B-side "Polly" Genre Pop | Format 7" single | |
Released 5 April 1968 (UK)
15 May 1968 (USA) Recorded January 1968 at Pye Studios (No. 2), London Label Pye 7N 17468 (UK)
Reprise 0691 (USA) | ||
"Wonderboy" is a pop song, written by Ray Davies and recorded by the Kinks in 1968. "Wonderboy" stalled at number 36 in the UK charts, becoming the band's first single not to make the UK Top Twenty since their early covers. Despite this, it became a favourite of John Lennon of The Beatles, and, according to Ray Davies in his autobiography, X-Ray, "someone had seen John Lennon in a club and he kept on asking the disc jockey to play 'Wonder Boy' [sic] over and over again." Kinks guitarist Dave Davies praised the song, saying, "'Wonderboy' was a big one for us although it wasn't a hit. That was one song we really felt something for." However, bassist Peter Quaife's opinion towards the track was low, later stating that "[I] hated it ... it was horrible."
It peaked at number six in The Netherlands. "Wonderboy" was also released as a single in the US but failed to chart. It was one of several US non-LP singles tracks that made its album debut on the US-only released compilation The Kink Kronikles.
The single made its first time stereo appearance on the Golden Hour budget series "Golden Hour Of The Kinks", with Ray's lead vocal buried in the mix. The few subsequent reissues of the stereo mix (on the 3-CD "Village Green Preservation Society" set) continues to use this very odd mix.
The line "I see you and you see me" was borrowed by Oasis in their song "She's Electric", the delivery is very similar to the Kinks original.