You Really Got Me

What makes *You Really Got Me* sound so distinctive, and which you'll surely notice when trying to play it, is that powerful and direct guitar riff. It's not just accompaniment, but the heart of the song. It was built with notes sounding in intervals of fifths and octaves, giving it that raw power. The story goes that, originally, the idea was closer to blues, inspired by artists like Big Bill Broonzy. But it was the vision of Dave Davies, the guitarist, that transformed that idea into something much more aggressive and direct, using fuzz and distortion to recreate a line that Ray Davies had conceived for saxophone. This way of using the guitar, with powerful chords and such a marked sound, became a benchmark for later genres like heavy metal and punk.

The song was written by Ray Davies, the vocalist and main songwriter of The Kinks, in a very short period, between March 9th and 12th, 1964. Curiously, the first idea emerged on the piano, and it was a much lighter theme, with touches of jazz. Ray Davies himself has commented that, at that time, he hadn't been composing for long. Inspiration came to him one night, while watching a girl on the dance floor, and the phrase "She really got me going" became the seed of the lyrics. The final recording, the one we hear today, was made on July 13th, 1964, at IBC Studios in London, under the production of Shel Talmy. It was released as the band's third single in August 1964 in the UK, reaching number one on the charts. In the United States, it reached number seven. This track was what truly propelled The Kinks, establishing them as a major force within the so-called "British Invasion" in the United States.