Better Things (song)

1981 single by The Kinks

"Better Things"

Single by The Kinks
from the album  Give the People What They Want
B-side|

* "Massive Reductions" (UK)
* "Yo-yo" (US)

Released| 19 June 1981 (UK)
28 November 1981 (US)
Recorded| April 1981 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London
Genre| Pop[1]
Length| 2:59 (single version)
2:44 (LP version)
Label| Arista ARIST 415 (UK)
Arista AS 0649 (US)
Songwriter(s)| Ray Davies
Producer(s)| Ray Davies
The Kinks UK singles chronology
| "Pressure"
(1979)  | "Better Things"
(1981)  | "Predictable"
(1981)

|
|

The Kinks US singles chronology
| "Destroyer"
(1981)  | "Better Things"
(1981)  | "Come Dancing"
(1983)

|
|

"Better Things" is a song by The Kinks, released as a single in June 1981 in the UK and November 1981 in the US.[2] A slightly shorter version was later released on their album Give the People What They Want.

Written about Ray Davies's failing marriage, the song originated during the Low Budget sessions. The song was completed in 1981 and released as a single, reaching number 46 in the UK and number 92 in America. The single marked the band's first appearance in the UK charts since 1972.

In 2011 American Songwriter named "Better Things" their Favorite Break Up Song.[1]

## Background[edit]

"Better Things" was penned by Ray Davies in New York City about the "impending split" from his second wife, Yvonne.[3] Davies told Jeff Tamarkin of The Aquarian Weekly that the time when the song was written was a "depressing" time for him.[3]

The song dates back to the sessions of the Low Budget album, during which an early version of the song was attempted.[3] The song was later recorded for Give the People What They Want in April 1981, with the recording session dubbed by Ray Davies as "a total send-up."[3]

## Release and reception[edit]

The track was released as the lead single for the album in the UK. Initial copies came with a bonus 7" containing live versions of "Lola" and "David Watts" recorded on American tours in 1979 and 1980. The UK B-side was a non-LP song "Massive Reductions" (a different, shorter version of "Massive Reductions" was released on the band's 1984 album Word of Mouth). Although "Better Things" missed the top 40, it did reach #46 and was their first charting single since "Supersonic Rocket Ship" in 1972.

In the U.S., "Destroyer" was released in September as the album's lead single with "Better Things" as the second single in November. "Better Things" reached #12 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and #92 on the Billboard Hot 100, slightly lower than "Destroyer".

In September 2010, Ray Davies released "See My Friends", an album of reworked classic Kinks songs, which contains a duet of "Better Things" with Bruce Springsteen.

## Chart performance[edit]

Chart (1981)  | Peak
position

|

UK Singles (The Official Charts Company)[4] | 46
US Billboard Hot 100[5] | 92

## Covers[edit]

* Pearl Jam recorded a version of the song and released it on side A of their 2011 fan club single.
* The American punk-rock band Bouncing Souls covered the song in their album The Gold Record.
* Dar Williams covered the song on her album End of the Summer.
* Fountains of Wayne covered the song on Late Night with Conan O'Brien ten days after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Their version of the song later appeared on This Is Where I Belong - The Songs of Ray Davies & The Kinks, a tribute CD released on 2 April 2002.
* Members of Counting Crows covered the song on their live "Devil and the Bunny Show" at New Orleans' Shim Sham club on 5 May 2003. The recording exists on various bootlegs but was never publicly released.
* Frank Black recorded a cover version in 1996 as a B side from "The Marsist" 7" (from his album The Cult of Ray)
* Marky Ramone and The Intruders included their own version in their 1996 debut album of the same name.

## Mixtape usage[edit]

"Better Things" is one of the songs protagonist Beverly Moody needs to track down in the 2021 Netflix comedy film Mixtape.

## "Sprung" usage"[edit]

The song is used for the finale montage in Greg Garcia 2022 COVID-comedy "Sprung"

## References[edit]

1. ^ a b "The 30-Day Song Selection Spectacular: #4, Favorite Breakup Song". American Songwriter. Retrieved 14 June 2012.
2. ^ "Better Things". Kinks.it.rit.edu. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 16 January 2012.
3. ^ a b c d Hinman, Doug (2004). All Day and All of the Night. ISBN 9780879307653.
4. ^ "officialcharts.com". officialcharts.com. Retrieved 21 October 2021.
5. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2013). Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles, 14th Edition: 1955-2012. Record Research. p. 468.

* v
* t
* e

The Kinks

* Ray Davies
* Dave Davies

* Mick Avory
* Pete Quaife
* John Dalton
* John Gosling
* Andy Pyle
* Jim Rodford
* Ian Gibbons
* Bob Henrit
* Gordon John Edwards
* Mark Haley

Studio albums|

* Kinks (1964)
* Kinks-Size (1965; US-only)
* Kinda Kinks (1965)
* Kinkdom (1965; US-only)
* The Kink Kontroversy (1965)
* Face to Face (1966)
* Something Else (1967)
* Village Green Preservation Society (1968)
* Arthur (1969)
* Lola Versus Powerman (1970)
* Percy (1971)
* Muswell Hillbillies (1971)
* Everybody's in Show-Biz (1972)
* Preservation Act 1 (1973)
* Preservation Act 2 (1974)
* Soap Opera (1975)
* Schoolboys in Disgrace (1975)
* Sleepwalker (1977)
* Misfits (1978)
* Low Budget (1979)
* Give the People What They Want (1981)
* State of Confusion (1983)
* Word of Mouth (1984)
* Think Visual (1986)
* UK Jive (1989)
* Phobia (1993)

Live albums|

* Live at Kelvin Hall (1968)
* One for the Road (1980)
* Live: The Road (1988)
* To the Bone (1994/1996)
* BBC Sessions: 1964–1977 (2001)

EPs|

* Kinksize Session (1964)
* Kwyet Kinks (1965)

Compilations|

* The Kinks Greatest Hits! (1966)
* Well Respected Kinks (1966)
* Sunny Afternoon (1967)
* Then Now and Inbetween (1969)
* The Kink Kronikles (1972)
* The Great Lost Kinks Album (1973)
* Come Dancing with The Kinks (1986)
* The Kinks Are Well Respected Men (1987)
* Lost & Found (1986–1989) (1991)
* The Ultimate Collection (2002)
* Picture Book (2008)
* Waterloo Sunset: The Very Best of The Kinks & Ray Davies (2012)
* The Essential Kinks (2014)

Unreleased projects|

* Four More Respected Gentlemen
* A Hole in the Sock of (Dave Davies)

Concert tours|

* 1965 UK tour
* 1965 US tour

Related articles|

* Discography
* Band members
* Session performers: Clem Cattini, Bobby Graham, Nicky Hopkins
* Konk
* The Kast Off Kinks
* Argent
* X-Ray
* Do It Again
* Give the People What We Want: Songs of The Kinks
* Sunny Afternoon (musical)

* Category

* v
* t
* e

The Kinks singles discography

1960s singles
(UK & US)|

1964
"Long Tall Sally"
"You Still Want Me"
"You Really Got Me"
"All Day and All of the Night"

1965
"Tired of Waiting for You"
"Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy"
"Set Me Free"
"See My Friends"
"Who'll Be the Next in Line"
"A Well Respected Man"
"Till the End of the Day"

1966
"Dedicated Follower of Fashion"
"Sunny Afternoon"
"Dead End Street"

1967
"Mister Pleasant"
"Waterloo Sunset"
"Death of a Clown" (Dave Davies solo)
"Autumn Almanac"
"Susannah's Still Alive" (Dave Davies solo)

1968
"Wonderboy"
"Days"
"Lincoln County" (Dave Davies solo)

1969
"Starstruck"
"Hold My Hand" (Dave Davies solo)
"Plastic Man"
"Drivin'"
"The Village Green Preservation Society"
"Shangri-La"
"Victoria"

1970s singles
(UK & US)|

1970
"Lola"
"Apeman"

1971
"God's Children"
"20th Century Man"

1972
"Supersonic Rocket Ship"
"Celluloid Heroes"

1973
"One of the Survivors"
"Sitting in the Midday Sun"
"Sweet Lady Genevieve"
"Where Have All the Good Times Gone"

1974
"Money Talks"
"Mirror of Love"
"Mirror of Love" (band version)
"Holiday Romance"
"Preservation"

1975
"Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)"
"Ducks on the Wall"
"You Can't Stop the Music"

1976
"I'm in Disgrace"
"No More Looking Back"

1977
"Sleepwalker"
"Juke Box Music"
"Father Christmas"

1978
"A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy"
"Live Life"
"Black Messiah"

1979
"(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman"
"A Gallon of Gas"
"Catch Me Now I'm Falling"
"Moving Pictures"
"Pressure"

1980s singles
(UK & US)|

1980
"Lola" (live)
"You Really Got Me" (live)

1981
"Better Things"
"Destroyer"
"Predictable"

1982
"Come Dancing"

1983
"Don't Forget to Dance"

1984
"Good Day"
"Do It Again"

1985
"Living on a Thin Line" (radio promo only)
"Summer's Gone"

1986
"Rock 'n' Roll Cities"
"How Are You"

1987
"Lost and Found"

1988
"The Road"

1989
"Down All the Days (Till 1992)"

1990s singles
(UK & US)|

1990
"How Do I Get Close"

1993
"Only a Dream"
"Scattered"

Other singles
(non-UK/US)|

1966
"Dandy" (Europe)

1969
"Picture Book" (Australia)
"Australia" (Australia)

1983
"State of Confusion" (Germany)

1991
"Did Ya" (Europe)

Other songs|

"So Mystifying"
"Bald Headed Woman"
"Stop Your Sobbing"
"Dancing in the Street"
"I Need You"
"I Go to Sleep"
"I'm Not Like Everybody Else"
"Big Black Smoke"
"Party Line"
"Rosy Won't You Please Come Home"
"Love Me Till the Sun Shines"
"David Watts"
"Two Sisters"
"Polly"
"She's Got Everything"
"Do You Remember Walter?"
"Johnny Thunder"
"Last of the Steam-Powered Trains"
"Big Sky"
"Sitting by the Riverside"
"Animal Farm"
"Village Green"
"Phenomenal Cat"
"All of My Friends Were There"
"Wicked Annabella"
"Monica"
"People Take Pictures of Each Other"
"Berkeley Mews"
"Mr. Churchill Says"
"Strangers"
"This Time Tomorrow"
"Rats"
"Got to Be Free"
"Have a Cuppa Tea"
"Oklahoma U.S.A."
"Muswell Hillbilly"
"Sitting in My Hotel"
"The Hard Way"
"Life Goes On"
"Misfits"
"Attitude"
"Low Budget"
"Give the People What They Want"
"Heart of Gold"
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