One Of The Survivors

Written by: Ray Davies

Published by: Davray Music Ltd.

Chord file

Lyrics:

(Sung by Johnny Thunder and Chorus)

See Johnny Thunder sitting on his motorbike
Riding along the highway,
Rock and Roll songs from the nineteen-fifties
Buzzing around in his brain.
Johnny Thunder he's one of the original bebop generation
And he's got no time for complicated music or too much sophistication.

He's one of the survivors,
The motorbike riders.
You ought to see Johnny Thunder riding down the highway
One of the rock and roll survivors,
Twelve bars flowing through his brain.
He digs Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion and The Belmonts,
And Johnny & The Hurricanes.

He plays Hound Dog, Oh Boy, and Great Balls of Fire
And Boppin' At The High School Hop.
And he's got no time for phonies or posers
'Cos they don't know how to reel and rock.
and he plays Little Egypt and Ooh Poo Pah Doo,
And he plays Poison Ivy and Blue Suede Shoes,
The Hollywood Argyles, Danny & The Juniors,
Dion & The Belmonts, Johnny & The Hurricanes.

He's one of the survivors,
The boppers and the jivers,
Yeah and he rocks all day.
Johnny & The Hurricanes, Johnny & The Hurricanes.

Got my freedom riding along the freeway.
I ride a hundred miles an hour but I don't mess up my D.A.
Rock, rock, rock, rock, rock 'n' roll.
You can't stop rock 'n' rollin' music play.
(repeat last two lines)

Feel those vibrations flow in my brain.
Got my freedom riding down the highway,
Keeps me sane, feel alive,
I'm one of the survivors.

Feel all right.
First gear, second gear, third gear, fourth gear, all right.
Old Johnny Thunder looks a little overweight,
And his sideburns are turning grey.
But he still likes to bebop, boogie and jive
To his worn out seventy-eights.
Johnny Thunder.
He's alright.
He's one of the survivors,
Twelve bars flowing through his brain,
Jerry Lee Lewis, Dion & The Belmonts,
Johnny & The Hurricanes, Johnny & The Hurricanes.

This song can be found on the following releases:

stereo mix, different mix and edit from album version (3:55), recorded Mar 1973 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
One Of The Survivors/Scrapheap City 20 Apr, 1973 USA RCA Victor 74-0940 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM
Sitting In The Midday Sun/One Of The Survivors 29 Jun, 1973 UK RCA Victor RCA 2387 7" vinyl single, 45 RPM
Preservation Act 1 14 Jul, 1998 USA Konk/Velvel 63467-79721-2 CD
Preservation Act 1 21 Sep, 2004 USA Konk/Koch VEL-SC-79808 SACD (hybrid)
Picture Book 8 Dec, 2008 UK Universal/Sanctuary 5313049 Multi CD box set
Preservation Act 1 21 Jun, 2010 UK Konk/Koch/Universal Music 2738375 CD
The Essential Kinks 14 Oct 2014 USA RCA/Arista/Legacy (Sony Music) 88843066622 2 CD set

stereo mix (4:25), recorded Mar 1973 at Konk Studios, Hornsey, London
Preservation Act 1 Nov 1973 USA RCA Victor LPL1-5002 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Preservation Act 1 16 Nov, 1973 UK RCA Victor SF 8392 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
Preservation (A Play In Two Acts) 30 Jul, 1991 USA Rhino R2 70523 2 CD set
Preservation Act 1 14 Jul, 1998 USA Konk/Velvel 63467-79721-2 CD
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes 25 Sep, 2001 USA Konk/Velvel/Koch VEL-CD-79734 CD
Preservation Act 1 21 Sep, 2004 USA Konk/Koch VEL-SC-79808 SACD (hybrid)
Greatest Hits 1970-1986 30 Oct, 2007 USA Konk/Velvel/Koch Records VEL-79822 3 CD set
Preservation Act 1 21 Jun, 2010 UK Konk/Koch/Universal Music 2738375 CD

stereo mix, different mix with a different last verse (4:16), recorded Mar 1973 at Morgan Studios, Willesden, London
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes May 1976 USA RCA Victor APL1-1743 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM
The Kinks' Greatest - Celluloid Heroes 25 Jun, 1976 UK RCA Victor RS 1059 12" vinyl LP (album), 33 1/3 RPM


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