Martin Fry had some underground success as a music journalist with the fanzine 'Modern Drugs', interviewing various British pop and rock groups, before he decided to join a band himself. ABC has its roots in the group Vice Versa, a Sheffield electronic music outfit formed in 1977 by Stephen Singleton and Mark White. They founded their own label, 'Neutron Records', and released an EP. Fry started off with the act as a synthesizer player. By 1980, the band had evolved into ABC, with Fry becoming the lead vocalist.
The group's first single, "Tears Are Not Enough", made the U.K. Top 20 in 1981. Soon afterwards, David Robinson left the band and was replaced by drummer David Palmer. In 1982, the band released their debut album, 'The Lexicon of Love', which reached number one in the U.K. Albums Chart. Produced by Trevor Horn, it often featured in UK critics' lists of favourite albums: it ranked 42nd in The Observer Music Monthly's "Top 100 British Albums" (June 2004) and 40th in Q magazine's "100 Greatest British Albums" (June 2000). The band had three Top 10 hits during 1982: the singles "Poison Arrow", "The Look Of Love (Part 1)" and "All of My Heart" and shot high-concept music videos.
ABC found it difficult to follow up their debut. The second album, Beauty Stab, was released in November 1983. It performed poorly in comparison to its predecessor. Gary Langan, who had engineered The Lexicon of Love, produced the effort. The first single, "That Was Then but This Is Now", briefly appeared in the UK Top 20, followed by a Top 40 showing for "S.O.S.". The band eschewed remixes for the project, and the 12" single for "That Was Then but This Is Now" featured the disclaimer "This record is exactly the same as the 7" version. The choice is yours." Stephen Singleton retired from the band in 1984.
Now a duo of Fry and White, augmented by two non-performing band members, Fiona Russell-Powell (known as Eden) and David Yarritu, ABC's chart fortunes in the UK dwindled further with the 1985 album How To Be A Zillionaire. Keith LeBlanc from Tackhead programmed much of the beatbox work for the album. The group did score its first US Top 10 hit with "Be Near Me" (which also made the UK Top 30). The album also featured the singles "(How to Be a) Millionaire", "Vanity Kills" and "Ocean Blue". ABC was one of the first bands to do video scratching" for several videos from the How to Be a... Zillionaire album, including the video for "Be Near Me".
Following a hiatus. while Fry was treated for Hodgkin's disease, ABC returned with Alphabet City. Best known for "When Smokey Sings", a tribute to Smokey Robinson, the album also spawned "The Night You Murdered Love" and "King Without a Crown" as singles. All three tracks would make the CD version of the group's first anthology.
In 1989, the duo issued Up, their fifth and final PolyGram studio album. This time experimenting with house music, ABC scored a minor UK hit with the single "One Better World". They then released another single, "The Real Thing". During this period the group worked on a couple of outside productions aimed at the house music scene. One was Paul Rutherford's (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) solo album and first single release; the other was for Lizzie Tear on the group's own Neutron label.
In 1990, the band released a greatest hits compilation album, Absolutely. This covered all of ABC's albums up until 1990, and featured all of their singles. The compilation made the UK Top 10. A video package featuring promos was also released. One new song, "The Look Of Love (1990 Remix)", was released to promote the package.
The group then moved to the EMI label (and MCA in North America), where they recorded the 1991 LP Abracadabra. "Love Conquers All", the first single, barely placed in the UK chart, though Italian production team Black Box provided remixes of "Say It" which appeared in the US dance chart.
Fry resurrected the band's name in 1997 for the album Skyscraping, an homage to several of his musical heroes, including David Bowie, Roxy Music, and the Sex Pistols. A collaboration with Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 and Keith Lowndes, the album again was met with critical approval rather than broad commercial success. However, three singles were released, "Rolling Sevens", "Skyscraping", and "Stranger Things", complete with extra B-sides.
In 1999, ABC released their first live album, The Lexicon of Live. The album covered most of their major hits. Although Fry was the only member left, he had a backing band and adorned the album cover in his trademark gold lamé suit.
Look of Love: The Very Best of ABC was released in 2001. Although essentially a reissue of greatest hits package Absolutely (from 1990), the album featured two new songs by Fry titled "Peace and Tranquility" and "Blame". A companion DVD, along with a bonus disc of remixes, was also released.
In 2004, the VH1 show Bands Reunited attempted to get the line-up of Fry, Palmer, Singleton and White together for a reunion concert. Fry and Palmer appeared and played together (with help from Nick Beggs of Kajagoogoo) for the first time in over twenty years. Singleton and White opted not to participate.
Following a tour of the United States in May and June 2006, Fry and Palmer, together with keyboardist Chuck Kentis, put together a new ABC album, Traffic. It was released on 28 April 2008. Gary Langan, who worked on The Lexicon of Love and Beauty Stab, mixed and produced the album. The first single, "The Very First Time", debuted on BBC Radio 2 in January, was added to the station's "A" playlist for the week beginning 29 March, and was released as a download track on 1 April. ABC performed two songs from Traffic during the 2008 Regeneration Tour of the US; "Ride" and "The Very First Time".
On 1 September 2007, ABC performed a set with other 1980s acts at Retrofest at Culzean Castle in Ayrshire, Scotland. This appearance included a rendition of "Addicted to Love", with Tony Hadley of Spandau Ballet and Peter Cox of Go West.
In the summer of 2008, ABC toured the US as part of the 2008 Regeneration Tour, which also featured The Human League, Belinda Carlisle, A Flock of Seagulls, and Naked Eyes.
In April 2009, ABC performed the Lexicon Of Love album live at the Royal Albert Hall, accompanied by the BBC Concert Orchestra. Anne Dudley of Art of Noise, who arranged and played keyboards on the original record, conducted the performance. A music review in the 13 April 2009 edition of The Independent newspaper, described the performance as a "glorious night that has placed one of the Eighties' most perfectly constructed albums back near the top of the pop pantheon".
In 2009 ABC toured the US as the headliner of the 2009 'Regeneration Tour', which also featured Terri Nunn of Berlin, Wang Chung, and the Cutting Crew.
Another Artist:
ABC also known as Grupa ABC was a Polish band playing funk, r&b and blues. It was formed in 1969 in Warsaw and disbanded in 1973.
King Without A Crown
ABC Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Guess I should show you round
Where once I was a king
And now I am a clown
The love that we once shared
Made a king of me
But now you're gone... but now you're gone
All I face is poverty
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
Hell hath no fury
Like a woman scorned
But heaven don't boast - no heaven don't boast
The jewel - the pretty jewel I just pawned
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has its day
Oh but I guess the sun stopped shining
On the day you went away
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woooman baby
Yes I'm a king - king! King without a crown
Bathed in former glory
Deposed from my throne
How do I get to tell my story?
When all I get's your answerphone...
But you ain't home
With the love you gave
I felt like royalty
But now you're face to face - face to face
With one ex-member of the aristocracy
There's no need to feel down
Yeah just take a look around
You'll see a man who's just a man
Nothing more
A king without a crown
In "King Without a Crown," ABC's lead singer, Martin Fry, sings about losing everything after a breakup. Fry was once "a king" thanks to a love he shared with someone, but now that she's gone, he's "a clown" and "a king without a crown." The verses mention various things that Fry has lost, including his heart, hope, and even a jewel that he pawned off. The lyrics also touch on the fact that Fry used to be someone special, but now he's just a regular guy.
The chorus emphasizes the fact that Fry is now a "king without a heart" and a "king without a hope." The repetition of the phrase "king without a" places emphasis on Fry's use of the term, and the way that he keeps repeating it suggests that he's still trying to come to grips with his new reality.
The song's closing verse drives home the idea that Fry is now just an ordinary person. He's no longer a king, and he can't even get in touch with his former love to try and explain his side of the story. Fry uses this last verse to remind himself that he's just a man, nothing more, and that he needs to accept his new reality.
Line by Line Meaning
Welcome to the great republic
Welcome to my world
Guess I should show you round
Let me show you my life
Where once I was a king
I was once at the top of my game
And now I am a clown
But now I am nothing
The love that we once shared
Our love was strong
Made a king of me
Love made me feel invincible
But now you're gone... but now you're gone
But now that you left me
All I face is poverty
All I have now is nothing
...King without a heart
I feel empty inside
...King without a hope
I don't have a future to look forward to
...King without a woman baby
I lost the love of my life
Oh I'm a king without a crown
I feel like I have nothing left
Hell hath no fury
When someone is angry and seeking revenge
Like a woman scorned
It's especially true when that revenge comes from a woman
But heaven don't boast - no heaven don't boast
But I won't gloat about my situation
The jewel - the pretty jewel I just pawned
I had to sell the things that mattered to me
Every cloud has a silver lining
There's always a bright side to things
Every dog has its day
Everyone has their moment of success
Oh but I guess the sun stopped shining
But I feel like I will never have success again
On the day you went away
Since you left me
...King without a heart
I feel hollow without you
...King without a hope
I have nothing to look forward to
...King without a woman baby
Since I lost you, I feel incomplete
Oh I'm a king without a crown
I feel worthless and meaningless
...King without a heart
I feel like I don't have love in my life
...King without a hope
I don't have anything to work towards
...King without a woman baby
Without love, life feels empty
Oh I'm a king without a crown
I feel like I have nothing to offer
...King without a heart
I feel like I have nothing to give
...King without a hope
I have no dreams to aspire towards
...King without a woooman baby
Without the love of my life, I feel lost
Yes I'm a king - king! King without a crown
I may be nothing, but I am still a king
Bathed in former glory
I was once successful and respected
Deposed from my throne
But now I have lost everything
How do I get to tell my story?
How can I express my struggles?
When all I get's your answerphone...
When all I get is your voicemail
But you ain't home
Even though you're not answering
With the love you gave
You were once everything to me
I felt like royalty
Your love made me feel invincible
But now you're face to face - face to face
But now that you're gone, I have to face reality
With one ex-member of the aristocracy
I must face my loss alone
There's no need to feel down
Even though it's hard
Yeah just take a look around
I can still find joy in simple things
You'll see a man who's just a man
I may not be a king anymore, but I'm still human
Nothing more
I have nothing left
A king without a crown
But I still have my dignity
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: MARK WHITE, MARTIN FRY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@tropicwave1
King Without a Crown
ABC
Year: 1987
Welcome to the great republic
Guess I should show you round
Where once I was a king
And now I am a clown
The love that we once shared
Made a king of me
But now you're gone... but now you're gone
All I face is poverty
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
Hell hath no fury
Like a woman scorned
But heaven don't boast - no heaven don't boast
The jewel - the pretty jewel I just pawned
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has its day
Oh but I guess the sun stopped shining
On the day you went away
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woooman baby
Yes I'm a king - king! King without a crown
Bathed in former glory
Deposed from my throne
How do I get to tell my story?
When all I get's your answerphone...
But you ain't home
With the love you gave
I felt like royalty
But now you're face to face - face to face
With one ex-member of the aristocracy
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a king without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woooman baby
Yes I'm a king - king! King without a crown
There's no need to feel down
Yeah just take a look around
You'll see a man who's just a man
Nothing more
A king without a crown
Written by: MARK WHITE, MARTIN FRY
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
@jahjahmc7794
Not sure where ya going with this, but balloon twisteing ocd compells me to say that suthoraty and oration was given to one thing, open thei r face whole and they reguregated prose, it kinda seems like the words just spill out and bypass their brains, and like all shit whore performers they are indiscriminate, so I'm guessing some sort of voice stealer BS crap happened in some other square, and then the other thing came along and saw what was going on and was these fucks should be the speakers and words for everyone to achieve concencess and universal benefit, but it's going to ego fame, all self serving garbage, then you s5tart factoring the sum total of all written language also including buerarcracy, cuz Steve KING and NnM do a lot of filling of taxes for their loot and deeds to like a billion mansions, then you figure the mechanics behind every pop song, the fundementals would actually reach it pinnacle with poloticians and famous speakers, the ability to speak well and use proper wording, and then looking back on the paper trail of it all and see all this is talent, it's not part of natural ability, and that the sum toatl of the human language, everything said everything written, well you end up with an ungodly amount of wasteful data, and anything of any value would get buried in the see of human waste
Then I'd be like oh snap, this was supposed to be my voice in here, actually it was suposed to be everyones, I'm starting to see a mechanic in its ultimae waste and excess, every person ever putting into it and only a select few taking out, celebraties and poloticians and authors, who pissed out the works and then du8mped them straight back into the trash heap, then collection their benefit of fame fortune and opportunity, while I look around and nothing really changed for me, or anyone else
So then I start playing around with some chaotic reasoning and see the debt as going far reaching, like I'd calculate the entire sum of every word spoke and written by MNM in a proffesional capacacity, not gonna get into it but for every word he spoke that was wasted on your behalf and was paid with money and opportunity also wasted on your behalf, well then I'd say he'd owe you the value of such waste, in fact that value would get compacted by almost every other person on the planet, then start doing this for each and every vocalist globally, each and publuished book, but also then dong the author seoaerate, Then do it for every polotician and State institution, well then I'd be looking at a massive physical pile of data and an enermous chunk of data recorder in time but then I look over and see the price of all consequence both in its benefit and drain on resources
TYhen I'd tell people to keep their yaps shut, but it eould only apply to proffessionals,
And to the proffesionals you speak for everyone with opportunities they will never be given and personal gains and benefits which may or may not be in excess, I'f I were you I'd be carefull and have to eat those words some day, the tower of Babel isn't the thing you'd ever want to get stuck eationg, but I'd say most authors singers government officials etc. woul get stuck having to eat it after consequnce of dominating a aytem that says only our words get said our words get heard our words get written or words have inluence and our words get us excessively better lifes and collectively our words will be waste
Jeex that ttok for ever now why i'd do that? something about a thing that wouldn't speak and the thing that wouldn't shut up and the thing that got in the middle and made 2 things, one fucking ginormous the other fucking incomprehensable, you welcome
Now enjoy your lunches,
@patrickstocks3576
Welcome to the great republic
Guess I should show you round
Where once I was a king 🤴
And now I am a clown 🤡
The love that we once shared
Made a king of me
But now you’re gone…but now you’re gone
All I face is poverty
…king without a heart 💜
…king without a hope
…king without a woman baby
Oh I’m a king without a crown 👑
…king without a heart 💜
…king without a hope
…king without a woman baby
Oh I’m a king without a crown 👑
Hell hath no fury
Like a woman scorned
But heaven don’t boast-no heaven don’t boast
The jewel 💎 the pretty jewel I just pawned
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has its day
Oh but I guess the sun stopped shining
On the day you went away
…. King without a heart ♥️
…. King without a hope
…. King without a woman baby
Oh I’m a king without a crown 👑
…. King without a heart ❤️
…. King without a hope
…. King without a woooman baby
Yes I’m a king 🤴 king! King without a crown 👑
Bathed in former glory
Deposed from my throne
How do I get to tell my story?
When all I gets your answerphone…
But you ain’t home 🏠
With the love you gave
I felt like royalty 👸
But now you’re face to face-face to face
With one ex-member of the aristocracy
There’s no need to feel down
Yeah just take a look around
You’ll see a man who’s just a man 👨
Nothing more
A king without a crown 👑
@patrickstocks3986
Welcome to the great republic
Guess I should show you round
Where once I was a King
And now I am a clown
The love that we once shared
Made a King of me
But now you're gone...but now you're gone
All I face is poverty
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a King without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a King without a crown
Hell hath no fury
Like a woman scorned
But heaven don't boast-no heaven don't boast
The jewel-the pretty Jewel I just pawned
Every cloud has a silver lining
Every dog has its day
Oh but I guess the sun stopped shining
On the day you went away
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woman baby
Oh I'm a King without a crown
...King without a heart
...King without a hope
...King without a woooman baby
Yes I'm a King-King! Without a crown
Bathed in former glory
Deposed from my throne
How do I get to tell my story?
When all I gets your answerphone...
But you ain't home
With the love you gave
I felt like royalty
But now you're face to face
Face to face
With 1 ex-member of the aristocracy
There's no need to feel down
Yeah just take a look around
You'll see a man who's just a man
Nothing more
A King without a crown
@fredheimer
This song drives me back to the eighties and gives me goosebumps. ABC at his best, what a phenomenal song
@bryangarvey7851
ABC one of my and still favorite bands .. this song is pure 80 s and never gets old listening to it ...
@natasnatas9581
growing up in the 80s .these guys were the soundtrack to our lives.great memories great music
@mihailsvolkovs3539
1a
@philippefagonde9131
The incredible Martin Fry's voice. 💚💚💚
@took38
Quality 80s group. lovely soulful tunes
@richardporter7814
What a sadly wonderful melody, vocals, instruments, and the sounds of PAIN.... Love it!
@davidfarrell5962
Still on the playlist 2019 and still sounding awesome 🙂🎸🎼🎧
@horrormovie100
Now this is what I called "real music"
@toriaridgway3501
The 80s were the best music...i love it...Martin Fry have a great voice...😊