Ray Davies: The World From My Window
In “Ray Davies: World From My Window”, we catch up with Ray, the legendary frontman and chief songwriter for The Kinks, as he prepares and records material for his first proper solo album.

Through archival footage of The Kinks at their peak, present day footage of Ray in the studio recording and talking about his past, and interviews with some of Davies’s most famous fans (David Bowie, The Jam’s Paul Weller, Elvis Costello), we are treated to a candid look at the creative process of arguably one of the greatest songwriters of all time. Ray takes us behind the scenes of almost all the great songs of the band’s career (“You Really Got Me”, “Sunny Afternoon” and “Waterloo Sunset” are just a handful of the classics represented). His in-depth tales of the song writing process span the band’s career, and they are sonically backed up by vintage footage of The Kinks playing the tunes at the height of the British Invasion. The film offers proof that though the rest of the band’s musicianship is undeniable, the Kinks may just as well have been considered Ray’s backing band, save for the occasional song writing contribution from his brother Dave.

The Kinks, unlike other bands from their era, haven’t faded away. Though they would go through periods of inactivity, the band still gets together and plays if an opportunity presents itself. One such occasion was their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on their first year of eligibility (1990). The film also gives Ray an opportunity to tell the real stories behind some of the songs. He dispels a belief many fans of the band have long held that the lyrics of the song “See My Friend,” are told from the perspective of someone who is unsure of their sexuality. Rather, Davies explains, they were meant more to convey the sort of confusion young, intense love can inspire. Davies also speaks lovingly about his greatest influences, citing Chuck Berry and John Lee Hooker as key figures in his musical development and as two of the artists that gave him the desire to make music that spoke about his life and his surroundings.

In this endeavor Davies truly succeeds. As Bob Geldof says in the film, “you can hear England in his songs,” and David Bowie drives the point home further as he tries to place exactly what it is that makes Ray such a great songwriter. After a moment of deliberation, Bowie can only say “he’s just got it.”

Though the film is under an hour, it manages to do justice to every era of The Kinks’ career and gives a special tip of the hat to what many of the band’s fans believe to be the greatest album of the their catalog “The Village Green Preservation Society”.

As a songwriter and one of the most unwavering figures of the British Invasion, Ray Davies shows no signs of slowing down. See the world through Ray Davies’ window only on The Documentary Channel and join our on-going celebration of the songs and sounds that makes us tap our toes and hum along All day and all of the night.

Chris Dortch II