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}} "Shangri-La" is a song written by Ray Davies of The Kinks. The song appeared on the 1969 concept album, ''Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire).'' The song's inspiration can be traced back to when the band visited the Davies brothers' sister, Rose, and her family in Australia, the "designed community" that the family lived in serving as the lyrical inspiration for the song. The song's lyrics describe the protagonist of the album, Arthur, and his empty life in the suburbs, the musical aspects of the song reflecting the mood of the lyrics. "Shangri-La" was released as the second single from ''Arthur'' in the United Kingdom, backed with "This Man He Weeps Tonight." The single was a commercial failure, not reaching the charts in any countries besides the Netherlands. The members of the band, however, thought highly of the song, with both Dave Davies and John Dalton singling it out for praise. ==Lyrics and music== The inspiration for "Shangri-La" came when Rose Davies, the sister of Kinks members Ray and Dave Davies, moved with her husband to Australia.〔 When the band performed a show in the area during January 1964, the Davies brothers visited their sister in the Adelaide village, Little Elizabeth, where she and her family lived in a semi-detached home in a "designed community." This event was later used as the basis for the song in 1969. The track forms the centerpiece of ''Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire)''.〔 The song opens quietly with an acoustic guitar soon to be joined by Davies singing. The lyrics at this point are condescending, mocking the illusions of the protagonist Arthur that his modest home earned through hard work is a paradise, just because it contains modern conveniences such as indoor plumbing and a rocking chair.〔〔 Davies provides one note of empathy for Arthur's empty life with a line stating that he accepts this because "he's conditioned that way."〔 However, the bridge rocks harder as the lyrics express anger at the superficial suburban lifestyle that Arthur lives and their fear of confronting their "false Eden."〔 The band's guitarist, Dave Davies, has since said that the song's lyrics were misunderstood. He said, "Particularly, I like 'Shangri-La,' a very compassionate song which was totally misinterpreted as though we were having a go at the little, common man." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Shangri-La (The Kinks song)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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