You Can't Stop the Music

"You Can't Stop the Music"
Single by The Kinks
from the album Soap Opera
B-side	"Have Another Drink"
Released	23 May 1975
Format	7" single 45 RPM
Recorded	August - October 1974 at Konk Studios, London
Genre	Rock
Length	3:12
Label	RCA
Writer(s)	Ray Davies
Producer(s)	Ray Davies
The Kinks singles chronology
"Ducks on the Wall" (UK, 1975) --- "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" (US, 1975) "You Can't Stop the Music" (UK, 1975) "No More Looking Back" (UK, 1976) --- "I'm in Disgrace" (US, 1976)

"You Can't Stop the Music" is a song by the British rock band The Kinks. The song, appearing on the band's 1975 album Soap Opera, was written by the band's principal songwriter, Ray Davies.

Lyrics

On the album, this message was placed before the lyrics of the song: "And so Norman decides to stop living out his fantasy of being a rock star and accept reality. This is the end for Norman but not for us because there will always be someone ready to take his place -- after all, everybody's a star!"^[1]

In the song, the singer (Norman) says that "stars fade away. They vanish in the haze and they're never seen again, but they can't stop the music playing on."

Release and reception

"You Can't Stop the Music" was first released in May 1975 on the album Soap Opera, where it was the twelfth and final track on said LP. However, during that same month, the song was released as the album's third and final UK single, backed with "Have Another Drink" (also from Soap Opera.) However, the song didn't chart in Britain. The single was also released in June 1975 in Australia and in the Netherlands, but it still did not chart in either country.

AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited "You Can't Stop the Music" as a highlight from Soap Opera.^[2]

References

1. Emlen, Dave. "'You Can't Stop the Music' lyrics".
2. Stephen Thomas Erlewine. "The Kinks Present a Soap Opera - The Kinks | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2014-06-13.