\n<\/p>\n
In January 1978, Van Halen<\/a> released their debut single, a cover of the Kinks<\/a>\u2019 \u201cYou Really Got Me.\u201d The tune became a radio hit and helped launch\u00a0Van Halen’s career \u2013 but what did the Kinks think of it?<\/p>\n Van Halen\u2019s interpretation of the tune deviated notably from the original, giving the classic track some hair metal flare. Among the biggest differences, Eddie Van Halen<\/a>\u2019s monstrous guitar riffage, which propelled the high-octane cover.<\/p>\n Van Halen originally discovered \u201cYou Really Got Me\u201d when they were playing club gigs on the Sunset Strip. “Back in our bar days, I bought a double-album from K-Tel or something that had 30 Kinks tunes on it,\u201d David Lee Roth<\/a> recalled in the book Van Halen: Exuberant California, Zen Rock ‘n’ Roll<\/em>. \u201cWe learned all of one side and played them into the dirt during the club gigs, twice a night each one, because they sounded good and they were great to dance to.”<\/p>\n When the Kinks\u2019 Dave Davies<\/a> heard Van Halen\u2019s version of \u201cYou Really Got Me\u201d for the first time, he was taken back.<\/p>\n \u201cWhy would they copy our recording?\u201d the guitarist wondered, noting it was a \u201cvery flashy\u201d rendition. \u201cThey almost [made it] more R&B,\u201d Dave opined during an appearance on the Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan<\/a><\/em> podcast.<\/p>\nThe Kinks’ Reaction to Van Halen’s Cover<\/h3>\n