)	1990 "How Do I Get Close" 1993 "Only a Dream" "Scattered"
Other singles (non-UK/US)	1966 "Dandy" (Europe) 1969 "Picture Book" (Australia) "Australia" (Australia) 1983 "State of Confusion" (Germany) 1991 "Did Ya" (Europe)
Other songs	"So Mystifying" "Bald Headed Woman" "Stop Your Sobbing" "Dancing in the Street" "I Need You" "I Go to Sleep" "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" "Big Black Smoke" "Party Line" "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home" "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" "David Watts" "Two Sisters" "Polly" "She's Got Everything" "Do You Remember Walter?" "Johnny Thunder" "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" "Big Sky" "Sitting by the Riverside" "Animal Farm" "Village Green" "Phenomenal Cat" "All of My Friends Were There" "Wicked Annabella" "Monica" "People Take Pictures of Each Other" "Berkeley Mews" "Mr. Churchill Says" "Strangers" "This Time Tomorrow" "Rats" "Got to Be Free" "Have a Cuppa Tea" "Oklahoma U.S.A." "Muswell Hillbilly" "Sitting in My Hotel" "The Hard Way" "Life Goes On" "Misfits" "Attitude" "Low Budget" "Give the People What They Want" "Heart of Gold"

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