One of the most famous feuding brothers in rock history are the brilliant musicians Ray Davies and Dave Davies of the Kinks. The band disbanded in 1996, and its been nearly twenty years since the brothers performed onstage together. But that all ended on December 18 during Dave Davies’ concert at Islington Assembly Hall in London.
Dave welcomed Ray onstage for the Kinks classic, “You Really Got Me.” In recent interviews, the brothers have left open an outside shot for a reunion of the Kinks. The hopeful signs may be related to a planned biopic about the Kinks directed by Julien Temple called, of course, You Really Got Me.
We will have to wait to see what the future holds for a reunion tour, but for now at least we have Friday night’s performance. Check out Ray and Dave together again performing “You Really Got Me,” with a little help from Dennis Diken The Smithereens on drums.
After the show, Dave Davies gave us additional hope with the following tweet.
We had a great night – it was a fun show – had a blast with Ray – Dave https://t.co/L3PzOdh9O6
On November 16 in 1907, Oklahoma Territory and Indian Territory joined the United States. The area became the country’s 46th state of Oklahoma, a state that appears often in popular culture.
Much of Oklahoma’s pre-state history includes significant events that have been portrayed on film. Such incidents include the arrival of Native Americans forcibly moved to the territory along the Trail of Tears and the big land rush with its early arrivals that provide the name of the University of Oklahoma football team, the Sooners.
The Oklahoma Land Rush & Far and Away
Regarding the 1889 land rush, one sees it famously portrayed in movies such as Cimarron (1931) and Far and Away (1992). Check out the scene from Far and Away below.
Oklahoma!
While there are plenty of songs relating to the United States becoming a country, one is challenged to think of a memorable song about a territory becoming a state, with one exception. Oklahoma not only has an entire musical set in its final days as a territory, the play and movie versions end with a salute to the territory’s impending statehood.
Even if you are not a fan of musicals, you probably know and can sing along with the song “Oklahoma!” from the Broadway play and movie Oklahoma! The play was the first musical written by the team of Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II. It is more than OK.
The classic movie Oklahoma! (1955) starred Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones. A 1999 version of the musical starred Hugh Jackman and Josefina Gabrielle. You may compare the 1999 version of the same scene as above.
Finally, the 1955 movie has the honor of featuring a rare song about a territory becoming a state, but it is also a rare movie musical that itself is mentioned in a popular song. The 1971 album Muswell Hillbillies by The Kinks features the song “Oklahoma USA,” written by Ray Davies. In the song, a young woman reflects on her boring working-class life: “But in her dreams she is far away/ In Oklahoma U.S.A./ With Shirley Jones and Gordon MacRae.”
In honor of the anniversary of Oklahoma’s statehood, we hope that at least for a day you can escape work and can get out in the open and breathe some fresh air. And we hope you’re doing fine.
What is your favorite movie or song about a state’s early days? Leave your two cents in the comments.
