50-Year-Old Songs Top Ten: Lola (#7)

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Back on August 1 I started a salute to songs that are 50 years old this year (as well as 40 years old) as a lighthearted jab at people who call music from the early 2000s “old.” While web sites are doing “where are they now” segments on the people who had the hits in the early 2000s, we’re still singing along to the songs from 1970 (including the people born in the early 2000s). Here’s another great tune from 50 years ago. #7: Lola - Kinks And with this song we get controversy!!!!! Many of you only know the opening verse of this song as, “You drink champagne and it tastes just like cherry cola, C-O-L-A, cola.” You’re probably wondering what the heck the “Coca-Cola” line is in the link below. Well..... The BBC wasn’t fond of songs that had brand names in the lyrics. To keep the song from being banned, the single version was changed to cherry cola. Never mind the subject matter. The Kinks always did the song live as “cherry cola” (or at least they did on the tour I saw them on, and I can’t find a live rendition with “Coca Cola” in it). On my favorite Kinks songs list as well as a favorite of a lot of folks. Lola Written by Ray Davies Recorded by the Kinks From Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One, 1970 I’m a man, I’m a man: