How in the world did it take Bruce 45 years to cover the breakthrough hit from one of his favorite bands?
We know The Kinks were on Bruce’s radar from the very beginning: he’s on record for having seen the band’s 1964 appearance on The Red Skelton Show, and surviving Castiles set lists reveal covers of “Tired of Waiting For You” and “See My Friends.” (We even have a recording of the latter one.)
So what explains the absence of “You Really Got Me” from Bruce’s known set lists? After all, The Kinks’ first U.S. Top Ten hit was practically irresistible to any young guitar hero in the mid-sixties.
Peaking at #7 (although it reach the very top of the charts in the U.K.), “You Really Got Me” became one of the most influential and iconic songs of the British Invasion.
Fourteen years later, Van Halen introduced themselves by covering “You Really Got Me” on their debut album, taking the song to the Top 40 for the second time.
Even so, Bruce wouldn’t cover “You Really Got Me” properly until 2009 (although he did sound check it in 1975 and join an all-star jam performance of it at the 1990 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony)–and even then it was only on a dare.
During what had become a nightly “Stump the Band” segment of the show, Bruce accepted a fan’s challenge/request, calling on “one hundred years of collective bar band experience” to tackle “You Really Got Me.”
The crowd roared its approval immediately and throughout, and Bruce looked like he enjoyed himself immensely.
So why no repeat performances since?
Well… you really got me.
You Really Got Me
First performed: January 17, 1990 (New York City, NY)
Last performed: May 5, 2009 (Charlottesville, VA)
