The Village Green Preservation Society: Difference between revisions

"The Village Green Preservation Society"
"The Village Green Preservation Society"
	Danish single picture sleeve
Song by the Kinks
from the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society
Released	22 November 1968
Recorded	c. 12 August 1968
Studio	Pye, London
Genre	Music hall
Length	2:49
Label	Pye
Songwriter(s)	Ray Davies
Producer(s)	Ray Davies
The Kinks US chronology
Official audio
	"The Village Green Preservation Society" on YouTube

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"The Village Green Preservation Society"^[a] is a song by the English rock band the Kinks from their sixth studio album, The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (1968). Written and sung by the band's principal songwriter Ray Davies, the song is a nostalgic reflection where the band state their intent to "preserve" British things for posterity. As the opening track, it introduces many of the LP's themes; Ray subsequently described it as the album's "national anthem".^[4]

Ray was inspired to write "The Village Green Preservation Society" after hearing someone express that the Kinks had been preserving "nice things from the past"^[5] and hoped to convey the idea in a song. Written and recorded in August 1968 as sessions for the band's next album neared completion, the song was intended to be a new title track after he remained unsatisfied with the album's working title Village Green. The song evokes the style of music hall, indicating Ray's continued interest in the genre. The song has received generally favourable reviews from critics. Later commentators dispute how much of the song was meant to be considered ironic; some think the lyrics are reactionary while others find its tone partially parodic. Coinciding with the band's "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, the song was issued as a US single in July 1969, though it failed to chart. The Kinks regularly included the song in their live set list in the 1970s, '80s and '90s.

Background and recording

I was looking for a title for the album [Village Green] about three months ago, when we had finished most of the tracks, and somebody said that one of the things the Kinks have been doing for the last three years is preserving nice things from the past, so I thought I'd write a song which said this ...^[5]^[6]

– Ray Davies on the song's inspiration, 26 November 1968^[7]

Ray Davies composed "The Village Green Preservation Society" around August 1968, after the other eleven songs for the band's next album had been recorded. He was unsatisfied with the LP's working title Village Green but was unsure how to replace it.^[8] In contemporary interviews, he explained that the song's central inspiration spawned from a conversation where someone suggested the Kinks had been preserving "nice things from the past",^[6] and he hoped to capture the idea within a single song. After composing the song, he re-titled the album The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.^[8]

The Kinks recorded "The Village Green Preservation Society" around 12 August 1968 in Pye Studio 2,^[9] one of two basement studios at Pye Records' London offices.^[10] Ray is credited as the song's producer,^[11] while Pye's in-house engineer Brian Humphries operated the four-track mixing console.^[12] Author Andy Miller writes the song's arrangement is defined by Mick Avory's "especially exuberant" drumming and the "similarly light and effective" piano contribution, played by either Ray or session keyboardist Nicky Hopkins.^[13]^[b] Ray's organ contribution is emphasised in the mix over Dave Davies's acoustic rhythm guitar.^[16]

Composition

Music and lyrics

The song's musical composition is simple, employing four chords and a midway modulation from C to D major.^[13] It is one of several on Village Green played in the style of music hall, a theme author Patricia Gordon Sullivan writes Ray established the previous year on Something Else by the Kinks (1967).^[17] Ray later recalled that though he never went to a music hall performance as a child, his style of composition was heavily influenced by his father, who regularly went to musicals and dances and encouraged his children to sing songs at the piano.^[18]

The lyrics of "The Village Green Preservation Society" help establish the themes of Village Green;^[19] Ray subsequently described the song as the album's "national anthem".^[4] The lyrics states the band's intentions to "preserve" things from the past and consists of a listing of institutions to be saved for posterity.^[20] The things listed include vaudeville, strawberry jam, comic book character Desperate Dan, draught beer and custard pies, among others.^[21] Ray and Dave harmonise closely throughout, while Ray's voice is emphasised at the midway point and its closing.^[22] The song concludes with its final lyric "God save the village green!", backed with falsetto harmony vocals.^[22]

Interpretation

A lot of people accuse me in the song of being kind of fascist. Traditional, you know? But it's not. It's a warm feeling, like a fantasy world that I can retreat to.^[23]

– Ray Davies, 1984

Later commentators dispute how much of the song was to be considered ironic. Author Rob Jovanovic suggests its tone is partially ironic, but thinks the list of things to be saved for posterity were things Ray actually loved.^[21] Author Johnny Rogan thinks the song sounds sincere, but adds that its listing of institutions has a "reactionary ring", which he compares to the UK Conservative Society's 1966 founding promise to "[fight] against the menace of decreasing standards".^[24] He writes that Ray's pledge includes parodic elements as it shifts between serious suggestions for preservation – like the George Cross medal and its recipients – only to undermine its message with the "ludicrously titled support group – the 'Custard Pie Appreciation Consortium'".^[25] Author Nick Hasted writes that while the song contains reactionary elements, such as its opposition to office blocks and skyscrapers, he instead sees the song as a "hopeless resistance song", which laments that progress often results in change that cannot be stopped.^[26]

In a November 1968 interview with Melody Maker magazine, Ray suggested the song's listing consisted of "things I'd like to see preserved".^[27] Author Barry J. Faulk writes that following Ray's interpretation, the song's message was meant to directly contrast with that of contemporary rock music, such as the Rolling Stones' 1968 single "Street Fighting Man".^[28] Andy Miller contends that the song's satire has been overlooked by later commentators, writing that though it "lack[s] the righteousness and glamour of 'Street Fighting Man'", "The Village Green Preservation Society" is a "quiet song of defiance".^[29] He writes that when understood in the context of the unrest Britain was experiencing in 1968, the song is not about escapism but instead mocks the certainty of protesters by producing a list of "idiosyncratic demands".^[30]

"The Village Green Preservation Society" includes elements of autobiography and self-parody.^[31] In the two weeks before the song was recorded, Ray moved out of his East Finchley semi-detached home on Fortis Green and into a larger Tudor house in the suburbs of Borehamwood, Hertfordshire.^[32] In the song, Ray sings for God to save Tudor houses, antique tables and billiards, which Rogan thinks was Ray's self-mockery over his increased social standing.^[25] Rogan further suggests "the Anglocentric ideal has already been tainted" by the mention of Donald Duck, an American creation,^[33] while cultural researcher Jon Stratton writes Britons could still be nostalgic for the character since he had been popular in Britain since before the Second World War.^[34]

Release

Ray sequenced "The Village Green Preservation Society" as the opening track of his original twelve-track edition of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society.^[35] In the United Kingdom, Pye planned to release the album on 27 September 1968, but Ray halted its release in mid-September in order to expand its track listing.^[36]^[c] Pye released the expanded fifteen-track edition of the album in the UK on 22 November 1968, retaining "The Village Green Preservation Society" as the album's opening track.^[11] To help promote the album, the Kinks performed the song on 26 November 1968 for BBC Radio 1 programme Saturday Club at the Playhouse Theatre in central London.^[11]^[d] The band also lip-synced the song for ITV programme Time For Blackburn (Pop, People & Places), broadcast on 21 December 1968.^[37]

In July 1969, Reprise Records issued "The Village Green Preservation Society" as a US single backed with "Do You Remember Walter?", a release which reached No. 19 in Denmark.^[38]^[e] The release coincided with Warner Bros. Records' "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, which sought to reestablish the band's status in America after their informal four-year performance ban was lifted in the country.^[42] The Kinks' return tour of North America ran from October to December 1969, during which they regularly included "The Village Green Preservation Society" as part of their set list.^[43] The song also featured in concerts throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s.^[44]

Reception

In his September 1968 preview of Village Green for New Musical Express, critic Keith Altham was especially fond of the title track, which he thought could have made it to No. 1 in the UK had it been issued as a single.^[45] In Paul Williams's June 1969 review of the album for Rolling Stone magazine, he praised several elements of the song, including its drums, bass and vocals. He added that "[t]he tune, the rhythm, are more of a delight with each verse", writing that it was almost "unbearable" that the song finished.^[46]

Among retrospective assessors, J. H. Tompkins of the website Pitchfork counted the song as an example of Ray's best work, done "with a quiet, ironic smile".^[47] In a piece for Billboard magazine ranking all of the album's tracks, Morgan Enos placed the song ninth out of fifteen, writing that in spite of the song's cheerful sound, it "aches with longing".^[48] Critic Stewart Mason of AllMusic characterises it as the "best-known song from the Kinks' most cultishly adored album (which is something quite different from being one of their biggest hits)". He writes that while the song is musically one of Ray's best, its lyric is less effective than his 1967 composition "Autumn Almanac". He concludes that while the song is endearing, critics have may have "slightly overpraised" it.^[16]

Notes

^ The original release of Village Green included discrepancies between the titles listed on the album sleeve and those on the LP's central label.^[1] The song is titled "The Village Green Preservation Society" on the sleeve, while the LP label omits the The.^[2] All subsequent reissues of the album include the The.^[3]
^ Miller believes Nicky Hopkins played piano since a version the Kinks recorded for the BBC on 26 November 1968 features Ray playing the keyboard with "a somewhat less steady hand".^[14] Hinman instead writes Hopkins's last appearance on a Kinks' song was likely around mid-July 1968 on "People Take Pictures of Each Other", before the mid-August recording of "The Village Green Preservation Society".^[15]
^ Release of the twelve-track LP went ahead in Sweden and Norway on 9 October 1968, with subsequent releases of that edition following in France, Italy and New Zealand.^[36]
^ The performance was later included on the 2001 album The Kinks BBC Sessions 1964–1977.^[11]
^ Rogan writes the single was released in August 1969,^[39] as do Hinman and Jason Brabazon in their self-published band discography.^[40] Village Green's 50th anniversary release includes a replica of the 7" single, with notes printed on its sleeve stating it was originally released in July 1969.^[41]

References

Citations

^ Miller 2003, p. 42.
^ Anon. 1968.
^ Doggett 1998; Miller & Sandoval 2004; Neill 2018.
^ ^a ^b Miller 2003, p. 46; Rogan 2015, p. 355.
^ ^a ^b The Kinks (2014). The Anthology: 1964–1971: "Interview: Ray Davies Talks About Village Green Preservation Society" (CD). Sanctuary, Legacy. 88875021542.
^ ^a ^b Himes, Geoffrey (11 February 2019). "The Curmudgeon: Ray Davies—Preserving Old, Rural Ways as a Kind of Rebellion". Paste. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022.
^ Miller 2003, pp. 46, 148; Hinman 2004, p. 121.
^ ^a ^b Miller 2003, p. 46.
^ Hinman 2004, pp. 118, 121.
^ Miller 2003, p. 21.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Hinman 2004, p. 121.
^ Miller 2003, p. 21: (operated four-track); Hinman 2004, p. 124: (Humphries).
^ ^a ^b Miller 2003, p. 47.
^ Miller 2003, p. 47n8.
^ Hinman 2004, pp. 117, 118.
^ ^a ^b Mason, Stewart. "The Village Green Preservation Society – The Kinks". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2022.
^ Sullivan 2002, pp. 94, 99.
^ Miller 2003, pp. 18–19.
^ Miller 2003, pp. 50, 58–59; Faulk 2010, p. 118; Hasted 2011, p. 128.
^ Faulk 2010, p. 118; Rogan 1998, p. 62.
^ ^a ^b Jovanovic 2013, p. 149.
^ ^a ^b Miller 2003, pp. 47–48.
^ Miller 2003, p. 48.
^ MacEwan 1966, p. 31, quoted in Rogan 2015, p. 356.
^ ^a ^b Rogan 2015, p. 356.
^ Hasted 2011, p. 129.
^ Dawbarn 1968, p. 8, quoted in Miller 2003, p. 48.
^ Faulk 2010, p. 118.
^ Miller 2003, pp. 48, 51.
^ Miller 2003, pp. 49–51.
^ Miller 2003, p. 51; Rogan 2015, p. 356.
^ Hinman 2004, p. 118.
^ Rogan 1998, p. 62.
^ Stratton 2010, p. 53.
^ Miller 2003, p. 39n5.
^ ^a ^b Hinman 2004, pp. 119–120.
^ Hinman 2004, p. 122.
^ "Top 20 – Uge 2". danskehitlister.dk. 29 April 1968. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 10 April 2016 suggested (help)
^ Rogan 1984, p. 197.
^ Hinman & Brabazon 1994, quoted in Davies 1996, p. 273.
^ Anon. 2018: "Originally released on Reprise Records, July 1969, as US 7" single 0847."
^ Hasted 2011, p. 147.
^ Hinman 2004, pp. 133–135.
^ Hinman 2004, p. 351.
^ Miller 2003, p. 39; Altham 1968, p. 10.
^ Williams 1969.
^ Tompkins, J. H. (26 July 2004). "The Kinks: The Village Green Preservation Society". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012.
^ Enos, Morgan (22 November 2018). "'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' at 50: Every Song From Worst to Best". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022.

Sources

Altham, Keith (21 September 1968). "Kinks Reminiscing on the Village Green" (PDF). New Musical Express. p. 10 – via WorldRadioHistory.com.
Anon. (1968). The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (Liner notes). The Kinks. Pye Records. NPL 18233.
Anon. (2018). "The Village Green Preservation Society" (Liner notes). The Kinks. BMG, Pye Records. BMGAA09BOX10.
Davies, Dave (1996). Kink: An Autobiography. New York City: Hyperion. ISBN 978-0-7868-6149-1.
Dawbarn, Bob (30 November 1968). "Looking back with the Kinks: Ray Davies explains The Village Green Preservation Society" (PDF). Melody Maker. p. 8.
Doggett, Peter (1998). The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (Liner notes). The Kinks. Essential. ESM CD 481.
Faulk, Barry J. (2010). British Rock Modernism, 1967–1977: The Story of Music Hall in Rock. Farnham: Ashgate. ISBN 978-1-4094-1190-1.
Hasted, Nick (2011). The Story of the Kinks: You Really Got Me. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-1-84938-660-9.
Hinman, Doug; Brabazon, Jason (1994). You Really Got Me: An Illustrated World Discography of the Kinks, 1964–1993. Rumford, Rhode Island: Doug Hinman. ISBN 978-0-9641005-1-0.
Hinman, Doug (2004). The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day by Day Concerts, Recordings, and Broadcasts, 1961–1996. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-0-87930-765-3.
Jovanovic, Rob (2013). God Save the Kinks: A Biography. London: Aurum Press. ISBN 978-1-84513-671-0.
MacEwan, D. M. C. (27 March 1966). "Letters to the Editor: Man and nature". The Observer. p. 31. Retrieved 8 August 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
Miller, Andy (2003). The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society. 33⅓ series. New York City: Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-0-8264-1498-4.
Miller, Andrew; Sandoval, Andrew (2004). The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (Liner notes). The Kinks. Sanctuary Records. SMETD 102.
Neill, Andy (2018). The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society (50th Anniversary) (Liner notes). The Kinks. BMG, Pye Records. BMGAA09LP.
Rogan, Johnny (1984). The Kinks: The Sound and the Fury. London: Elm Tree Books. ISBN 0-241-11308-3.
Rogan, Johnny (1998). The Complete Guide to the Music of the Kinks. London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 978-0-7119-6314-6.
Rogan, Johnny (2015). Ray Davies: A Complicated Life. London: The Bodley Head. ISBN 978-1-84792-317-2.
Stratton, Jon (2010). "Englishing Popular Music in the 1960s". In Bennett, Andy; Stratton, Jon (eds.). Britpop and the English Music Tradition. Farnham: Ashgate. pp. 41–54. ISBN 978-0-7546-6805-3.
Sullivan, Patricia Gordon (2002). "'Let's Have a Go at It': The British Musical Hall and The Kinks". In Kitts, Thomas M. (ed.). Living on a Thin Line: Crossing Aesthetic Borders with The Kinks. Rumford, Rhode Island: Desolation Angel Books. pp. 80–99. ISBN 0-9641005-4-1.
Williams, Paul (14 June 1969). "The Kinks :The Village Green Preservation Society". Rolling Stone. No. 35. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007.

External links

"'The Village Green Preservation Society' (Danish single)" at Discogs (list of releases)
"'The Village Green Preservation Society' (US single)" at Discogs (list of releases)

[4] The original release of Village Green included discrepancies between the titles listed on the album sleeve and those on the LP's central label.^[1] The song is titled "The Village Green Preservation Society" on the sleeve, while the LP label omits the The.^[2] All subsequent reissues of the album include the The.^[3]

[17] Miller believes Nicky Hopkins played piano since a version the Kinks recorded for the BBC on 26 November 1968 features Ray playing the keyboard with "a somewhat less steady hand".^[14] Hinman instead writes Hopkins's last appearance on a Kinks' song was likely around mid-July 1968 on "People Take Pictures of Each Other", before the mid-August recording of "The Village Green Preservation Society".^[15]

[39] Release of the twelve-track LP went ahead in Sweden and Norway on 9 October 1968, with subsequent releases of that edition following in France, Italy and New Zealand.^[36]

[40] The performance was later included on the 2001 album The Kinks BBC Sessions 1964–1977.^[11]

[46] Rogan writes the single was released in August 1969,^[39] as do Hinman and Jason Brabazon in their self-published band discography.^[40] Village Green's 50th anniversary release includes a replica of the 7" single, with notes printed on its sleeve stating it was originally released in July 1969.^[41]

[FOOTNOTEMiller200342-1] Miller 2003, p. 42.

[FOOTNOTEAnon.1968-2] Anon. 1968.

[3] Doggett 1998; Miller & Sandoval 2004; Neill 2018.

[national_anthem-5] Miller 2003, p. 46; Rogan 2015, p. 355.

[audio-6] The Kinks (2014). The Anthology: 1964–1971: "Interview: Ray Davies Talks About Village Green Preservation Society" (CD). Sanctuary, Legacy. 88875021542.

[Paste-7] Himes, Geoffrey (11 February 2019). "The Curmudgeon: Ray Davies—Preserving Old, Rural Ways as a Kind of Rebellion". Paste. Archived from the original on 24 January 2022.

[8] Miller 2003, pp. 46, 148; Hinman 2004, p. 121.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200346-9] Miller 2003, p. 46.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004118,_121-10] Hinman 2004, pp. 118, 121.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200321-11] Miller 2003, p. 21.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004121-12] Hinman 2004, p. 121.

[engineers-13] Miller 2003, p. 21: (operated four-track); Hinman 2004, p. 124: (Humphries).

[FOOTNOTEMiller200347-14] Miller 2003, p. 47.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200347n8-15] Miller 2003, p. 47n8.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004117,_118-16] Hinman 2004, pp. 117, 118.

[TVGPS-18] Mason, Stewart. "The Village Green Preservation Society – The Kinks". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 22 November 2021. Retrieved 31 May 2022.

[FOOTNOTESullivan200294,_99-19] Sullivan 2002, pp. 94, 99.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200318–19-20] Miller 2003, pp. 18–19.

[21] Miller 2003, pp. 50, 58–59; Faulk 2010, p. 118; Hasted 2011, p. 128.

[22] Faulk 2010, p. 118; Rogan 1998, p. 62.

[FOOTNOTEJovanovic2013149-23] Jovanovic 2013, p. 149.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200347–48-24] Miller 2003, pp. 47–48.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200348-25] Miller 2003, p. 48.

[26] MacEwan 1966, p. 31, quoted in Rogan 2015, p. 356.

[FOOTNOTERogan2015356-27] Rogan 2015, p. 356.

[FOOTNOTEHasted2011129-28] Hasted 2011, p. 129.

[29] Dawbarn 1968, p. 8, quoted in Miller 2003, p. 48.

[FOOTNOTEFaulk2010118-30] Faulk 2010, p. 118.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200348,_51-31] Miller 2003, pp. 48, 51.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200349–51-32] Miller 2003, pp. 49–51.

[33] Miller 2003, p. 51; Rogan 2015, p. 356.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004118-34] Hinman 2004, p. 118.

[FOOTNOTERogan199862-35] Rogan 1998, p. 62.

[FOOTNOTEStratton201053-36] Stratton 2010, p. 53.

[FOOTNOTEMiller200339n5-37] Miller 2003, p. 39n5.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004119–120-38] Hinman 2004, pp. 119–120.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004122-41] Hinman 2004, p. 122.

[42] "Top 20 – Uge 2". danskehitlister.dk. 29 April 1968. Archived from the original on 9 April 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2022. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; 10 April 2016 suggested (help)

[FOOTNOTERogan1984197-43] Rogan 1984, p. 197.

[44] Hinman & Brabazon 1994, quoted in Davies 1996, p. 273.

[45] Anon. 2018: "Originally released on Reprise Records, July 1969, as US 7" single 0847."

[FOOTNOTEHasted2011147-47] Hasted 2011, p. 147.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004133–135-48] Hinman 2004, pp. 133–135.

[FOOTNOTEHinman2004351-49] Hinman 2004, p. 351.

[50] Miller 2003, p. 39; Altham 1968, p. 10.

[FOOTNOTEWilliams1969-51] Williams 1969.

[Pitchfork-52] Tompkins, J. H. (26 July 2004). "The Kinks: The Village Green Preservation Society". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012.

[Enos-53] Enos, Morgan (22 November 2018). "'The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society' at 50: Every Song From Worst to Best". Billboard. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022.

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@@ Line 67: / Line 67: @@
 Ray sequenced "The Village Green Preservation Society" as the opening track of his original twelve-track edition of ''The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society''.{{sfn|Miller|2003|p=39n5}} In the United Kingdom, Pye planned to release the album on 27 September 1968, but Ray halted its release in mid-September in order to expand its track listing.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=119–120}}{{efn|Release of the twelve-track LP went ahead in Sweden and Norway on 9 October 1968, with subsequent releases of that edition following in France, Italy and New Zealand.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=119–120}}}} Pye released the expanded fifteen-track edition of the album in the UK on 22 November 1968, retaining "The Village Green Preservation Society" as the album's opening track.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=121}} To help promote the album, the Kinks performed the song on {{nowrap|26 November 1968}} for [[BBC Radio 1]] programme ''[[Saturday Club (BBC Radio)|Saturday Club]]'' at the [[Playhouse Theatre]] in central London.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=121}}{{efn|The performance was later included on the 2001 album ''[[The Kinks BBC Sessions 1964–1977]]''.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=121}}}} The band also lip-synced the song for [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] programme ''Time For Blackburn (Pop, People & Places)'', broadcast on {{nowrap|21 December 1968}}.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=122}}
-In July{{nbsp}}1969, [[Reprise Records]] issued "The Village Green Preservation Society" as a US single backed with "[[Do You Remember Walter?]]", though it failed to appear in any charts.{{efn|Rogan writes the single was released in August{{nbsp}}1969,{{sfn|Rogan|1984|p=197}} as do Hinman and Jason Brabazon in their self-published band discography.<ref>{{harvnb|Hinman|Brabazon|1994}}, quoted in {{harvnb|Davies|1996|p=273}}.</ref> ''Village Green''{{'s}} 50th anniversary release includes a replica of the 7" single, with notes printed on its sleeve stating it was originally released in July{{nbsp}}1969.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon.|2018}}: "Originally released on Reprise Records, July{{nbsp}}1969, as US 7" single 0847."</ref>}} The release coincided with [[Warner Records|Warner Bros. Records]]' "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, which sought to reestablish the band's status in America after their informal four-year performance ban was lifted in the country.{{sfn|Hasted|2011|p=147}} The Kinks' [[The Kinks' 1969 North American tour|return tour of North America]] ran from October to December{{nbsp}}1969, during which they regularly included "The Village Green Preservation Society" as part of their [[set list]].{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=133–135}} The song also featured in concerts throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=351}}
+In July{{nbsp}}1969, [[Reprise Records]] issued "The Village Green Preservation Society" as a US single backed with "[[Do You Remember Walter?]]", a release which reached No. 19 in Denmark.<ref>{{Cite web |date=1968-04-29 |title=Top 20 – Uge 2 |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1969&hitlist_item_id=1174 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410155856/http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1969&hitlist_item_id=1174 |archive-date=2016-04-09 |access-date=2022-11-14 |website=danskehitlister.dk}}</ref>{{efn|Rogan writes the single was released in August{{nbsp}}1969,{{sfn|Rogan|1984|p=197}} as do Hinman and Jason Brabazon in their self-published band discography.<ref>{{harvnb|Hinman|Brabazon|1994}}, quoted in {{harvnb|Davies|1996|p=273}}.</ref> ''Village Green''{{'s}} 50th anniversary release includes a replica of the 7" single, with notes printed on its sleeve stating it was originally released in July{{nbsp}}1969.<ref>{{harvnb|Anon.|2018}}: "Originally released on Reprise Records, July{{nbsp}}1969, as US 7" single 0847."</ref>}} The release coincided with [[Warner Records|Warner Bros. Records]]' "God Save the Kinks" promotional campaign, which sought to reestablish the band's status in America after their informal four-year performance ban was lifted in the country.{{sfn|Hasted|2011|p=147}} The Kinks' [[The Kinks' 1969 North American tour|return tour of North America]] ran from October to December{{nbsp}}1969, during which they regularly included "The Village Green Preservation Society" as part of their [[set list]].{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=133–135}} The song also featured in concerts throughout the 1970s, '80s and '90s.{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=351}}
 ==Reception==

v t e The Kinks singles discography
1960s singles (UK & US)	1964 "Long Tall Sally" "You Still Want Me" "You Really Got Me" "All Day and All of the Night" 1965 "Tired of Waiting for You" "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" "Set Me Free" "See My Friends" "Who'll Be the Next in Line" "A Well Respected Man" "Till the End of the Day" 1966 "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" "Sunny Afternoon" "Dead End Street" 1967 "Mister Pleasant" "Waterloo Sunset" "Death of a Clown" (Dave Davies solo) "Autumn Almanac" "Susannah's Still Alive" (Dave Davies solo) 1968 "Wonderboy" "Days" "Lincoln County" (Dave Davies solo) 1969 "Starstruck" "Hold My Hand" (Dave Davies solo) "Plastic Man" "Drivin'" "The Village Green Preservation Society" "Shangri-La" "Victoria"
1970s singles (UK & US)	1970 "Lola" "Apeman" 1971 "God's Children" "20th Century Man" 1972 "Supersonic Rocket Ship" "Celluloid Heroes" 1973 "One of the Survivors" "Sitting in the Midday Sun" "Sweet Lady Genevieve" "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" 1974 "Money Talks" "Mirror of Love" "Mirror of Love" (band version) "Holiday Romance" "Preservation" 1975 "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" "Ducks on the Wall" "You Can't Stop the Music" 1976 "I'm in Disgrace" "No More Looking Back" 1977 "Sleepwalker" "Juke Box Music" "Father Christmas" 1978 "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" "Live Life" "Black Messiah" 1979 "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" "A Gallon of Gas" "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" "Moving Pictures" "Pressure"
1980s singles (UK & US)	1980 "Lola" (live) "You Really Got Me" (live) 1981 "Better Things" "Destroyer" "Predictable" 1982 "Come Dancing" 1983 "Don't Forget to Dance" 1984 "Good Day" "Do It Again" 1985 "Living on a Thin Line" (radio promo only) "Summer's Gone" 1986 "Rock 'n' Roll Cities" "How Are You" 1987 "Lost and Found" 1988 "The Road" 1989 "Down All the Days (Till 1992)"
1990s singles (UK & US)	1990 "How Do I Get Close" 1993 "Only a Dream" "Scattered"
Other singles (non-UK/US)	1966 "Dandy" (Europe) 1969 "Picture Book" (Australia) "Australia" (Australia) 1983 "State of Confusion" (Germany) 1991 "Did Ya" (Europe)
Other songs	"So Mystifying" "Bald Headed Woman" "Stop Your Sobbing" "Dancing in the Street" "I Need You" "I Go to Sleep" "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" "Big Black Smoke" "Party Line" "Rosy Won't You Please Come Home" "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" "David Watts" "Two Sisters" "Polly" "She's Got Everything" "Do You Remember Walter?" "Johnny Thunder" "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" "Big Sky" "Sitting by the Riverside" "Animal Farm" "Village Green" "Phenomenal Cat" "All of My Friends Were There" "Wicked Annabella" "Monica" "People Take Pictures of Each Other" "Berkeley Mews" "Mr. Churchill Says" "Strangers" "This Time Tomorrow" "Rats" "Got to Be Free" "Have a Cuppa Tea" "Oklahoma U.S.A." "Muswell Hillbilly" "Sitting in My Hotel" "The Hard Way" "Life Goes On" "Misfits" "Attitude" "Low Budget" "Give the People What They Want" "Heart of Gold"