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
Little Bit Of Soul
King's X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Put a little soul in the street
Put a little soul in your rhythm
Put a little soul in me
Put a little soul in your lover
Put a little soul in those sheets
Put a little soul in something
Just a little bit, just a little bit
A little bit of soul
Put a little soul in your music
Put a little soul in your groove
Put a little soul in your vision
Put a little soul in you
Put a little soul in your living
Put a little soul in your time
Put a little soul in your religion
Put a little soul in mine
Just a little bit, just a little bit
A little bit of soul
Put a little soul in the thing
That you love to do
Let it all go if you want to
It'll come back to you
Just a little bit, just a little bit
A little bit of soul
The lyrics to King's X's "Little Bit Of Soul" encourage the listener to infuse their everyday life with a bit of soul. The song starts with the suggestion to "put a little soul in your pocket" and "put a little soul in the street," implying that wherever we go, we should carry a bit of soul with us. The lyrics suggest that we should put soul into our music, our rhythm, our vision and our living. The repeated phrase "Put a little soul in me" reveals the singer's desire to be surrounded by people who have a bit of soul in them.
The song's message is about living life with passion and depth. It suggests that soul is not only for music, but something that can be infused into every aspect of life, from daily tasks to religious practices. The lyrics encourage individuals to embrace their passions and put a little bit of themselves into everything they do, rather than just going through the motions. "Put a little soul in the thing that you love to do/Let it all go if you want to/It'll come back to you" suggests that when individuals engage with what they love and put their whole heart into it, the rewards will come back to them.
Overall, "Little Bit Of Soul" encourages the listener to live fully and engage with life with all their heart, adding a bit of soul along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
Put a little soul in your pocket
Infuse your everyday life with meaning and depth
Put a little soul in the street
Bring passion and spirit into the world, into your interactions with others
Put a little soul in your rhythm
Add humanity and emotion into your way of living and moving through the world
Put a little soul in me
Inspire me with your passion, make me feel alive
Put a little soul in your lover
Bring true feeling and genuine emotion into your relationships
Put a little soul in those sheets
Bring deep, powerful love into your intimate moments
Put a little soul in something
Bring depth and meaning into whatever you do
Put a little soul in me
Let me feel that deep connection with you
Just a little bit, just a little bit
It doesn't take much to make a real difference
A little bit of soul
Adding passion and depth to your life is what truly matters
Put a little soul in your music
Bring emotion and humanity into your creative endeavors
Put a little soul in your groove
Let your personality and passion shine through in everything you do
Put a little soul in your vision
Bring your true self into your dreams and goals
Put a little soul in you
Bring your own soul and spirit into your life
Put a little soul in your living
Bring passion and deep feeling into the way you exist in the world
Put a little soul in your time
Make the most of every moment by filling it with passion and purpose
Put a little soul in your religion
Find true meaning in your spiritual beliefs by bringing depth and passion to them
Put a little soul in mine
Inspire me with your passion for your beliefs
Put a little soul in the thing
Bring deep passion and feeling into whatever you truly love
That you love to do
Whatever your passion is, make it thrive by pouring your soul into it
Let it all go if you want to
Don't hold back on your passion and spirit; express yourself fully
It'll come back to you
The universe rewards those who put their heart into everything they do
Just a little bit, just a little bit
You don't need to do a lot to make a real difference
A little bit of soul
Adding passion and depth to your life is what truly matters
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind