Editing Waterloo Sunset

{{short description|1967 single by the Kinks}}
{{about|the song by the Kinks|the album by Barb Jungr|Waterloo Sunset (album)}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox song
| name       = Waterloo Sunset
| cover      = Waterloo Sunset West German picture sleeve.jpg
| caption    = West German picture sleeve
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[the Kinks]]
| album      = [[Something Else by the Kinks]]
| B-side     = *"Act Nice and Gentle" (UK)
* "[[Two Sisters (The Kinks song)|Two Sisters]]" (US)
| released   = {{start date|1967|05|05|df=y}}
| recorded   = 3, 10 and {{nowrap|13 April 1967}}{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=96, 98, 99}}
| studio     = [[Pye Studios|Pye]], London{{sfn|Hinman|2004|pp=96, 98, 99}}
| venue      =
| genre      = *[[Pop music|Pop]]<ref>{{harvnb|Bennett|1997|p=23}}; {{harvnb|Harris|2003|p=87}}.</ref>
* [[Rock music|rock]]{{sfn|Luhrssen|Larson|2017|p=197}}
* [[Psychedelic music|psychedelia]]{{sfn|Matijas-Mecca|2020|p=104}}
| length     = {{duration|m=3|s=16}}
| label      = *[[Pye Records|Pye]] (UK)
* [[Reprise Records|Reprise]] (US)
| writer     = [[Ray Davies]]
| producer   = Ray Davies
| chronology = The Kinks UK
| prev_title = [[Dead End Street (song)|Dead End Street]]
| prev_year  = 1966
| title      = Waterloo Sunset
| year       = 1967
| next_title = [[Autumn Almanac]]
| next_year  = 1967
| misc       = {{extra chronology
 | artist     = The Kinks US
 | type       = single
| prev_title = [[Mister Pleasant]]
| prev_year  = 1967
 | title      = Waterloo Sunset
 | year       = 1967
| next_title = [[Autumn Almanac]]
| next_year  = 1967
}} {{Audio sample
 | type = single
 | file = Kinks_-_Waterloo_Sunset.ogg
}}
}}

"'''Waterloo Sunset'''" is a song by English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Kinks]]. It was released as a single on 5 May{{nbsp}}1967 and featured on the album ''[[Something Else by the Kinks]]'' later that year. Written and produced by Kinks frontman [[Ray Davies]], "Waterloo Sunset" is one of the band's best-known and most acclaimed songs, and was ranked number 14 on the 2021 edition of [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|''Rolling Stone''{{'}}s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]] list. It was also their first single that was available in true [[Stereophonic sound|stereo]].

"Waterloo Sunset" reached number 2 on the British charts in mid-1967. It was a top 10 hit in Australia, New Zealand and most of Europe. It was also released as a single in North America, but failed to chart there.

==History==
[[File:Waterloo Sunset. - geograph.org.uk - 123522.jpg|thumb|A sunset over [[Waterloo, London]], taken from the [[Victoria Embankment]] in 2001]]
Interviewed in May 1967, [[Ray Davies]] stated that he wrote "Waterloo Sunset" having had "the actual melody line in my head for two or three years".<ref name="exploitdave">{{cite journal |title="I should exploit Dave more..." |journal=The History of Rock: 1967 |date=September 2015 |url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/New-Musical-Express/History-of-Rock/TheHistoryOfRock1967.pdf |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> He initially titled the song "Liverpool Sunset", but scrapped the Liverpool theme after the release of [[the Beatles]]' song "[[Penny Lane]]".<ref name="exploitdave"/><ref name="liverpool">{{cite web|title=Ray Davies: Waterloo Sunset was originally Liverpool Sunset|url=http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/liverpool-entertainment/echo-entertainment/2010/05/14/ray-davies-waterloo-sunset-was-originally-liverpool-sunset-100252-26442323/|author=Jade Wright|date=13 May 2010|work=liverpoolecho}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/waterloosunset1.shtml|title=BBC - Radio 2 - Sold On Song - TOP 100 - Number 19 - Waterloo Sunset}}</ref>{{refn|group=nb|In a 2010 interview with the ''[[Liverpool Echo]]'', Davies elaborated: "[[Liverpool]] is my favourite city... ...I was inspired by [[Merseybeat]]. I'd fallen in love with Liverpool by that point. On every tour, that was the best reception. We played [[The Cavern Club|The Cavern]], all those old places, and I couldn't get enough of it. I had a load of mates in bands up there, and that sound – not the Beatles but Merseybeat – that was unbelievable. It used to inspire me every time. So I wrote "Liverpool Sunset". Later it got changed to "Waterloo Sunset", but there's still that play on words with Waterloo. London was home, I'd grown up there, but I like to think I could be an adopted [[Scouse]]r. My heart is definitely there."<ref name="liverpool"/>}}

The lyrics describe a solitary narrator watching (or imagining) two lovers passing over a bridge, with the observer reflecting on the couple, the [[Thames]], and [[London Waterloo railway station|Waterloo station]].<ref name="AllmusicWaterloo">{{cite web|title=Waterloo Sunset|publisher=Allmusic|url={{AllMusic|class=song|id=t5593941|pure_url=yes}}|last=Maginnis|first=Tom|access-date=27 November 2009}}</ref><ref name="Spinner"/> Speaking in 2010, Davies commented "I didn't think to make it about Waterloo, initially, but I realised the place was so very significant in my life. I was in [[St Thomas' Hospital]] when I was really ill [when he had a [[tracheotomy]] aged 13] and the nurses would wheel me out on the balcony to look at the river. It was also about being taken down to the 1951 [[Festival of Britain]]. It's about the two characters – and the aspirations of my sisters' generation who grew up during the Second World War. It's about the world I wanted them to have. That, and then walking by the Thames with my first wife and all the dreams that we had."<ref>{{cite web |title=Ray Davies – How a lonely Londoner created one of the great Sixties |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/ray-davies--how-a-lonely-londoner-created-one-of-the-great-sixties-songs-2343826.html |date=23 October 2011|work=The Independent}}</ref> The two lovers in the lyric are named as Terry and Julie.<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/arts/main.jhtml?xml=/arts/2008/02/03/sv_juliechristie.xml&page=2|title=Julie Christie: Still Our Darling|work=The Sunday Telegraph|date=3 February 2008|access-date=27 November 2009 |location=London |first=David |last=Jenkins}}{{dead link|date=July 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Interviewed in May 1967, Davies stated in 1967 that "if you look at the song as a kind of film, I suppose Terry would be [[Terence Stamp]] and Julie would be [[Julie Christie]]", referring to the popular British film actors romantically linked at the time.<ref name="Rogan 18">Rogan, Johnny (1998). p. 18</ref><ref name="Variety 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |title=Variety biography of Julie Christie |access-date=27 November 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422201702/http://www.variety.com/profiles/people/Biography/29040/Julie+Christie.html?dataSet=1 |archive-date=22 April 2009}}</ref><ref name="Telegraph"/> Latterly, Davies has refuted this connection; in 2008, he described the song as "a fantasy about my sister going off with her boyfriend to a new world", referring to Rosy Davies, who moved to Australia in 1964.<ref name="Spinner">{{cite web |url=http://www.spinner.com/2008/03/27/the-kinks-ray-davies-serves-up-songs-at-the-working-mans-cafe/ |title=The Kinks' Ray Davies Serves Up Songs at the 'Working Man's Cafe' |author=Baltin, Steve |date=27 March 2008 |publisher=Spinner |access-date=8 December 2009}}</ref><ref name="Independent Well Respected">{{cite news |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-kinks-well-respected-man-545632.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090422205942/http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/the-kinks-well-respected-man-545632.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 April 2009|title=The Kinks: Well respected man|work=[[The Independent]]|date=10 September 2004|access-date=27 November 2009 |location=London}}</ref>

The song was the first Kinks recording produced solely by Ray Davies, without longtime producer [[Shel Talmy]]; Talmy's contract with the band had expired in spring 1967.<ref name="kitts">{{cite book |last=Kitts |first=Thomas M. |title=Ray Davies: Not Like Everybody Else |date=2008 |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=9781135867959 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RICQAgAAQBAJ |access-date=4 December 2022}}</ref> Because of its complex arrangement, the sessions for "Waterloo Sunset" lasted ten hours;<ref name="Kitts Waterloo">Kitts, Thomas (2007). pp. 86–87</ref> [[Dave Davies]] later commented on the recording: "We spent a lot of time trying to get a different guitar sound, to get a more unique feel for the record. In the end we used a tape-delay echo, but it sounded new because nobody had done it since the 1950s. I remember [[Steve Marriott]] of the [[Small Faces]] came up and asked me how we'd got that sound. We were almost trendy for a while."<ref name="Savage 87">Savage, Jon (1984). p. 87.</ref>

== "Act Nice and Gentle" ==
The B-side "Act Nice and Gentle" was exclusive to this single, and has been described as a plea for "some civility".<ref>{{cite book|last=Hasted|first=Nick|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eDv_AgAAQBAJ&q=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&pg=PT127|title=You Really Got Me: The Story of The Kinks|date=2017-10-01|publisher=Omnibus Press|isbn=978-0-85712-991-8}}</ref> It has a "country-western influence" that foreshadowed ''[[Muswell Hillbillies]]'', and later appeared on album as a bonus track with the 1998 reissue of ''[[Something Else by the Kinks]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Fleiner|first=Carey|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CIKHDQAAQBAJ&q=Act+Nice+and+Gentle+The+Kinks&pg=PA32|title=The Kinks: A Thoroughly English Phenomenon|date=2017-03-01|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=978-1-4422-3542-7}}</ref>

==Legacy and accolades==
[[File:Waterloo station main entrance.JPG|thumb|[[London Waterloo station|Waterloo Station]], London]]
In Britain, the song is commonly considered to be Davies' most famous work, and it has been "regarded by many as the apogee of the [[swinging sixties]]".<ref name="Laing">{{cite news |last=Laing |first=Allan |date=22 February 2001 |title=Waterloo sunset not so fine, says Davies |url=https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160911125121/https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-23833806.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 September 2016 |newspaper=[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]] |location=Glasgow |access-date=24 June 2016 }}</ref> Highly esteemed for its musical and lyrical qualities, the song is commonly the subject of study in university arts courses.<ref name="Laing"/> Davies largely dismisses such praise and has even suggested that he would like to go back and alter some of the lyrics; most professionals, however, generally side with the observation of Ken Garner, a lecturer at [[Caledonian University]] in Glasgow, who said: "Davies, like all the best singer-songwriters, is intensely self-critical."<ref name="Laing"/>

Pop music journalist [[Robert Christgau]] has called the song "the most beautiful song in the English language".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.robertchristgau.com/get_artist.php?name=the+kinks|title= Robert Christgau, Consumer Guide: The Kinks|website=Robertchristgau.com}}</ref> [[Pete Townshend]] of [[the Who]] has called it "divine" and "a masterpiece".<ref>{{YouTube|-u3U2I84sGA|The Kinks - UK Music Hall of Fame 2005}}</ref> In 1972, ''[[Record World]]'' said that it "may be the best thing [the Kinks have] ever done."<ref name=rw2>{{cite magazine|magazine=Record World|date=May 20, 1972|accessdate=2023-04-01|title=Single Picks|page=10|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/70s/72/RW-1972-05-20.pdf}}</ref> [[Damon Albarn]] was similarly effusive, naming it the one song he wished he had written, and commenting that "It's the most perfect song I could ever hope to write, with my sort of voice."<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-03-21 |title=Blur's Damon Albarn wishes he wrote 'Waterloo Sunset |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-song-damon-albarn-wishes-he-wrote-its-the-most-perfect-song/ |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> [[AllMusic]] senior editor [[Stephen Thomas Erlewine]] concurred, citing it as "possibly the most beautiful song of the rock and roll era".<ref>{{cite web|last=Erlewine|first=Stephen Thomas|author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine|title=To the Bone - The Kinks {{!}} Songs, Reviews, Credits|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/to-the-bone-mw0000071485|publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref> In 2004, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine placed the song at number 42 on their list of "[[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time|The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time]]",<ref name="rs">{{cite magazine|date=11 December 2003|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-151127/the-kinks-waterloo-sunset-69046/|access-date=3 April 2021|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]}}</ref> and was re-ranked at number 14 on the 2021 list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-songs-of-all-time-1224767/the-kinks-waterloo-sunset-2-1225324/|title=Waterloo Sunset ranked #14 on Rolling Stone 500 Greatest Songs List|magazine=Rolling Stone|date=15 September 2021 |access-date=16 September 2021}}</ref> Ray Davies performed "Waterloo Sunset" at the closing ceremony of the [[London 2012 Olympics]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Moreton |first=Cole |date=22 July 2016 |title=London 2012 Olympics: The perfect stage for Ray Davies's Waterloo Sunset |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/9417179/London-2012-Olympics-The-perfect-stage-for-Ray-Daviess-Waterloo-Sunset.html |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=London |access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref> A subsequent reissue of the Kinks' original single entered the UK charts at #47.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kluv.cbslocal.com/2012/08/22/the-olympic-effect-the-kinks-john-lennon-more-re-enter-uk-charts/ |title=The Olympic Effect: The Kinks, John Lennon & More Re-enter UK Charts |author=Mapes, Jillian |date=22 August 2012 |publisher=[[KSPF|KLUV]] |website=Kluv.cbslocal.com/ |access-date=25 June 2016}}</ref>

==Personnel==
According to band researcher Doug Hinman:{{sfn|Hinman|2004|p=99}}

'''The Kinks'''
* [[Ray Davies]]{{snd}} lead and backing vocals, acoustic guitar, piano
* [[Dave Davies]]{{snd}} backing vocal, electric guitar
* [[Pete Quaife]]{{snd}} backing vocal, bass guitar
* [[Mick Avory]]{{snd}} drums

'''Additional musician'''
* Rasa Davies{{snd}} backing vocal

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1967)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Australia (''[[Go-Set]]'')<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://gosetcharts.com/1967/19670726.html|title=Go-Set Australian charts - 26 July 1967|website=www.poparchives.com.au}}</ref>
|4
|-
!scope="row"|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book|title=Australian Chart Book 1940–1969|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|publisher=Australian Chart Book Pty Ltd, Turramurra, N.S.W. |year=2005|isbn=0-646-44439-5|title-link=Kent Music Report}}</ref>
|4
|-
{{single chart|Austria|10|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Flanders|6|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Wallonia|8|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|Denmark ([[DR (broadcaster)|Danmarks Radio]])<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-04-09 |title=danskehitlister.dk |url=http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1967&hitlist_item_id=1094 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160409074436/http://danskehitlister.dk/?hitlist_id=12&y=1967&hitlist_item_id=1094 |archive-date=2016-04-09  |access-date=2022-06-22 }}</ref>
|5
|-
{{single chart|Germany|7|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|songid=12238|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|3|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch40|1|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|Dutch100|1|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|New Zealand (''[[New Zealand Listener|Listener]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.flavourofnz.co.nz/index.php?qpageID=search%20listener&qsongid=1510#n_view_location|title=flavour of new zealand - search listener |website=Flavourofnz.co.nz |access-date=2022-06-22}}</ref>
|7
|-
{{single chart|Norway|7|artist=The Kinks|song=Waterloo Sunset|rowheader=true}}
|-
!scope="row"|Rhodesia ([[Lyons Maid]])<ref>Kimberley, C. ''Zimbabwe: Singles Chart Book''. Harare: C. Kimberley, 2000</ref>
|3
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden ([[Kvällstoppen]])<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hallberg|first=Eric|title=Eric Hallberg presenterar Kvällstoppen i P 3: Sveriges radios topplista över veckans 20 mest sålda skivor 10. 7. 1962 - 19. 8. 1975|publisher=Drift Musik|year=193|isbn=9163021404|location=|pages=}}</ref>
|14
|-
!scope="row"|Sweden (''[[Tio i Topp]]'')<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hallberg |first1=Eric |title=Eric Hallberg, Ulf Henningsson presenterar Tio i topp med de utslagna på försök: 1961 - 74 |last2=Henningsson |first2=Ulf |publisher=Premium Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=919727125X |location= |pages=205}}</ref>
|4
|-
{{single chart|UKsinglesbyname|2|artist=Kinks|artistid=11246|rowheader=true}}
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=Kinks|title=Waterloo Sunset|award=Platinum|relyear=2004|certyear=2024|id=14906-1446-1|access-date=9 October 2024}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true|nosales=true}}

==Cathy Dennis version==
{{Infobox song
| name       = Waterloo Sunset
| cover      = Cathy WS single.jpg
| alt        =
| type       = single
| artist     = [[Cathy Dennis]]
| album      = [[Am I the Kinda Girl?]]
| B-side     = Consolidation
| released   = 1997
| recorded   =
| studio     =
| venue      =
| genre      =
| length     = 3:41
| label      = [[Polydor Records|Polydor]]
| writer     = [[Ray Davies]]
| producer   =
* Cathy Dennis
* [[Mark Saunders (record producer)|Mark Saunders]]
| prev_title = [[West End Pad]]
| prev_year  = 1996
| next_title = [[When Dreams Turn to Dust]]
| next_year  = 1997
}}

British singer-songwriter [[Cathy Dennis]] recorded a version of the song that was released as the second single from her 1997 album, ''[[Am I the Kinda Girl?]]''. Her version peaked at number 11 on the [[UK Singles Chart]] and number seven in Iceland. Both versions of the [[CD single]] feature a cover of another Kinks song: "[[Sunny Afternoon]]".

===Critical reception===
British magazine ''[[Music Week]]'' rated Dennis' version three out of five. The reviewer wrote, "The approval of [[Ray Davies]] — who appears in the video — will help the cause of this cover which captures the atmosphere and laziness of [[The Kinks]]' original. This could be the hit to kick off the album ''[[Am I the Kinda Girl?|Am I The Kinda Girl?]]''."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-10-05.pdf|first=|last=|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=5 October 1996|page=12|accessdate=6 September 2021}}</ref> In a 1997 review, the magazine gave it two out of five, adding, "Ray Davies's song is given an unremarkable treatment by the former [[Electronic dance music|dance]] chanteuse, but television exposure should help this reach the Top 40."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=|last=|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1997/Music-Week-1997-02-01.pdf|title=Reviews: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|date=1 February 1997|page=27|accessdate=8 May 2022}}</ref>

===Music video===
The accompanying [[music video]] for "Waterloo Sunset" consists of Dennis singing the song whilst travelling alone in a taxi driven by Ray Davies in a cameo role. The scenes visible outside the taxi windows vary between the London of the 1990s and footage of various locations (e.g. driving up [[Piccadilly]] with [[Green Park tube station]] on the left, [[Knightsbridge tube station]] and the small dome<ref>on the corner of [[City Road]] and Tabernacle Street; as of 2020 this listed building is the [[Travelodge]] London Central City Road</ref> north of [[Finsbury Square]]) as they were in the 1960s.

===Track listings===
* '''UK CD1'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=[[Cathy Dennis]]|year=1997|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=[[Polydor Records]]|id=575 961 2}}</ref>
# "Waterloo Sunset"
# "Consolation"
# "[[Sunny Afternoon]]"
# "I Just Love You"
* '''UK CD2'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=Cathy Dennis|year=1997|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Polydor Records|id=575 963-2}}</ref>
# "Waterloo Sunset"
# "Consolation"
# "Sunny Afternoon"
# "West End Pad" (Alternative Supple 7-inch) – 3:41
* '''UK cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Waterloo Sunset|others=Cathy Dennis|year=1997|type=UK cassette single sleeve liner notes|publisher=Polydor Records|id=5759604}}</ref>
# "Waterloo Sunset"
# "Consolation"

===Charts===
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

====Weekly charts====
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1997)
!Peak<br />position
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1997/MM-1997-03-15.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=14|issue=11|page=13|date=15 March 1997|access-date=6 March 2020}}</ref>
|51
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland ([[Íslenski listinn|Íslenski Listinn Topp 40]])<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2952843#page/n1/mode/2up|title=Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 (27.3. '97 – 2.4. '97)|work=[[DV (newspaper)|Dagblaðið Vísir]]|language=is|page=28|date=26 March 1997|access-date=2 October 2019}}</ref>
|7
|-
{{single chart|Scotland|9|date=19970301|access-date=21 December 2018|rowheader=true}}
|-
{{single chart|UK|11|date=19970301|access-date=10 March 2016|rowheader=true}}
|}
{{col-2}}

====Year-end charts====
{|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1997)
!Position
|-
!scope="row"|Iceland (Íslenski Listinn Topp 40)<ref>{{cite news|url=https://timarit.is/page/2963913?iabr=on#page/n15/mode/2up/|title=Árslistinn 1997 – Íslenski Listinn – 100 Vinsælustu Lögin|newspaper=Dagblaðið Vísir|language=is|page=25|date=2 January 1998|access-date=16 February 2020}}</ref>
|80
|}
{{col-end}}

==Other versions==
The song has been recorded by many other artists, including [[the Jam]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.allmusic.com/song/waterloo-sunset-mt0039738874 | title=Waterloo Sunset by the Jam - Track Info &#124; AllMusic | website=[[AllMusic]] }}</ref> [[Def Leppard]],<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.defleppard.com/song/waterloo-sunset/ | title=Waterloo Sunset | date=15 October 2015 }}</ref> [[Elliott Smith]] and [[David Bowie]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/5-best-covers-of-the-kinks-waterloo-sunset/ | title=The 5 best covers of the Kinks' 'Waterloo Sunset' - Far Out Magazine | date=5 May 2021 }}</ref>

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite journal |last1=Bennett |first1=Andy |title='Village greens and terraced streets': Britpop and representations of 'Britishness' |journal=YOUNG |date=December 1997 |volume=5 |issue=4 |pages=20–33 |doi=10.1177/110330889700500402 |s2cid=142998506 |url=https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/110330889700500402 |language=en |issn=1103-3088|url-access=subscription }}
* {{cite book |last1=Harris |first1=John |author1-link=John Harris (critic) |title=The Last Party: Britpop, Blair and the Demise of English Rock |date=2003 |publisher=[[HarperCollins|Fourth Estate]] |location=London |isbn=0-00-713472-X |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mI0wAQAAIAAJ |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hinman |first1=Doug |title=The Kinks: All Day and All of the Night: Day-by-Day Concerts, Recordings and Broadcasts, 1961–1996 |date=2004 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=San Francisco, California |isbn=978-0-87930-765-3}}
* {{cite book |editor1-last=Luhrssen |editor1-first=David |editor2-last=Larson |editor2-first=Michael |title=Encyclopedia of Classic Rock |date=2017 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-4408-3514-8 |pages=195–197 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=phsIDgAAQBAJ |language=en |chapter=Kinks}}
* {{cite book |last1=Matijas-Mecca |first1=Christian |title=Listen to Psychedelic Rock! Exploring a Musical Genre |date=2020 |publisher=[[ABC-CLIO]] |location=Santa Barbara, California |isbn=978-1-4408-6198-7 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=knTtDwAAQBAJ |language=en |via=[[Google Books]]}}
* {{cite book |last=Pegg |first=Nicholas |author-link=Nicholas Pegg |title=The Complete David Bowie |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LqFkDQAAQBAJ |publisher=[[Titan Books]] |location=London |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-78565-365-0 |edition=Revised and Updated }}
{{refend}}

{{The Kinks}}
{{The Kinks singles}}
{{Cathy Dennis}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:The Kinks songs]]
[[Category:1967 singles]]
[[Category:Dutch Top 40 number-one singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Shel Talmy]]
[[Category:1997 singles]]
[[Category:Cathy Dennis songs]]
[[Category:Songs about London]]
[[Category:Songs about loneliness]]
[[Category:Songs written by Ray Davies]]
[[Category:Culture associated with the River Thames]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Ray Davies]]
[[Category:Pye Records singles]]
[[Category:Psychedelic pop songs]]
[[Category:1967 songs]]
[[Category:Reprise Records singles]]
[[Category:Polydor Records singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Mark Saunders]]
[[Category:Pop ballads]]
[[Category:1960s ballads]]
[[Category:UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles]]