The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon - Lyrics Meaning

Sunny Afternoon was another sixties classic from the pen of gifted singer/ songwriter Ray Davies of the Kinks, originally for their Face to Face album released in 1966. The song, the groups' first departure from the series of hard driven pop songs that had catapulted them to fame in the early sixties was an outstanding success when released as a single in June 1966. It reached the top slot in the UK charts less than a month later, which wasn't easy to do in the summer of love and great pop music. Sunny Afternoon also made it to number 14 in the United States.

Davies's tongue in cheek lyrics describe someone, possibly a pop star, who has gotten into trouble with the income tax authorities and has had all his "toys and trinkets" taken away. His girlfriend has also left him and "gone back to her ma and pa, telling tales of drunkenness and cruelty" And not only had that she has taken his car with her.

So now all that our hero has left is his stately home, this Sunny Afternoon and to feel sorry for himself for the good life that he loved which sadly is no more.