# In 1982, Ray Davies released the most British single of his career. It became The Kinks’ biggest US success

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/in-1982-ray-davies-released-the-most-british-single-of-his-career-it-became-the-kinks-biggest-us-success/
- Published: 2026-11-15T13:00:00+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-15T13:20:09+00:00
- Original publisher: Far Out
- Original article: https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/ray-davies-1982-british-single-became-the-kinks-biggest-us-success/
- Topics: Americas, UK, World

## Key points

- “Come Dancing” became The Kinks’ biggest US hit in 1982.
- MTV helped the distinctly British song find an American audience.
- It peaked at number six in the US and 12 in the UK.

## Summary

The Kinks’ biggest US hit arrived in 1982 with “Come Dancing”, despite Ray Davies considering it among the band’s most distinctly British songs. Its success came nearly two decades after the group’s early British Invasion peers found American audiences, showing how a music video could help the band reach listeners there.

Davies drew on the death of his older sister, who had gone to a dance hall, and the song reflected the band’s North London upbringing. He later said MTV helped break the single in America. It reached number six on the Billboard chart, compared with number 12 in the UK.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.