To Be There in Velvet, Yeah Give 'Em a Smile: 5 Songs on Being a King
This week's songs are from Ted Leo & the Pharmacists, Graham Nash, Gregory Porter, Kendrick Lamar, and Gene Vincent
This week’s songs are about kings. While there’s the King of Pop and the King of Rock & Roll—shortened to “the King”, really—a lot of songs mentioning kings are about all the bad stuff that comes along with what everyone assumes to be good about absolute power.
Sting declared himself “the King of Pain.” Roger Miller was proud to be “King of the Road,” but had little to show for it. Tom Petty’s “It’s Good to be King,” was a fantasy masking self-pity. Dylan sang of kings as swindlers and con men, as a constant of history throughout time—like vampires. Not a lot of people have good things to say about kings, or even being one.
Here are 5 songs on being a king.
“It’s just one of those things that popped into my head. This guy’s telling us what to do. He wants to break America. He wants to rule the world—it’s personal.” -Roland Orzabal
Ted Leo & the Pharmacists - “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” (Tears for Fears Cover)
File under: Incredible Covers. It doesn’t hurt that the original is also perfect. That doesn’t stop Ted & Company from doing it justice and adding a little edge to it. The execution here is A+. Special shout-out to drummer Chris Wilson for keeping that stuttering shuffle on the hi-hat going. Tears for Fears got the unique beat to the song is a mish-mash of Tears for Fears ripped the beat from Simple Minds “Waterfront” and Linx’s “Throw Away the Key.” It’s such a fun thing to find out these things, because you get a sense of the musican’s ear—what sticks with them from another song that is a seed for something new. And after-the-fact, it’s that excitement of recognition—like one of those 3D hidden image posters. The song itself was about the band’s A&R man fixated on their inability to break the American market.
Is there a song better suited to the last 40 years and also relevant for the next 40? I doubt it. It’s “The Times They Are A-Changin’” for the MTV generation, but is not being given due credit. Music writers prop up Radiohead for being prescient, but while the song is timeless, it still deserves more celebration and then some….Of course I wrote all that before seeing Marty Supreme, where a whole new wave of popularity awaits it…and then my kids know all the words to it—it’s one of the few non-Taylor Swift or K-Pop Demon Hunters songs they sing around the house, because it’s in one of the Despicable Me movies. It’s a Certified All-Timer™. They know it. I know it. You know it. If you disagree, I’ve added an extra unsubscribe button for you right here:
“One has to move on, you know…One has to live life and realize what’s happening and check out the reality of what’s going on and move forward.” - Graham Nash
Graham Nash - “I Used to be a King”
Imagine being in a band where Graham Nash is the third most insufferable member. But he’s insufferable in the same way Paul McCartney was for the Beatles: he was the adult in the room and had his hands on the quality control. If you could wrangle together three other mad geniuses into something polished and incredible, you have earned the right to insufferability. Piecing himself together after a bad break-up with Joni Mitchell, Nash had a series of deeply personal songs he hoped to record with CSNY. But with Crosby and Stills recording solo records, he started in on some demos that turned into Songs for Beginners. The only well-known song from it is also the only skipper on it (“Chicago”). The album is an unheralded classic from the era, but it has some pretty vocal champions.. It first hit my radar when I heard “Military Madness” on a pre-show playlist at a Kurt Vile show at Cat’s Cradle in Durham. Not too many months later, I saw Bon Iver cover “Simple Man” at the For Emma, Forever Ago 10th anniversary in Milwaukee. When buying the vinyl, the record store clerk said to me, “You know this record, right? If not, get ready!” Put whatever device you’re reading this on and give a spin front-to-back. It will make your day.
With “I Used to be a King” Nash gets reflective about a broken relationship (Mitchell has a song called “I Had a King”) and uses some tempo shifts to maximize the drama with a bit of tension-and-release. Listen a little closer and you’ve got an exceptionally melodic bass from Phil Lesh that might just make the song but for the beautifully layered pedal steel from Jerry Garcia. Garcia only started to teach himself the instrument a year or two prior. Other notables on the recording include Neil Young on piano, David Crosby on guitar, and drummer Johnny Barbata (CSNY, The Turtles, Jefferson Starship). When this song breaks open, it’s pretty magical.
“To be able to do music and be in an environment and a village that we have created that’s full of music, good food, and soulful people is amazing to me. I just want to be a part of that. I want to be able to say something that is positive. There’s a whole bunch of music that is out there that is doing everything. My lane is trying to say something that moves people in a better and a positive way and a thoughtful way.” - Gregory Porter
Gregory Porter - “Take Me To The Alley”
I’m not one to rely on the algorithm, but occasionally after an album or playlist finishes, iTunes will start delivering and they hit the mark. That’s how I came upon Gregory Porter’s “Take Me to the Alley,” a song that’s more Gospel than Jazz. He isn’t just singing about any old king, but the King of Kings. The story in the the song recounts parable of the Great Banquet as told by the host’s servant.
They will be surprised
When they hear him say
Take me to the alley
Take me to the afflicted ones
Take me to the lonely ones that
Somehow lost their ways
It’s such a rare thing these days for a song and the sound of the recording to exude such warmth. It sounds like you’re right there in the room with them. Every instrument has a subtlety to it and, I’m not sure if this will make sense or not, but you can hear the instrument being played. It’s got a human quality to it, like a pat on the back from someone reminding you to slow down a bit.
“I was just so happy that you could hear me in it, my style of piano. He wanted me for me.” - Duval Timothy
Kendrick Lamar - “Crown”
I’ve tried more than a few times to get into Kendrick Lamar, but it just doesn’t do it for me, and I have no reason why or concrete reason why—which is why I keep trying every now and again. He’s also got great taste in collaborators (Thundercat, Kamasi Washington, Robert Glasper, SZA). A couple songs trickle in, but I’m curious what other people hear in his work that I might be missing. One of those songs that sticks is “Crown,” which for a Kendrick song is pretty straightforward and focused. There is piano across a number of songs on Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, but on “Crown” it careens back and forth, like an indecisive decision-maker. While singing about the downside of wearing the crown, Kendrick is also quick to remind himself, repeatedly:
I can’t please everybody
If not for the vocals (which remind me of the late great D’Angelo) it could easily serve as the score to a pretty good movie—like a light period thriller of some kind. That piano is played by Duval Timothy, who put out the excelled wishful thinking last year.
““Listen, I never meant to make money. I never wanted it. I’m a singer, man.” - Gene Vincent
Gene Vincent - “King of Fools”
Gene Vincent was an early rock & roller and an inspiration for the Beatles. His best known hit was “Be Bop-a-Lula,” but his career never met that level again. His bad luck followed him outside of music—a motorcycle accident left him with ongoing health issues; he was in the car accident that killed Eddie Cochran; he died of a ruptured ulcer and heart failure at the age of 36. Despite the short life, he worked with a wide range of notables including Linda Ronstadt, Glen Campbell, Kim Fowley, members of the Champs and Deep Purple, and he once fired several gunshots at Gary Glitter.
Vincent’s voice is often compared to Elvis, but there’s also a polish and innocence to it that reminds me of Dion & the Belmonts. Catch this clip of him performing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” and it’s closer to Judy Garland than Elvis. He had control of his instrument and would sing the song rather than ham it up. That he could also rock a leather suit and sing “Be Bob-a-Lula” too demonstrates a range many of his comparisons lacked. “King of Fools,” is a song more like the latter—or even like a Sam Cooke record. He’s got a studio orchestra behind him rather than a rock & roll combo, and my favorite bit is when the bongos kick in for a little post-chorus section. It’s a type of song they don’t really make anymore—upbeat, but innocently sad and self-pitying. Or maybe he’s like a 1950s Post Malone I guess?
Well, today is coronation day. I'm going to wear my heartbreak for a crown
And tears instead of jewels ‘cause I'm his majesty, the king of fools
…it is a lot like a 1950s version of…
And all the people in the crowd say, ‘He ain't half bad’
Well they call me King Turd up here on Shit Mountain
If you want it you can have the crown
Full playlists of songs featured in 5 Songs: