The 1970s single Ray Davies used to attack Paul McCartney, Elton John and “most of all Rod Stewart”

Ray Davies wrote ‘Misfits’ in 1978 as a response to feeling out of place among the rock stars who had risen to prominence since the 1960s. He said he disliked the lifestyles of Paul McCartney and Elton John, and especially Rod Stewart, whom he had known since his youth.

The article sets this reaction against the Kinks’ changing fortunes: after early success with ‘You Really Got Me’ and acclaimed later work, the band struggled to keep pace with the changing rock scene in the mid-1970s. Stewart had moved from London’s mod scene to mainstream stardom, while Davies was uncomfortable with rock’s wealthy, polished image and appreciated punk’s challenge to it. ‘Misfits’ celebrated outsiders but did not return the Kinks to the pop charts or become a major highlight of their catalogue.