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
No Lie
King's X Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've never sung this song before
Sung:
Every night I call you on the phone, no lie
Every night I sit here all alone, no lie
Every night I walk across the floor, no lie
Every night I wait outside your door, no lie
Ohh something's got a hold
Yeah
Every night I know you are alone, no lie, no
Every night I want you for my own, no lie
Every night I sit and wonder why, no lie
Every night I see that love is blind, no lie
Oh
Ohh something's got a hold, oh yeah
Ohh something's got a hold
Ohh something's got a hold
Oh it's got a hold of me, yeah
Ohh something's got a hold
Something's got a hold on me
Ohh something's got a hold
It got me lock, stock and barrel, baby
Ohh something's got a hold
Get my horse, someone get my horse
Ohh something's got a hold
I wanna go back to Texas, baby, oh yeah
Ohh something's got a hold
Got a hold, got a hold, got a hold on me
Ohh something's got a hold
Got a hold, it's got a hold on me, yeah
Ohh something's got a hold
Got a hold on me, something, it's you, baby, it's you, you got a hold on me
Oh something, something got a hold, you know what I'm talking about, something's got a hold on me
Ohh something's got a hold
Something, something got a hold on me
Ohh something's got a hold
Oh something's got a hold
Spoken:
That's right, I'll drink to that
Somebody get me my whiskey
Somebody needs stop
The King's X song "No Lie" is a powerful love song that talks about the singer's longing for their lover. It is a melancholic piece that expresses the desperation and helplessness that comes with intense attraction. The opening line of the song sets the tone for the rest of the lyrics. "Every night I call you on the phone, no lie" is a simple and straightforward expression of the singer's feelings.
As the song progresses, the singer talks about how they feel lonely and desperate when they are not with their lover. The repetition of the line "Every night" emphasizes the singer's feelings of longing and obsession. The lyrics also convey a sense of urgency and desire, as the singer wants their lover to reciprocate their feelings.
The chorus of the song is particularly powerful, with the repeated line "Something's got a hold" suggesting that the singer is unable to control or resist their feelings. The use of the phrase "lock, stock, and barrel" in the bridge highlights the intensity of the hold that the singer's lover has on them.
Overall, "No Lie" is a song that speaks to the power of love and how it can consume and control us. It is a poignant reminder of the highs and lows of romantic attraction.
Line by Line Meaning
Every night I call you on the phone, no lie
I consistently call you every night without any exaggeration or deceit
Every night I sit here all alone, no lie
I spend my evenings by myself every time, without any fabrication or deception
Every night I walk across the floor, no lie
I truthfully pace back and forth every single night
Every night I wait outside your door, no lie
I honestly wait at your doorstep night after night
Every night I know you are alone, no lie, no
I genuinely recognize that you're unaccompanied every night, there's no doubt about it
Every night I want you for my own, no lie
I genuinely desire you to be with me without any falsehood
Every night I sit and wonder why, no lie
I honestly ponder why I don't have you yet every single night
Every night I see that love is blind, no lie
I truly witness that love makes people oblivious without any exaggeration
Ohh something's got a hold
I'm feeling trapped or constrained by something
Ohh something's got a hold
Feeling trapped or restricted by something
Oh it's got a hold of me, yeah
It's apparent that I'm under the control of something
Ohh something's got a hold
I'm still feeling captive, most likely by an emotion or relationship
Something's got a hold on me
I'm being affected or influenced by something, probably a person or situation
It got me lock, stock and barrel, baby
I'm completely consumed or influenced by something, comparing it to owning all parts of a rifle
Get my horse, someone get my horse
This is an onomatopoeia common in country-western music to indicate a desire to leave or escape the present situation
I wanna go back to Texas, baby, oh yeah
I wish to escape my current circumstances, and Texas represents a place of comfort or familiarity for the artist
Got a hold, it's got a hold on me, yeah
Something is definitely controlling the artist, and it appears to be an extreme or intense emotion
Got a hold on me, something, it's you, baby, it's you, you got a hold on me
The singer is admitting that someone they care about is the cause of their turmoil, most likely a romantic partner
Oh something, something got a hold, you know what I'm talking about, something's got a hold on me
The singer is convinced that they're being influenced by a powerful emotion or person that the audience is likely aware of
Something, something got a hold on me
Repeating the same sentiment to strengthen the songwriter's overall point that the artist is under some sort of emotional control or pressure
Oh something's got a hold
The artist is still feeling trapped or constrained by something or someone they haven't been able to overcome
Contributed by Mateo N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.