Autumn Almanac

Album: All The Hits and More (1967)
Charted: 3
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This celebration of British suburban life was inspired by a local gardener in Ray Davies' native Muswell Hill neighborhood of North London. Davies explained to Q magazine: "The words were inspired by Charlie, my dad's old drinking mate, who cleaned up my garden for me, sweeping up the leaves. I wrote it in early autumn, yeah, as the leaves were turning color."
  • The baroque tune includes some tape-manipulated feedback and backwards guitar. Davies explained: "I was experimenting a lot with winding tapes backwards, like that 'This is my street' bit is the first part of the song reversed. I was really pleased with that tune, all the little segments."
  • This was released as a non-album single in between 1967's Something Else by the Kinks and 1968's The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. It was a huge success in the UK, reaching #3 on the singles chart, but the song wasn't even released in the US until it was included on The Kink Kronikles compilation set in 1972.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")

Director Mark Pellington ("Jeremy," "Best Of You")Song Writing

Director Mark Pellington on Pearl Jam's "Jeremy," and music videos he made for U2, Jon Bon Jovi and Imagine Dragons.

Emmylou Harris

Emmylou HarrisSongwriter Interviews

She thinks of herself as a "song interpreter," but back in the '80s another country star convinced Emmylou to take a crack at songwriting.

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"

Neal Smith - "I'm Eighteen"They're Playing My Song

With the band in danger of being dropped from their label, Alice Cooper drummer Neal Smith co-wrote the song that started their trek from horror show curiosity to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

The Punk Photography of Chris Stein

The Punk Photography of Chris SteinSong Writing

Chris Stein of Blondie shares photos and stories from his book about the New York City punk scene.

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17

Martyn Ware of Heaven 17Songwriter Interviews

Martyn talks about producing Tina Turner, some Heaven 17 hits, and his work with the British Electric Foundation.

Ian Astbury of The Cult

Ian Astbury of The CultSongwriter Interviews

The Cult frontman tells who the "Fire Woman" is, and talks about performing with the new version of The Doors.