“Stop Your Sobbing“ (33) is a song written by Ray Davies. The Kinks recorded “Stop Your Sobbing” on their first album, which was rushed out in order to capitalize on the success of “You Really Got Me.” Kinks biographer Rob Jovanovic writes that “Stop Your Sobbing” was supposedly written by Ray about a former girlfriend who, fearing that fame would change him, broke down in tears upon seeing how popular he had become. Davies biographer Thomas Kitts instead suggests that the song may have been inspired by Davies having recently broken up with an old girlfriend. The song has the singer upset that his girlfriend cries too much, and he wants her to stop. The singer’s pleas fail and by the end of the song he remains frustrated at the unresolved situation.
AllMusic’s Tom Maginnis described the track as “grounded more heavily in the classic 50s style of songwriting and playing,” and said that “‘Stop Your Sobbing’ is a far cry from the wild aggression of ”You Really Got Me”.” Music critic Johnny Rogan described it as “a hidden gem in the Kinks canon.” Rogan praises how Davies’ “fragile vocal” works well with the theme. It was not released as a single.
In 1979, the Pretenders released their version of “Stop Your Sobbing” on their self-titled debut album. The recording of this cover of the song led to the relationship between Ray Davies and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, which eventually resulted in the birth of a child. The Pretenders’ version of “Stop Your Sobbing” was one of three demos given to Nick Loowe and became the A-side for the first single the band released. After this recording, Lowe abandoned the fledgling group claiming that the band was “not going anywhere”. Despite Lowe’s skepticism, the single made the Top 40, reaching number 34 in the UK. It didn’t perform quite as well in the US, reaching number 65 on the Billboard.
