"Kicks" is a song composed by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, best known as a 1966 hit for American rock band Paul Revere & the Raiders.

Mann and Weill wrote the song for the Animals, but the band's lead singer Eric Burdon turned it down.

Considered one of the earliest anti-drug songs, "Kicks" was composed and released during an era in which pro-hippie, pro-experimentation, and other counterculture themes were gaining popularity on U.S. FM radio stations.

Musically, the song's lead guitar lines recall the Beatles, while its bass figures are similar to those popularized by the Byrds.

[11] Lead singer Mark Lindsay's R&B vocal style, combined with the song's guitar and organ instrumentation, is reminiscent of British bands such as the Kinks and the Yardbirds.

[20] Despite the song's commercial success, its lyrics were soon perceived as outdated[11] by young people, as they increasingly experimented with marijuana and LSD.

[4] The messages contained within hit songs such as "White Rabbit," "Along Comes Mary" and "Eight Miles High" were antithetical to that of "Kicks," which contributed to a perception by members of the burgeoning youth counterculture that Paul Revere & the Raiders were part of the Establishment.

[4] Singer–songwriter David Crosby, then a member of the Byrds, was upset with the success of the song, particularly as it came just after his group's "Eight Miles High" had been boycotted by many U.S. radio stations.

"[21] On the other hand, Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson singled out "Kicks" as one of his favorites of Terry Melcher's works.

[7] Sirius said, "With clear and concise lyrics by the famous Mann-Weil songwriting team, there's no cheese on rock's first anti-drug platter.

[30] The Leathercoated Minds, a studio band featuring J. J. Cale on guitar and production, performed the song on their 1968 album A Trip Down the Sunset Strip.

Nazz guitarist Todd Rundgren recalled, "We thought the song was ok, but Paul Revere and the Raiders were funny.

[35] Naz Nomad and the Nightmares, a side project featuring members of punk band The Damned, covered the song on their 1984 album Give Daddy the Knife Cindy.