The Kinks - Victoria

"Victoria" is a song written by Ray Davies of the Kinks. It is the opening track on the band's 1969 concept album Arthur (Or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire). The production begins with a simple heavy rock electric blues guitar riff, carried through each verse and chorus, while the "Land of hope and gloria" bridge and raucous background vocals from Dave Davies build to an exultant climax of brass. In the US, "Victoria" was the lead single from Arthur, backed with album track "Brainwashed", and reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100 – their highest position there since their top 20 hit "Sunny Afternoon" in 1966. In the UK, The Kinks' previous two singles had failed to chart. "Victoria" was released as the third and final single from the album in December (backed with "Mr. Churchill Says"), returning them to the UK Singles Chart, reaching a peak of No. 33. In Canada, the song was a hit in the greater Toronto area, reaching No. 9 on the CHUM Top 30 on 21 March 1970, and staying in the charts for a number of weeks. In Australia, it spent seven weeks in the charts, peaking at No. 57.