One Of The Survivors
Written by: Ray DaviesPublished by: Davray Music Ltd.
Lyrics:
(Sung by Johnny Thunder and Chorus)
See Johnny Thunder sitting on his motorbike
Riding along the highway,
Rock and Roll songs from the nineteen-fifties
Buzzing around in his brain.
Johnny Thunder he's one of the original bebop generation
And he's got no time for complicated music or too much sophistication.
He's one of the survivors,
The motorbike riders.
You ought to see Johnny Thunder riding down the highway
One of the rock and roll survivors,
Twelve bars flowing through his brain.
He digs Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion and The Belmonts,
And Johnny & The Hurricanes.
He plays Hound Dog, Oh Boy, and Great Balls of Fire
And Boppin' At The High School Hop.
And he's got no time for phonies or posers
'Cos they don't know how to reel and rock.
and he plays Little Egypt and Ooh Poo Pah Doo,
And he plays Poison Ivy and Blue Suede Shoes,
The Hollywood Argyles, Danny & The Juniors,
Dion & The Belmonts, Johnny & The Hurricanes.
He's one of the survivors,
The boppers and the jivers,
Yeah and he rocks all day.
Johnny & The Hurricanes, Johnny & The Hurricanes.
Got my freedom riding along the freeway.
I ride a hundred miles an hour but I don't mess up my D.A.
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock 'n' roll.
You can't stop rock 'n' rollin' music play.
(repeat last two lines)
Feel those vibrations flow in my brain.
Got my freedom riding down the highway,
Keeps me sane, feel alive,
I'm one of the survivors.
Feel all right.
First gear, second gear, third gear, fourth gear, all right.
Old Johnny Thunder looks a little overweight,
And his sideburns are turning grey.
But he still likes to bebop, boogie and jive
To his worn out seventy-eights.
Johnny Thunder.
He's alright.
He's one of the survivors,
Twelve bars flowing through his brain,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion & The Belmonts,
Johnny & The Hurricanes, Johnny & The Hurricanes.
This song can be found on the following releases:
stereo mix, different mix and edit from album version (3:55), recorded Mar 1973 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, LondonOne Of The Survivors/Scrapheap City | 20 Apr, 1973 | USA | RCA Victor 74-0940 | 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM |
Sitting In The Midday Sun/One Of The Survivors | 29 Jun, 1973 | UK | RCA Victor RCA 2387 | 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM |
Preservation Act 1 | 14 Jul, 1998 | USA | Konk/Velvel 63467-79721-2 | CD |
Preservation Act 1 | 21 Sep, 2004 | USA | Konk/Koch VEL-SC-79808 | SACD (hybrid) |
Picture Book | 8 Dec, 2008 | UK | Universal/Sanctuary 5313049 | Multi CD box set |
Preservation Act 1 | 21 Jun, 2010 | UK | Konk/Koch/Universal Music 2738375 | CD |
The Essential Kinks | 14 Oct 2014 | USA | RCA/Arista/Legacy (Sony Music) 88843066622 | 2 CD set |
stereo mix (4:25), recorded Mar 1973 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London
Preservation Act 1 | Nov 1973 | USA | RCA Victor LPL1-5002 | 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM |
Preservation Act 1 | 16 Nov, 1973 | UK | RCA Victor SF 8392 | 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM |
Preservation (A Play In Two Acts) | 30 Jul, 1991 | USA | Rhino R2 70523 | 2 CD set |
Preservation Act 1 | 14 Jul, 1998 | USA | Konk/Velvel 63467-79721-2 | CD |
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes | 25 Sep, 2001 | USA | Konk/Velvel/Koch VEL-CD-79734 | CD |
Preservation Act 1 | 21 Sep, 2004 | USA | Konk/Koch VEL-SC-79808 | SACD (hybrid) |
Greatest Hits 1970-1986 | 30 Oct, 2007 | USA | Konk/Velvel/Koch Records VEL-79822 | 3 CD set |
Preservation Act 1 | 21 Jun, 2010 | UK | Konk/Koch/Universal Music 2738375 | CD |
stereo mix, different mix with a different last verse (4:16), recorded Mar 1973 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes | May 1976 | USA | RCA Victor APL1-1743 | 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM |
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes | 25 Jun, 1976 | UK | RCA Victor RS 1059 | 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM |
KindaKinks.net
E-mail Dave Emlen