Sitting by the Riverside

The song describes a pleasant experience sitting next to a river and was inspired by Davies's time spent as a child fishing with his father.

[3] Author Johnny Rogan considers the song one of several by Davies about "the beauty of a quiet life",[4] suggesting its mood of "lazy resignation" is reminiscent of "Sunny Afternoon" (1966).

[16] Davies is credited as the song's producer,[17] while Pye's in-house engineer Brian Humphries operated the four-track mixing console.

[21] While the studio version of the song was recorded in July 1968, Davies did not include it on the twelve-track edition of The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society, planned for release in September 1968.

[24] By contrast, authors Neville Marten and Jeff Hudson consider it one of the album's most memorable songs, displaying "Davies' voice is at its languid best".