Keane achieved mainstream, international success with the release of their debut album Hopes and Fears in 2004. Topping the UK charts, the album won the 2005 Brit Award for Best British Album and was the second best-selling British album of 2004. It is one of the best-selling albums in UK chart history. Their second album, Under the Iron Sea, released in 2006, topped the UK album charts and debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200. Their third album Perfect Symmetry was released in October 2008.
In May 2008, both Hopes and Fears (number 13) and Under the Iron Sea (number 8) were voted by readers of Q magazine as among the best British albums ever, with Keane, The Beatles, Oasis and Radiohead the only artists having two albums in the top 20. In 2009, Hopes and Fears was listed as the ninth best-selling album of the 2000s decade in the UK. Their EP Night Train was released in May 2010. Their fourth studio album Strangeland was released in May 2012 and peaked at number one on the UK Albums Chart.
Keane are known for using keyboards as the lead instrument instead of guitar, differentiating them from most other rock bands. The inclusion of a distorted piano effect in 2006 and various synthesisers were a common feature in their music which developed on the second and third albums. Keane have sold over 13 million records worldwide.
After the release of their compilation album The Best of Keane in 2013, the band took a hiatus, lasting nearly 5 years.
The band returned after the hiatus with new music, announcing their fifth studio album titled Cause and Effect on 6 June 2019 and releasing the lead single from the album "The Way I Feel". A collection of the songs were written by Tim Rice-Oxley during his divorce, and after discussions with Tom who had visited Tim the previous year, decided to proceed with recording the songs for the album. Cause and Effect was released on 20 September 2019. After the release of the album, the band embarked on the Cause and Effect Tour, visiting Europe and Latin America, before the remainder of the tour was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keane_(band)
Studio albums
Hopes and Fears (2004)
Under the Iron Sea (2006)
Perfect Symmetry (2008)
Strangeland (2012)
Cause and Effect (2019)
The Frog Prince
Keane Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The simple heart will be prized again
A toad will be our king
And ugly ogres are heroes
Then you'll shake
Your fist at the sky
"Oh why did I rely
All promises broken
Feed your people or lose your throne
And forfeit your whole kingdom
I'd sooner lose it than still live in it alone
You were our golden child
But the gentle and the mild
Inherit the earth, while
Your prince's crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You've wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother, let go
Cause now we all know
Soon, someone will put a spell on you
Perfume, treasure, sorcery, every trick they know
You will lie in a deep sleep
That's when
Your prince's crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You've wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother, let go
Cause now we all know
The Frog Prince by Keane is a song that explores the themes of self-discovery and self-identity, using the story of the frog prince as a metaphor for personal transformation. The first verse of the song describes an old fairytale, in which the simple heart will be prized again and a toad will be king. This suggests that it is the humble and unassuming who will ultimately come out on top, rather than those who rely on superficial things like fashion and material possessions.
The second verse of the song talks about the consequences of broken promises and the need for leaders to take care of their people if they want to remain in power. The lyrics "feed your people or lose your throne, and forfeit your whole kingdom" emphasise the idea that true leadership involves a responsibility to those being led. The bridge of the song warns of the danger of being beguiled by external charms and losing oneself in the process.
The chorus of the song is a powerful statement about the consequences of straying too far from one's true self. It suggests that the trappings of wealth and power will ultimately fade away, leaving behind only a sense of emptiness and loneliness. The lyrics "you've wandered so far from the person you are, let go brother, let go" suggest that the only way to come back into alignment with one's true self is to relinquish those things that are no longer serving them.
Interesting facts:
1) The title of the song references the fairytale of the same name, in which a frog is transformed into a prince by the kiss of a princess.
2) The song was written by Keane's lead vocalist, Tom Chaplin.
3) The song features hauntingly beautiful background vocals by Lisa Hannigan, an Irish singer-songwriter.
4) The album on which The Frog Prince appears, Strangeland, marked Keane's first collaboration with producer Dan Grech-Marguerat.
5) Keane have said that The Frog Prince is one of their favorite songs to play live.
6) The music video for the song was directed by Kevin Godley, who has also worked with acts like U2 and The Police.
7) Keane have cited classic British rock bands like The Beatles and Elton John as influences for their music.
8) The band formed in East Sussex, England in 1995.
9) Keane became one of the UK's most successful bands of the early 2000s, with hit songs like Somewhere Only We Know and Everybody's Changing.
10) The band took a hiatus from 2014 to 2019 before releasing their fifth studio album, Cause and Effect, in 2019.
Chords (source: ultimate-guitar.com):
Verse: C, G, D, Am
Chorus: Em, G, D, A
Bridge: Bm, Em, G, D, A.
Line by Line Meaning
An old fairytale told me
The singer heard an old tale that taught them that simplicity is valuable.
The simple heart will be prized again
Simple and kind people will once again be valued and recognized.
A toad will be our king
Someone who is seen as unattractive or unintelligent may become a leader.
And ugly ogres are heroes
People who are considered unappealing or useless may turn out to be heroic.
Then you'll shake
At some point, you will feel distressed.
Your fist at the sky
You'll feel so agitated that you might clench your fist towards the sky in annoyance.
"Oh why did I rely
You will ask yourself why you depended on something.
On fashions and small fry?"
On fleeting trends and insignificant things?
All promises broken
All commitments have been disregarded.
Feed your people or lose your throne
Take care of your people or risk losing your position of power.
And forfeit your whole kingdom
Surrender your entire empire.
I'd sooner lose it than still live in it alone
I would rather renounce it all than live alone in the same place.
You were our golden child
You were once highly regarded and celebrated by your community.
But the gentle and the mild
However, those who are kind and considerate will eventually reign triumphantly.
Inherit the earth, while
They will become dominant while
Your prince's crown
Your status and power
Cracks and falls down
Will crumble and deteriorate.
Your castle hollow and cold
Your residence will be empty and bleak.
You've wandered so far
You've gone far beyond your original goals.
From the person you are
You've deviated from who you really are.
Let go brother, let go
It's time to move on and release what's holding you back.
Cause now we all know
Everyone has become aware of this fact.
Soon, someone will put a spell on you
Soon, someone will enchant you with their ways.
Perfume, treasure, sorcery, every trick they know
They will use every method of deception they know- perfume, illusion, charm, etc.
You will lie in a deep sleep
You'll be deceived and misled.
That's when
When you're in that state,
Your prince's crown
Your status and power,
Cracks and falls down
Will crumble and deteriorate.
Your castle hollow and cold
Your residence will be empty and bleak.
You've wandered so far
You've gone far beyond your original goals.
From the person you are
You've deviated from who you really are.
Let go brother, let go
It's time to move on and release what's holding you back.
Cause now we all know
Everyone has become aware of this fact.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: RICHARD DAVID HUGHES, TIMOTHY JAMES RICE-OXLEY, TOM CHAPLIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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