Lola

About

Lola was written by Ray Davies of The Kinks and originally released in 1970 on the album Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One. Robbie Williams recorded his version in 2007 for BBC Radio 1’s anniversary compilation Established 1967, which celebrated 40 years of the station by pairing contemporary artists with classic songs from each year of its history. His rendition was produced by Guy Chambers, marking an unannounced reunion between the two after several years apart.

Williams’s version retains the song’s rock backbone but adds a slicker, more muscular production, highlighting his distinctive rasp and confident phrasing. The original, famously a witty tale about an encounter with a trans woman in a Soho nightclub, remains one of The Kinks’ most iconic songs. Williams’s vocal captures both the humour and the ambiguity of Davies’s lyrics, delivering them with warmth and self-assurance.

“The Kinks were one of the best bands Britain ever produced. ‘Lola’ is cheeky, clever and timeless — the kind of song every writer wishes they’d come up with.”Robbie Williams

Although Lola was never released as a single, its inclusion on Established 1967 was praised for the strength of Williams’s performance and for the ease with which he tackled a classic of British songwriting. The session also signalled a quiet creative reconnection with Chambers, foreshadowing their eventual reunion on later projects.