Background and Composition
After the Animals had chart success with the 1965 single "We Gotta Get Out of This Place," producer Terry Melcher asked the song's writers, Mann and Weil, to compose a similar song for Paul Revere & the Raiders. The result was "Kicks," a song originally offered to the Animals, but turned down by lead singer Eric Burdon. Mann and Weil wrote the song as a warning to a friend about the dangers of drug use. The lyrics consist of a narrator telling a girl that drug use causes addiction and that soft drugs can lead to the use of hard drugs. Musically, the song's lead guitar lines recall the Beatles, while its bass figures are similar to those popularized by The Byrds. The song contains closer harmonies and a more euphonious melodic arrangement than the band's previous single, "Just Like Me". Lead singer Mark Lindsay's R&B vocal style, combined with the song's guitar and organ instrumentation, is reminiscent of British bands such as The Kinks and The Yardbirds.
Read more about this topic: Kicks (song)
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