See My Friends


"See My Friends" is a song by the Kinks, written by the group's singer and guitarist, Ray Davies. Released in July 1965, it reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart. The song incorporates a drone-effect on the electric guitar, reminiscent of the Indian sitar and tambura.
Although writer Jonathan Bellman sees it as the first Western rock song to integrate Indian raga sounds. Davies biographer Johnny Rogan notes that a preceding single release was "pre-empting Davies's innovative use of Indian music".
The song is sometimes mistitled "See My Friend", because this is how the song was identified on the initial UK single pressing. However, the website of Kassner Music, which owns the publishing rights to the song, specifies the title as "See My Friends", and these are also the words Davies clearly sings throughout the track. Most subsequent issues of the song have borne the more familiar "See My Friends" title.

Background

Ray Davies has been heard to say the song is about the death of his older sister, Rene, who lived for a time in Ontario, Canada. Upon her return to England she fell ill owing to an undiagnosed hole in her heart and died while dancing at a night club. Just before she died, he has said, she gave him his first guitar for his 13th birthday.
Inspiration for the song came from a stopover in Bombay during the Kinks' 1965 Asian tour, where the jetlagged Davies encountered fishermen chanting on their way to their morning work.
Shel Talmy, who was the producer of the record "See My Friends", says in different interviews that the song had been inspired by Jon Mark.

Recording

Kinks biographer Doug Hinman provides some detail on the recording sessions at Pye Studios, London:

Release

Ray Davies, at the time of the song's release, expressed disappointment at the single's lukewarm reception, saying " the only one I've really liked, and they're not buying it. You know, I put everything I've got into it... I can't even remember what the last one was called – nothing. It makes me think they must be morons or something. Look, I'm not a great singer, nor a great writer, not a great musician. But I do give everything I have... and I did for this disc."

Covers