Session Man by The Kinks

Album: Face to Face (1966)

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Kinks lead singer Ray Davies wrote this as an homage to the oft-overlooked session musician who's "not paid to think, just play." It was partly inspired by English pianist Nicky Hopkins, who played alongside The Who, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. Hopkins played the harpsichord part at the beginning of this track.
While the Royal Albert Hall is indeed a noted venue in London, England, the line, "He will never forget at all the day he played at Albert Hall," was actually inspired by French horn player Albert Hall, who played on the original version of The Kinks' "Dead End Street."

Comments: 1

Cass from United StatesRay also wrote Session Man as a responses to Jimmy Page's claim to have written the guitar solo on "You Really Got Me" because Jimmy Page was just a session man at the time, hence the line, "He's not paid to think, just play!" As Ray Davies wrote in his book about it, Jimmy Page was just Jealous, because there was a younger and better guitar player on the scene in 1964, and his name was Dave Davies!

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