52 years ago today (8/4/64), The Kinks released what many consider the very first punk song- “You Really Got Me.” Built around a guitar riff played by Dave Davies, the song’s lyrics were described by Dave as “a love song for street kids but instead became the group’s breakthrough hit; it established them as one of the top BritishInvasion acts in the United States, reaching number seven there later in the year. Watch the band perform the track live in 1965 on Shindig..
