Lola

OVERVIEW, VIDEO, LYRICS, COMPOSERS, AND REVIEWS

LYRICS

I met her in a club down in Old Soho
Where you drink champagne
And it tastes just like cherry cola, C O L A cola

She walked up to me and she asked me to dance
I asked her her name and in a dark brown voice
She said, “Lola”, L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

Well, I’m not the world’s most physical guy
But when she squeezed me tight
She nearly broke my spine, oh, my Lola L O L A, Lola

And I’m not dumb but I can’t understand
Why she walks like a woman and talks like a man
Lola, L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

We drank champagne and danced all night
Under electric candlelight
She picked me up and sat me on her knee
And said, “Little boy, won’t you come home with me?”

Well, I’m not the world’s most passionate guy
But when I looked in her eyes I almost fell for my Lola
L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

Lola, L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

I pushed her away, I walked to the door
I fell to the floor, I got down on my knees
Then I looked at her and she at me

Well, that’s the way that I wanted to stay
And I always want it to be that way for my Lola
L O L A, Lola

Girls will be boys and boys will be girls
It’s a mixed up, muddled up, shooked up world
Except for Lola, L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

Lola, L O L A, Lola, la, la, la, la, Lola

Well, I left home just a week ago
And I’d never kissed a woman before
But Lola smiled and took me by the hand
And said, “Little boy I’m gonna make you a man”

Well, I’m not the world’s most masculine man
But I know what I am, I’m, I’m man
And so is Lola

OVERVIEW

Lee: 20 years after its release, Chris & myself wrote our inspired version, ‘Mistress, Mistress’ – it sounded fab but, as agent 1 would say, ‘this song is available absolutely nowhere!’ Lola obviously had an unearthly effect on myself as later on in life I would jump at the chance of cross dressing for the cameras – once even prompting C.B. to question my gender!! Along with ‘Apeman’ & ‘Super Sonic Rocket Ship’ I would sit by the Grammaphone, Chris would wind the contraption up & we’d go over the lyrics until word perfect, then overjoyed at our accomplishment we’d fandango across the lino floor with glee. I saw a video of The Kinks recently, shot around ’65 – They carry a coffin down a cobbled stone alley whilst all smoking & in the background is ‘Tammo Land’. Thanks for the memories Kinkies.

Suggs: Our interpretation of this song was mainly informed by a Nicky Thomas version, on the Trojan label. We’ve been playing it on and off for 20 years, but had never recorded it. In Mr. Thomas’s version he didn’t over emphasise the fact Lola was a man and the last verse, which explains this, was missing. We rehearsed and recorded the song quite quickly in the studio and only then realised this fact. So I spoke the last verse over the chorus outro. The song was of course written by the great Ray Davies with a marvellous lyric about an innocent young chap being chatted up by a transvestite in a Soho nightclub. I’ve done my fair share of dancing under electric candle light and this song says it all.

ComposerRole
Raymond Douglas Davies

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RepresentationCompanyNotes
Publisher Jamie Music Publishing Co. / Carlin Music Corp.

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