“I had just had my first child with my wife. I was being overwhelmed by family. I didn’t go to clubs or anything. My manager thought I’d dried up, and I was quite depressed and strung out. A songwriter named Mort Shuman told me not to try so hard and enjoy life. So, after a few days off, I came back and thought, “I’ve got to make everybody think I’m OK.” So my first rhyme was, “Baby, I feel good.” And then, “From the moment I rise, feel good from morning till the end of the day.” Which was a total lie.”Ray Davies (65)

“This was romantic lyrical song about my older sister’s generation. Maybe the love of her life, walking into the future, crossing the bridge [Waterloo Bridge in London – Ed]. “Terry” and “Julie” were big, famous actors at the time. It was that generation that survived World War II.”Ray Davies (65)

“The song is about going into the unexpected, unexplored territory. What does the future hold for us?”Ray Davies (65)

“It’s a love song, and the person they fall in love with is a transvestite. It’s not their fault – they didn’t know – but you know it’s not going to last. It was based on a story about my manager.”Ray Davies (65)

“Sexual ambiguity interests me. I used to go to this club in Paris. One time my manager was dancing with this beautiful black girl who turned out to be a guy in drag. He didn’t realize it until about six in the morning, when the stubble started showing. I wrote ‘Lola’ about a year afterwards.”Ray Davies (120)

“I imagined this man demolishing a row of houses. This 20th-century man shuts himself in with dynamite, locks his doors and is not going to give up to anybody. Another century’s been and gone, but it can apply to now as well [the song was written in 1971 – Ed].”Ray Davies (65)

“My brother wanted to leave the band around this time [1978 – Ed]. The bass player and the keyboard player both announced they didn’t want to make another record after “Misfits”. The song was almost a homage to them; if you listen to the lyrics, it’s about someone leaving the band because they’ve given up the cause, and the two brothers will find a way through this. As I was writing it, it was announced that Elvis Presley died. I was staying in New York at the time, and I looked out the window at about five in the morning, and there was one light on in a building, and that became the character “Dan the Fan”. I refer to Elvis dying: “The King is dead, rock is done. You might be through, but I’ve just begun.” This great innovator has passed away, but the cause will go on.”Ray Davies (65)

“It’s a very political song about people going on strike.”Ray Davies (65)

“The lyrics are pretty graphic: “Oswald shot Kennedy…Still we watch the reruns again and again.” It was the beginning of celebrity culture, the obsession the media has with violence and suffering. Happiness is rarely celebrated.”Ray Davies (65)

“This is about the changes in the big-band era and was inspired by one of my sisters, who died in a ballroom on my 13th birthday. She went dancing and died of a heart attack when she was 31.”Ray Davies (65)

“It’s a song about changes in the world.”Ray Davies (65)

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