The group traces its beginnings to 1980, when Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill, who had previously met while recording and touring with Phil Keaggy and touring with the band Petra, recruited Ty Tabor to join them. Calling themselves The Edge, the group extensively performed on the Springfield, Missouri bar and club circuit. The band specialized in Top 40 covers. By 1983, the name of the band had changed to Sneak Preview and they started to record original material. Sneak Preview released a self-titled LP with all original material in 1984.
The group relocated to Houston, Texas with the promise of a recording contract, but the deal fell through. However, it was there that the group met Sam Taylor, then vice president of ZZ Top's production company. Taylor quickly became the group's mentor and convinced them to change their name to King's X. Taylor was instrumental in helping the group secure a contract with Megaforce Records in 1987. Taylor would soon become the group's manager, producer and mentor, and was declared to be the fourth member of the group (according to some).
The group released its first album as King's X, entitled Out of the Silent Planet, in 1988. Despite being hailed by music critics, the album did not fare well commercially, peaking at #144 on the Billboard album charts. The band's 1989 sophomore release, Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, fared slightly better from a commercial standpoint. Significantly, the song "Over My Head" received moderate airplay on MTV and radio. The increase in exposure would prove beneficial when the band released their third album, Faith, Hope, Love, in the fall of 1990.
Faith, Hope, Love was the group's first album to crack the US Top 100, with the help of the successful single "It's Love". The band landed a gig opening for AC/DC in the U.S. and Europe for the first half of 1991. They also toured with Living Colour, themselves near the peak of their popularity. The band was signed to major label Atlantic Records for their next release.
The band released their fourth album, King's X, in the Spring of 1992. But rising tensions with Taylor led to the group's most unfocused effort, and the album did not sell as well as Faith, Hope, Love. The only single from the album, "Black Flag" received only moderate airplay on MTV. Not long after the release of King's X, the band parted ways with Taylor. The details of the split have not been made public, but it was believed to be rather acrimonious. In the aftermath, King's X took over a year off to consider their collective future together. The band members followed other, non-musical pursuits - most notably, guitarist Ty Tabor took up semi-professionally racing motocross motorcycles.
In any case, by 1992 grunge was at the peak of its popularity and the group's trademark sound in no way resembled that of commercially successful acts such as Soundgarden or Pearl Jam (though, ironically, King's X were partly responsible for inspiring grunge; Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament once said, "King's X invented grunge"). Looking for a new sound and flavour (although not necessarily grunge), the band enlisted veteran producer Brendan O'Brien, who had recently produced Stone Temple Pilots' first album and Pearl Jam's second.
The resulting album, 1994's Dogman, showcased a much more muscular and heavy sound from the group, along with less abstract and spiritual lyrics. The record received a heavier promotional push from Atlantic and the band enjoyed a very successful tour, capped by an appearance at the Woodstock 1994 festival in August. But despite a return to the Top 100 for the group, the album failed to sell as well as Atlantic had hoped, and the label's support for the group quickly faded.
The band's third release under Atlantic, 1996's Ear Candy, would also be their last (not including a subsequent compilation) for the label. Although it sold to the band's sizeable core following, it lacked the mainstream success of previous efforts. The record was soon out of print, and it seemed that the group's chance for commercial success had come and gone.
The group moved to Metal Blade Records in 1998. Their first album for Metal Blade Records, Tape Head, signaled a new era for the band. They modified their creative methods by writing and recording the album together in the studio, rather than coming together to record songs that the individual members had written separately. Their next two albums, Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous and Manic Moonlight were created in this same way.
For their next album, Black Like Sunday, the group arranged and recorded an album full of songs that the band had regularly performed prior to releasing their first album for MegaForce Records, Out of the Silent Planet. The cover art for this album was selected from artwork submitted by fans.
Live All Over The Place was the band's final album for Metal Blade Records, and their first official live release. During the band's time with Metal Blade Records, the members of King's X (as a group and individually) have been musically prolific, releasing a number of solo albums (such as Doug Pinnick's two PoundHound albums and Emotional Animal, Ty Tabor's Naomi's Solar Pumpkin, Moonflower Lane, and Safety, and Jerry Gaskill's musically intriguing Come Somewhere,) and side projects (such as Ty Tabor's work with Platypus, Jughead, and The Jelly Jam). Doug Pinnick will be standing in for lead singer Corey Glover on Living Colour's August 2006 European tour.
The band's latest album, entitled Ogre Tones, was released in September 2005 on the InsideOut label. It was produced by famed rock producer Michael Wagener (Dokken, Extreme, Stryper, White Lion, Skid Row).
May 2008 will see the next studio release from the band, "XV", also on the InsideOut label. Production has again been handled by Michael Wagener.
King's X has in the past struggled with being identified as a Christian metal band. Many of their lyrics have a clear spiritual influence, but this comes from the individual faith of the members rather than an attempt to tap into that market in the way groups such as Stryper did. Their albums used to be marketed highly in Christian book stores, but after Pinnick announced in 1998 that he was a homosexual, their albums were removed from such places. This also caused the band to lose a large number of their Christian fans.
Ty Tabor has indicated in several interviews that King's X was not a Christian rock band.
King's X spiritually-tinged lyrics are less prominent in their later releases, though the band continues to infuse spiritual themes into their music.
The band's lineup has not changed since its inception:
* Doug Pinnick - Vocals, bass guitar
* Ty Tabor - Vocals, guitars
* Jerry Gaskill - Drums, percussion, vocals
Discography
* Out of the Silent Planet (March 23, 1988)
* Gretchen Goes to Nebraska (June 27, 1989)
* Faith Hope Love (October 23, 1990)
* King's X (March 10, 1992)
* Dogman (January 18, 1994)
* Ear Candy (May 20, 1996)
* Best of King's X (November 11, 1997)
* Tape Head (October 20, 1998)
* Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous (May 23, 2000)
* Manic Moonlight (September 25, 2001)
* Black Like Sunday (May 20, 2003)
* Live All Over the Place (November 2, 2004)
* Ogre Tones (September 27, 2005)
* XV (May 16-20, 2008)
Billboard positions
* KING'S X - Out Of The Silent Planet Weeks on Chart: 11 Peak: #144
* KING'S X - Gretchen Goes To Nebraska Weeks on Chart: 18 Peak: #123
* KING'S X - Faith Hope Love Weeks on Chart: 24 Peak: #85
* KING'S X - King's X Weeks on Chart: 3 Peak: #138
* KING'S X - Dogman Weeks on Chart: 4 Peak: #88
Alright
King's X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So many die in the night
When I was thinkin' we're over and done for
When I was feeling no life
You put your hand on my shoulder and told me
It's gonna be alright
(One day) one day
(Alright) alright
(Alright) alright
(One day) one day
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
(Alright) alright
(Alright)
One day (one day)
Oh yeah (I do believe)
I do believe (it's gonna be)
It's gonna be (alright)
When I was running and still going no where
And steady losing my seat
When I was crawling along on the way side
I saw the dead in the street
You put your hand on my shoulder
And told me, do what you do and believe
(One day) one day
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
(Alright) alright
(Alright) alright
(One day) one day
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
(Alright) alright
(Alright)
One day (one day)
It's gonna be (I do believe)
I do believe (it's gonna be)
It's got to be (alright)
Alright, alright, alright, hey
Gonna have a good time tonight ya'll, yeah, yeah
(Shake, shake)
Gonna have a good time tonight ya'll, yeah, yeah
(Shake, shake)
And when you think that you'll never get over
And there ain't nothing you got
When all you feel is the pain and the suffering
And you wish it would stop
And in your heart and the soul, you are broken
And you want to give up, I heard you say
(One day) one day
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
(Alright) alright
(Alright) alright
(One day) one day
(It's gonna be) it's got to be
(Alright) alright
(Alright) hey-yeah
(One day) one day
(I do believe) I do believe
(It's gonna be) it's got to be
(Alright) alright
(One day) alright
(It's gonna be) alright
(Alright) alright
(Alright) yeah
The song "Alright" by King's X is about the struggles and doubts that people face in life and how having someone's support and encouragement can make a huge difference. The lyrics describe moments of despair, feeling lost and hopeless, and even encountering death, but the chorus repeatedly reassures the listener that "it's gonna be alright." The song acknowledges that life is full of challenges and difficulties, but it encourages the listener to keep going and to believe that things will get better eventually.
The first verse describes a sense of mortality and fear of death, with the lyrics "So many die in the night...When I was feeling no life." But then the singer receives comfort from someone who tells him that things will be alright. The second verse talks about feeling stuck and defeated, but the same message of hope is repeated: "Do what you do and believe." The chorus is a repeated affirmation of this message, that everything will be alright, even if it doesn't feel like it in the moment.
Overall, "Alright" is a song that acknowledges the struggles and hardships of life, but also provides a message of hope and encouragement. It emphasizes the importance of having someone who supports and believes in you when things get tough.
Line by Line Meaning
And I was thinkin' I'll never get older
I felt like I would never age
So many die in the night
I observed the many people who pass away at night
When I was thinkin' we're over and done for
I thought our story was at its end
When I was feeling no life
I felt hopeless and dejected
You put your hand on my shoulder and told me
You offered your support by placing your hand on my shoulder and telling me
It's gonna be alright
That things will look up someday
(One day) one day
At some point in the future
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
The situation will improve
(Alright) alright
Everything will be fine
(Alright) alright
Everything will be fine
(One day) one day
At some point in the future
(It's gonna be) it's gonna be
Things will look up eventually
(Alright) alright
Everything will be fine
(Alright)
Everything will be fine
One day (one day)
At some point in the future
Oh yeah (I do believe)
I genuinely have faith that
I do believe (it's gonna be)
I genuinely have faith that things will look up
It's gonna be (alright)
Everything will be fine
When I was running and still going no where
While I was in motion but making no progress
And steady losing my seat
And gradually losing my position
When I was crawling along on the way side
When I was moving very slowly to the side
I saw the dead in the street
I saw lifeless bodies on the road
And told me, do what you do and believe
And advised me to keep doing what I do with conviction
Gonna have a good time tonight ya'll, yeah, yeah
We will have a great time tonight
(Shake, shake)
Shaking along to music
And when you think that you'll never get over
When you think you won't recover
And there ain't nothing you got
When you think you have nothing left
When all you feel is the pain and the suffering
When you're feeling the pain and the suffering
And you wish it would stop
And you'd like it to end
And in your heart and the soul, you are broken
When your heart and soul are shattered
And you want to give up, I heard you say
And you want to surrender, I heard you speak
It's got to be (alright)
Everything will be fine
(Alright) hey-yeah
Everything will be fine
Contributed by Micah T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
RPOTW
Saw them for the first time in 1989 on MTV. Saw them live for the first time at the Channel in Boston in 1991. Have not missed a single show since. If they are within a 2 hour drive, I'm going. My wife loves them, my kids were raised on them (and have seen them several times too). Can't get enough of this band.
Sean Comerford
Good parenting my man. I've listened with my kids to various rock bands and newer heavy bands like Gojira and Mastodon but it occurs to me we haven't touched on King's X (except for explaining to them something about my Gretchen T-shirt, I think). Rectifying that right away. :)
Alan Green
I was a production assistant for this video! Thanks for the upload Punchy! Great memory. Dr. AL
Seth Whittemore
Love it!
EnginEars
I LOVE THIS BAND
David Jackson
Love this band.
Hervé Patural
Enooormme. je kiffe!! King's X for ever!!
Adam Holtz
Fantastic rocker !!! Kings X Rules !!! Also , check out , " Doesn't Matter Where Or When ," an original rocking song and video on my site . Thanks , Adam Holtz
Reuben Kincaid Band
Thanks for sharing, KX is the BEST!
BlackWaterRisingTV
GREAT!