Songs for Insomniacs 67: The Kinks, “Shangri-La”; “Million Pound Semi-Detached”

Two Ray Davies numbers about the dream of the working class to find stability via home ownership.

“Shangri-La” from Arthur (increasingly reappraised after its 1969 release as a masterpiece by the Kinks or anyone else) is more ironic (“And all the houses in the street have got a name, ’cause all the houses in the street they look the same”), while “Million Pound Semi-Detached” (recorded over a decade later) finds comfort in the comfort that a humble family has found in their home purchase.

Songs for Insomniacs Playlist