I'm in Disgrace

"I'm in Disgrace" is the opening track on the second side of The Kinks' 1975 concept album, Schoolboys in Disgrace. It was written by Ray Davies.

Background

"I'm in Disgrace" plays an important role in the plot line of Schoolboys in Disgrace lyrically, as it describes the main character, Jack (a young Mr. Flash), being publicly disgraced for his inappropriate behavior with his former girlfriend. According to Jack, the first two times that he saw her, he was in love with the girl, but because he was treated "with such distaste" the third time, he now wishes he'd "never seen [her] face." Now, because he "fell for [her] pretty face", he's "in disgrace" and his "name's dirt." However, he claims that "it wasn't lust, it wasn't rape, it was just a mistake" and says to his girlfriend that "There's no use blaming me and saying I was your ruination Because it was you equally That got us into this situation." In the next track on the album, "Headmaster", he refers to the incident as he confesses to the headmaster that "I've been with those naughty little girls again, now those naughty little girls are going to put me to shame."

The lyrics in this track reference a moment in Ray Davies's brother and bandmate, Dave youth. Davies was very rebellious, (the polar opposite of his introspective brother, Ray), and he often got into trouble. One time, as a fifteen-year-old, Davies was expelled from school after he was discovered having intercourse with Sue Sheehan, his girlfriend at the time.^[1]^[2] on Hampstead Heath. The two were promptly separated by their families when Sue discovered she was pregnant. This event influenced Davies, as well as his songwriting. Songs such as "Funny Face", "Susannah's Still Alive", and "Mindless Child of Motherhood" were related to this event.

Release and reception

"I'm in Disgrace" was the debut single from Schoolboys in Disgrace in America, where it was backed with "The Hard Way", a popular live track from the same album. It was, like many Kinks singles of this time period, unpopular, as it did not make a mark in the charts.

Despite its poor commercial showing, the track is often mentioned as one of the best tracks from Schoolboys in Disgrace. Paul Nelson of Rolling Stone said that "'I'm in Disgrace' is a terrific rock & roll song about erotic confusion and shame."^[3] AllMusic's Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited the track as a highlight from the album.

References

↑ Thomas M. Kitts (2008). Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else. New York/Abingdon: Routledge. p. 4.
↑ "The Dedicated Follower". Uncut. January 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2012.
↑ Nelson, Paul. "Rolling Stone". Retrieved 2014-05-14.

The Kinks

Ray Davies Dave Davies Mick Avory Pete Quaife John Dalton Gordon Edwards Ian Gibbons John Gosling Mark Haley Bob Henrit Andy Pyle Jim Rodford Nicky Hopkins Shel Talmy

Studio albums	Kinks Kinda Kinks The Kink Kontroversy Face to Face Something Else by The Kinks The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire) Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One Muswell Hillbillies Everybody's in Show-Biz Preservation Act 1 Preservation Act 2 Soap Opera Schoolboys in Disgrace Sleepwalker Misfits Low Budget Give the People What They Want State of Confusion Word of Mouth Think Visual UK Jive Phobia

Live albums	Live at Kelvin Hall One for the Road Live: The Road To the Bone

EPs	Kinksize Session Kwyet Kinks

Compilations	Kinks-Size Kinkdom Greatest Hits! Well Respected Kinks Sunny Afternoon The Kink Kronikles The Great Lost Kinks Album The Kinks Are Well Respected Men Lost & Found (1986–1989) The Ultimate Collection Picture Book

Unreleased projects	Four More Respected Gentlemen A Hole in the Sock of (Dave Davies)

Stage	Sunny Afternoon (musical)

Related articles	Discography Band members Konk The Kast Off Kinks Argent X-Ray Percy Do It Again Give the People What We Want: Songs of The Kinks

Book Category Portal WikiProject

The Kinks singles discography

UK and US singles 1960s	1964 "Long Tall Sally" "You Still Want Me" "You Really Got Me" "All Day and All of the Night" 1965 "Tired of Waiting for You" "Ev'rybody's Gonna Be Happy" "Set Me Free" "See My Friends" "Who'll Be the Next in Line" "A Well Respected Man" "Till the End of the Day" 1966 "Dedicated Follower of Fashion" "Sunny Afternoon" "Dead End Street" 1967 "Mister Pleasant" "Waterloo Sunset" "Death of a Clown" (Dave Davies solo) "Autumn Almanac" "Susannah's Still Alive" (Dave Davies solo) 1968 "Wonderboy" "Days" "Lincoln County" (Dave Davies solo) 1969 "Starstruck" "Hold My Hand" (Dave Davies solo) "Plastic Man" "Drivin'" "The Village Green Preservation Society" "Shangri-La" "Victoria"

UK and US singles 1970s	1970 "Lola" "Apeman" 1971 "God's Children" "20th Century Man" 1972 "Supersonic Rocket Ship" "Celluloid Heroes" 1973 "One of the Survivors" "Sitting in the Midday Sun" "Sweet Lady Genevieve" "Where Have All the Good Times Gone" 1974 "Money Talks" "Mirror of Love" "Mirror of Love" (Band Version) "Holiday Romance" "Preservation" 1975 "Everybody's a Star (Starmaker)" "Ducks on the Wall" "You Can't Stop the Music" 1976 "I'm in Disgrace" "No More Looking Back" 1977 "Sleepwalker" "Juke Box Music" "Father Christmas" 1978 "A Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy" "Live Life" "Black Messiah" 1979 "(Wish I Could Fly Like) Superman" "A Gallon of Gas" "Catch Me Now I'm Falling" "Moving Pictures" "Pressure"

UK and US singles 1980s	1980 "Lola" (live) "You Really Got Me" (live) 1981 "Better Things" "Destroyer" "Predictable" 1982 "Come Dancing" 1983 "Don't Forget to Dance" 1984 "Good Day" "Do It Again" 1985 "Living on a Thin Line" (Radio Promo only) "Summer's Gone" 1986 "Rock 'n' Roll Cities" "How Are You" 1987 "Lost and Found" 1988 "The Road" 1989 "Down All the Days (Till 1992)"

UK and US singles 1990s	1990 "How Do I Get Close" 1993 "Only a Dream" "Scattered"

Notable Non-UK/US Singles	1966 "Dandy" (Europe) 1969 "Picture Book" (Australia) "Australia" (Australia) 1983 "State of Confusion" (Germany) 1991 "Did Ya" (Europe)

Other Selected Songs	"Bald Headed Woman" "Stop Your Sobbing" "I Need You" "I Go to Sleep" "I'm Not Like Everybody Else" "Big Black Smoke" "Party Line" "Rosie Won't You Please Come Home" "Love Me Till the Sun Shines" "David Watts" "Two Sisters" "Polly" "She's Got Everything" "Do You Remember Walter?" "Johnny Thunder" "Last of the Steam-Powered Trains" "Big Sky" "Sitting by the Riverside" "Animal Farm" "Village Green" "Phenomenal Cat" "All of My Friends Were There" "Wicked Annabella" "Monica" "People Take Pictures of Each Other" "Berkeley Mews" "Mr. Churchill Says" "Strangers" "This Time Tomorrow" "Rats" "Got to Be Free" "Have a Cuppa Tea" "Oklahoma U.S.A." "Muswell Hillbilly" "Sitting in My Hotel" "The Hard Way" "Life Goes On" "Misfits" "Attitude" "Low Budget" "Give the People What They Want" "Heart of Gold" "Long Distance"

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