When the Kinks and "Lola" got people's undies in a bundle

 

Headline:  Financial Times, 5/20/2019

Dan Einav reports:

In the halcyon days of rock, there was scarcely a band around that wasn’t getting in trouble with the authorities over coke, and The Kinks were no exception. Well, sort of. While other groups were being busted for cocaine possession, Ray Davies and his band found themselves in hot water with broadcasting regulators for mentioning the Coca-Cola brand in their 1970 single “Lola” — sex, soft drinks and rock’n’roll, as they say. 

While the BBC was so scandalised by the song’s use of the words “Coca-Cola” that it banned the track (because of its policy against product placement, whether voluntary or otherwise), other broadcasters were more perturbed by the fact that “Lola” was full of risqué allusions to the first of the above triumvirate of vices. For countless stations from Australia to the US, this record about a “shook-up world” in which “girls will be boys, and boys will be girls” was deemed far too destabilising to air. 

The song’s combination of an attention-grabbing intro riff, arch lyrics and a catchy chorus meant that “Lola” became an immediate hit, reaching number two in the UK charts and breaking into the top US top 10. For The Kinks, this success served as much-needed proof of their commercial viability, giving them leverage to renegotiate their contract with their label, RCA*. Guitarist Dave Davies later hypothesised that had “Lola” flopped, the group would probably have disbanded.

 *The Kinks recorded for Reprise records from 1964 (first single: "You Really Got Me") until 1970.  "Apeman" was released in early 1971.  Their first RCA single, "20th Century Man", was released in 1972 and never reached the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at #106 on the "Bubbling Under" chart.

"Lola" debuted at #65 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the week ending August 29, 1970.  It spent 14 weeks on the chart, peaking at #9 for 2 weeks in October.

According to Merriam-Webster, the first-known use of 'undies', as in a shortening and alteration of 'underwear', occurred in 1900. 

Other coinages from the same year include:

1. airwaves
2. ball of fire
3. emergency brake
4. flub
5. hearken back
6. overexaggerate
7. panic button
8. pileup
9. plow under