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
Broke
King's X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
With a credit card you pay your bills
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
Living way beyond your needs
This affliction and addiction
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
No, yeah
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
No, yeah
(Na na na na)
Life is a ghetto when you're going down
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
The pressure's rising, heading for a stroke
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
Living way beyond your needs
This affliction and addiction
Isn't free, yeah
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
No, yeah
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
No, yeah
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
Oh yeah
(Na na na na)
Na na na na
(Na na na na)
No, yeah
(Na na na na)
The debt is rising, and you overload
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
So go buy something that you can't afford
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
Living way beyond your needs
This affliction and addiction
Isn't free
Hey, hey baby, stop acting, stop acting so crazy
Living way beyond your needs
'Cause this affliction and addiction, oh
Lord, isn't free
(Na na na na)
Ain't free
(Na na na na, yeah)
Can't you see
(Na na na na)
What it's doing to me
(Na na na na, yeah)
Oh lord
(Na na na na)
Can't you see
(Na na na na, yeah)
What it's doing
What it's doing
(Na na na na)
Oh lord
(Na na na na yeah)
You're not the only one
(Na na na na)
With this affliction
(Na na na na yeah)
So put your hand on the record player
(Na na na na)
Put your hand on the record player and say
(Na na na na yeah)
I'm going to get my freedom
(Na na na na)
I'm going to get my freedom
(Na na na na, yeah)
I'm gonna do it
(Na na na na)
I got to do it
(Na na na na, yeah)
I got to do, oh lord yeah
(Na na na na)
The song "Broke" by King's X discusses the struggles of living with financial difficulties. The opening lines ask if being broke is a joke because people often use credit cards to pay the bills that they cannot afford. The song highlights the pressure and stress that come with living with financial hardship as the singer compares life to a ghetto and mentions the possibility of having a stroke.
The chorus focuses on the theme of living beyond one's means and the consequences of addiction to unnecessary consumer goods— "hey baby, stop acting so crazy, living way beyond your needs. This affliction and addiction isn't free." The lyrics urge listeners to consider the stress and damage caused by accumulating debt and overloading oneself with possessions that one cannot afford but still buys. The song comes to a close with a message of hope as the singer reminds the audience they are not alone and should work towards finding their freedom and financial stability.
In summary, "Broke" by King's X demonstrates the ongoing struggles of living with financial difficulties and the need to address the issue of addiction to consumer goods.
Line by Line Meaning
So you say you can't afford to live
You claim that you lack the financial means to survive
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
But why are you short on funds? Is this some kind of jest?
With a credit card you pay your bills
Instead of actual money, you use your credit card to pay your expenses
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Again I ask, is this some kind of humorous situation, with your lack of funds?
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
Dear friend, please cease this irrational behavior
Living way beyond your needs
Stop paying for things you don't actually require
This affliction and addiction
Your impulse to overspend and claim to be broke
Isn't free
It requires payment in the form of debt and financial insecurity
(Na na na na)
A vocalization with no inherent meaning
Life is a ghetto when you're going down
Life is difficult when you're in financial decline
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Again I question whether your lack of funds is meant as humor
The pressure's rising, heading for a stroke
The stress of your financial situation is increasing and could harm your health
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
Once more, please attempt to control your irrationality
The debt is rising, and you overload
Your level of debt is increasing and beginning to overwhelm you
Because you're broke, is this a joke?
Once more, I question the humor you seem to find in your lack of funds
So go buy something that you can't afford
In an act of ignorance, you will purchase something outside of your budget
Hey baby, stop acting so crazy
For the third time, please attempt to control your irrationality
'Cause this affliction and addiction, oh
Because your habit of overspending and claiming to be broke
Lord, isn't free
Is taking a toll on your financial well-being and future stability
(Na na na na)
A vocalization with no inherent meaning
Ain't free
Your poor financial decisions come at a cost
(Na na na na, yeah)
A vocalization with no inherent meaning
Can't you see
Can't you comprehend the damage you're doing to yourself?
What it's doing to me
The effects of your overspending and irresponsible behavior are affecting those around you
Oh lord
An expression of frustration and disappointment
You're not the only one
You are not alone in your financial struggles
With this affliction
Many others suffer from the same tendency to overspend and leave themselves short on funds
So put your hand on the record player
Take control of your behavior and turn it around
Put your hand on the record player and say
Use the music as motivation to enact change
I'm going to get my freedom
I will overcome my financial struggles and be liberated from debt and insecurity
I'm gonna do it
I have the strength and determination to achieve financial stability
I got to do it
I must commit to making the necessary changes to my spending habits
Oh lord yeah
An expression of joy and confidence in one's ability to change
Contributed by Skyler K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.