Two Sisters (The Kinks song)
| "Two Sisters" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 B-side label of US single | ||||
| Single by the Kinks | ||||
| from the album Something Else by The Kinks | ||||
| A-side | "Waterloo Sunset" | |||
| Released | 26 July 1967[1] | |||
| Recorded | February 1967[2] | |||
| Studio | Pye, London | |||
| Genre | English folk[3] | |||
| Length | 2:01 | |||
| Label | Reprise | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| Producer(s) | Ray Davies | |||
| The Kinks US singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Two Sisters" is the third track from the Kinks' 1967 album, Something Else by the Kinks. The song was written by Ray Davies.
Lyrics
In "Two Sisters", the singer compares sisters Sybilla and Priscilla. Sybilla is a swinging, single "wayward lass", while Priscilla is a married housewife. Priscilla is tired of facing "the drudgery of being wed", with her being said to be "so jealous of her sister." The singer compares how "Sybilla looked into her mirror; Priscilla looked into the washing machine" and how "Sybilla looked into the wardrobe; Priscilla looked into the frying pan." Priscilla then "threw away her dirty dishes just to be free again [and threw away] her women's weekly magazines just to be free again and put the children in the nursery just to be free again." However, upon seeing her children, she "decided she was better off" than her wild sister. She's "no longer jealous of her sister."
The two characters in the lyrics of "Two Sisters" (Sybilla and Priscilla) were inspired by Ray Davies and his brother, Dave Davies.[4][5] Ray was more introverted (and was the only one of the two married) while Dave was a party animal who was very outgoing. This clash of personalities was often the cause of many band in-fights, which would come out in their songs (ex. "Dandy", which is often thought to be about Dave).
Dave made up for both of us, he was the youthful, fun-loving one. 'Two Sisters' is quite accurate, in the sense that one had all the freedoms - one brother stays in, and the other goes out and has fun. And one resents the other for the ability to do it. But in the end, look what I've got...
— Ray Davies[4]
Music
"Two Sisters", sung by Ray Davies, is notable for its use of harpsichord (which was also used in the song "Village Green", a song recorded around the same time, but saved for The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society). It was also the first time strings were used in a Kinks track.[5]
Release and reception
"Two Sisters" saw release in May 1967, on both the French EP, "Mister Pleasant", and as the American B-side of "Waterloo Sunset". Later that year, it appeared on the album Something Else by the Kinks. The track has since appeared on Picture Book.
AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine said that the track was "allegorical" and a "stunner".
Although never a regular part of their live set, the group did perform the song (live vocals over backing track) on the BBC2 TV show Colour Me Pop in July 1968.
Personnel
According to band researcher Doug Hinman,[6] except where noted:
The Kinks
- Ray Davies – lead and backing vocals
- Dave Davies – backing vocal, electric guitar
- Pete Quaife – backing vocal, bass
- Mick Avory – drums
Additional musicians
- Nicky Hopkins – harpsichord
- David Whitaker – string arrangement
- Unnamed session musicians – cello[7] and viola[7]
References
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 99.
- ^ Hinman 2004, pp. 92, 99.
- ^ Fleiner 2017, p. 210.
- ^ a b Hasted, Nick. You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks.
- ^ a b Jovanovic, Rob. God Save the Kinks: A Biography.
- ^ Hinman 2004, p. 101.
- ^ a b Rogan 1998, p. 54.
Sources
- Fleiner, Carey (2017). The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 978-1-4422-3542-7.
- Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
- Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of the Kinks. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-6314-6.
