Dead End Street // The Kinks
If there was ever a song that perfectly portrays the oppression and everyday struggles that British lower class citizens experience at the hands of those in power, it’s ‘Dead End Street’. Written by English 60s rock band The Kinks, ‘Dead End Street’ (released in November 1966) consists of brilliantly descriptive lyrics full of angst, and there’s no doubt that lead singer Ray Davies experienced the economic woes that he so vividly writes about. Although the melody of the song is relatively cheery, the words depict a desperate, dismal situation: “No money coming in / The rent collector’s knocking, tryin’ to get in… No chance to emigrate / I’m deep in debt and now it’s much too late”. Another significant lyric that appears in the song is the line “We are strictly second class / We don’t understand”. This displays a disheartened bitterness towards the upper-class and the constraints that working class citizens had/have to suffer.
Words by Sarah Turner