The 50th Anniversary of The Kinks' "Waterloo Sunset"

It was fifty years ago today that The Kinks' single "Waterloo Sunset" was released. It has since become possibly their most famous song besides "You Really Got Me" and "All Day and All Day of the Night". As to the origins of the song, there has been a persistent rumour that it was inspired by the relationship between British movie stars Terence Stamp and Julie Christie. According to Ray Davies, who wrote the song, this was not the case. Instead, in an article on the making of the song in The Guardian, he aid had in mind "...the image I had in my mind was of my sister and her boyfriend walking into the future." Ray Davies does have a nephew named Terry.


Regardless of the origins of the song, it did very well on the charts of various countries. It peaked at no. 2 in the United Kingdom, no. 4 in Australia, no. 7 in Germany, no 1 in the Netherlands, and no. 7 in New Zealand. Amazingly enough, it did not chart in the United States.

Here, without further ado, is "Waterloo Sunset" by The Kinks: