Dave Davies of The Kinks has responded sharply after electronic musician Moby criticized the band’s classic 1970 song Lola, calling its lyrics “gross and transphobic.”

Moby made the comments in a recent interview when asked to name a song he could no longer listen to. Reflecting on the track, he said it came up on a playlist and that he was “taken aback at how unevolved the lyrics are.”

Davies responded publicly on social media, saying he was “highly insulted” by the accusation and defending the song’s writer, his brother Ray Davies. He rejected the claim that the band or the song was transphobic and suggested Moby should be more careful with such criticism.

Originally released in 1970, “Lola” tells the story of a young man who meets someone in a Soho bar who “walked like a woman but talked like a man,” leaving the narrator unsure about Lola’s gender identity. The song became one of The Kinks’ biggest hits, reaching No. 2 on the U.K. charts and No. 9 in the United States.

In defending the track, Davies shared a letter from pioneering transgender punk artist Jayne County, who praised “Lola” as an early mainstream song that helped bring transgender themes into popular music. County described the track as a barrier-breaking moment that helped normalize LGBTQ+ subjects at a time when they were rarely discussed openly in rock music.

The debate highlights how interpretations of classic songs can change over time. While some modern listeners view “Lola” through a contemporary lens, Davies and supporters argue that the track was progressive for its era and contributed to broader cultural conversations about gender identity.