Released 22 November 1968 Writer(s) Ray Davies | Length 2:21 | |
Recorded July 1968 at Pye Studios, London Genre Baroque pop, music hall Label Pye (UK),
Reprise (US),
Sanctuary (2004 Reissue) | ||
"Sitting by the Riverside" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks, written by their main songwriter Ray Davies. It appeared on their 1968 album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.
Contents
Background
"Sitting by the Riverside" tells of the singer "watching the water go flowing by" as he sits by the riverside, where he now feels free and can "close [his] eyes." Ray Davies, who wrote and sang the "Sitting by the Riverside", said of the song in November 1968, "This is a fishing track. I went fishing a lot when I was about eight."
The song was recorded in July 1968, but was not set to be included in the 12-track version of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (which would be pulled from shelves shortly after its European release) or its U.S. counterpart Four More Respected Gentlemen (which was canceled prior to its release.) Also, on 22 July 1968, the song was performed (or lip-synced) by The Kinks on BBC-2's Late Night Line-Up - Colour Me Pop show.
Release and reception
"Sitting by the Riverside", was first released as the seventh track on the final 15-track version of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, despite not being included on any early forms of said album. It was not released as a single.
"Sitting by the Riverside," although not as acclaimed as other tracks on The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, has generally received positive reception. Author Andy Miller said that the song is "slight, if charming." Rolling Stone prasied the track for its "rustic escapism."