“Kinks Shirt” by Matt Nathanson is off his 2013 album, ‘Last of the Great Pretenders’ and in July of that year he released this song as a video and a single.  It was one of the fun songs on the album that shows he isn’t all heartbreak and sadness and that sometimes he can be a good mood or at least sound like he is. According to the Promo CD, the UK Single was going to be released on January 13th, 2014, but they scratched through it and said to “focus” on the song on February 10th. It gives a brief history of Matt to help sell him as an artist. What is really cool about this Promo CD is that Discogs does not even list it as an item in Matt’s discography. It has a ton of his other promo CDs, but not this one. I always love it when I find something that is not on Discogs!!

The song was actually inspired by an actual girl that was wearing a Kinks Shirt.  You know The Kinks, who doesn’t love The Kinks?  No one, that is who.  While recording the album, Matt and his producer and band mates would visit this diner quite frequently, I mean like every day for lunch.  There was a girl that worked there with tattoos and piercings and nothing like someone that Matt would normally be attracted to maybe, but someone he was obsessed with.  Not in a crazy stalker way, but more fantasizing way.  He was so mesmerized by her that she inspired this song.

The song is an uptempo pop song, plain and simple.  It is so catchy, fun and you can’t help but get caught up in the beat and dance around a little.  Lyrically, Matt paints a vivid picture of this girl wearing The Kinks shirt and you can picture every little detail about her and how she makes him feel.  Who hasn’t had a girl at one time you were mentally in love with, but never approached her to see what could’ve been.

The video was directed by Bobcat Goldthwait…yes, that Bobcat. Matt pitched the idea of seeing a stripper with tattoos and wearing a Kinks’ shirt. Matt falls for her and when he takes her back to have sex, find out she is a he and he doesn’t care.

I hope you enjoyed it and there will a few more promo CDs of Matt coming soon. Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a great day!