I’ve always respected The Kinks but wasn’t even really aware of “Strangers” until the great Chicago songwriter Archie Powell (from Archie Powell & the Exports) covered it years ago.
I heard the cover and then looked up the original version by The Kinks online and immediately listened to it about 20 times in a row. It quickly became one of my favorite songs.
My wife and I had our first dance at our wedding to a Norah Jones cover of “Strangers.”
Once, while my wife (girlfriend at the time) and I were on a road trip, I was just explaining to her my interpretation of the song’s lyrics, and she started crying. It’s such a sweet, beautiful, and powerful song. Also, little trivia – Ray Davies was the primary songwriter for the Kinks, but “Strangers” was actually written by his younger brother Dave Davies.
Enjoy!