Song 90 ( The Kinks - Celluloid Heroes )

This is an incredible piece of music that was written by Ray Davies when he lived in Los Angeles. The song is about how Hollywood has exploited many of its stars, the sacrifices that some made, and how some refused as well as those who tried and failed. What I love the most about this song, (as well as many other Kinks' songs), is the way that Ray Davies writes what he perceives in graphic detail. He doesn't try to explain what the listener would see, rather he tells what he sees and what it makes him think of. This one is when he was walking down Hollywood Boulevard and sees stars on the Walk of Fame and he wrote what he was thinking about. One of my favorite parts of the song is in the second verse:
Rudolph Valentino, looks very much alive,
And he looks up ladies dresses as they sadly pass him by.
Avoid stepping on Bela Lugosi
cos hes liable to turn and bite,
But stand close by Bette Davis
Because hers was such a lonely life.
If you covered him with garbage,
George Sanders would still have style,
And if you stamped on Mickey Rooney
He would still turn round and smile,
But please don't tread on dearest Marilyn
cos shes not very tough,
She should have been made of iron or steel,
But she was only made of flesh and blood.

Here is the shortened "radio friendly" version in a fan video on YouTube.
Here is a fan video with the full length version on YouTube.
Here and here are a couple of nice live versions on YouTube.

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