Celluloid Heroes

"Celluloid Heroes"
Single by the Kinks
from the album Everybody's in Show-Biz
B-side"Hot Potatoes"
Released24 November 1972
RecordedMay–June 1972
StudioMorgan (London)
GenreSoft rock
Length6:19
LabelRCA 2299
Songwriter(s)Ray Davies
Producer(s)Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"Supersonic Rocket Ship"
(1972)
"Celluloid Heroes"
(1972)
"Sitting In The Midday Sun"
(1973)

"Celluloid Heroes" is a song performed by the Kinks and written by their lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Ray Davies. It debuted on their 1972 album Everybody's in Show-Biz.[1]

The song names several famous actors of 20th century film, and also mentions Los Angeles's Hollywood Boulevard, alluding to its Hollywood Walk of Fame. The actors mentioned are Greta Garbo, Rudolph Valentino, Bela Lugosi, Bette Davis, Marilyn Monroe, George Sanders, and Mickey Rooney, although the verse mentioning the latter three is omitted in some recorded versions of the song (e.g. on One for the Road).

Background

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An ode to classic Hollywood icons, "Celluloid Heroes" analyses the juxtaposition between success and failure in the context of American show business. Ray Davies, who wrote the song, had spent time in Hollywood and found amusement in "the ironic fact that the stars were on the street and you could walk all over them."[2] He explained the song's meaning:

It's one of those songs that's a very personal song. But it means something to everybody who's been on that strip of, you know, Hollywood. And I wrote it because the duality. You know, once success walks hand in hand with failure, and it's a comment on the world I work in - show business, whatever you call it, entertainment, rock music - it does. I mean, you're as good as your last record. You're lucky if people remember the hits.[3]

The song has since been singled out by Dave Davies as a standout track by the band: "One of my favorite songs ever, by anybody. I remember when we were just starting out down the road with tidying up the lyrics. That really filled me with a lot of emotion because it is quite an incredible idea anyway, all those [movie] stars, names and handprints being on those stars. There are all these great stars immortalized on pavement, in concrete."[4] Kinks keyboardist John Gosling was similarly effusive, recalling, "When Ray put down the vocals to that, I stood in awe of the man!"[5]

Release and reception

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The track was released as the second single from the album. In the UK, the single features the full album version which runs to over six minutes, but the US single used a more corporate-radio-friendly edit which is almost two minutes shorter. Although their previous single had been a top 20 hit on the UK Singles Chart, "Celluloid Heroes" failed to chart.

The song appears on the band's live album One for the Road (1980) and was re-recorded for the 2009 album The Kinks Choral Collection. The song was also the title track of a 1976 collection featuring material originally released while recording for the RCA label, The Kinks' Greatest: Celluloid Heroes.

Record World said of the studio single release that "Ray Davies' masterpiece song about glitter and glory along Sunset Strip displays the Kinks at their very best and should be a smash."[6] Reviewing the live single, Record World called it "perhaps one of Ray Davies' finest compositions."[7]

List of actors mentioned in the lyrics

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Cover versions

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References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "The Kinks: Everybody's in Show-Biz > Review" at AllMusic. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
  2. ^ "Ray Davies (The Kinks) - Celluloid Heroes | The Story Behind The Song". Top 2000 a gogo.
  3. ^ Hanson, Liane (27 May 2011). "Ray Davies: That's What Friends Are For". NPR.
  4. ^ Miller, Joshua M. (27 February 2023). "Dave Davies shares his 14 favorite tracks from across the Kinks' two classic early '70s records". Guitar World. Retrieved 28 February 2023.
  5. ^ Kitts, Thomas M. (23 January 2008). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-135-86794-2.
  6. ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. 2 December 1972. p. 1. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  7. ^ "Single Picks" (PDF). Record World. 2 August 1980. p. 14. Retrieved 20 February 2023 – via worldradiohistory.com.
  8. ^ a b c "Gezien op NPORadio2.nl: Celluloid Heroes - The Kinks". Nporadio2.nl. Retrieved 10 October 2018.