Founded by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and lyricist Peter Sinfield, the band initially focused on a dramatic sound layered with Mellotron, McDonald's saxophone and flute, and Lake's powerful lead vocals. Their debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King (1969), remains their most commercially successful and influential release, with a potent mixture of jazz, classical and experimental music. Following the sudden simultaneous departures of McDonald and Giles, with Lake also leaving very shortly afterwards, Fripp and Sinfield assumed direction of the group for In the Wake of Poseidon (1970), Lizard (1970), and Islands (1971) with Mel Collins, Boz Burrell and Ian Wallace among the band members during this period. In 1972, Fripp changed the group's instrumentation and approach, drawing from European free improvisation, and developing ever more complex compositions. With Bill Bruford, John Wetton, David Cross and briefly, Jamie Muir, they reached what some saw as a creative peak on Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973), Starless and Bible Black (1974), and Red (1974). Fripp disbanded this group in 1974.
In 1981, Fripp and Bruford reformed King Crimson with another change in musical direction. The new group also included Adrian Belew and Tony Levin. They drew influence from African music, gamelan, post-punk and New York minimalism. This group lasted three years, resulting in the trio of albums Discipline (1981), Beat (1982) and Three of a Perfect Pair (1984). Following a decade-long hiatus, Fripp revived the group as a sextet he called the "double trio" in 1994 adding Pat Mastelotto and Trey Gunn. This group participated in another three-year cycle of activity that included the release of Thrak (1995), and multiple concert recordings. There was a hiatus between 1997 to 2000. Four members of the previous sextet reunited in 2000 as a more industrial-oriented King Crimson, called the "double duo", releasing The Construkction of Light (2000) and The Power to Believe (2003). After a five year hiatus, the group expanded (in the person of new second drummer Gavin Harrison) for a 2008 tour celebrating the 40th anniversary of their 1968 formation.
Following another hiatus (2009–2012), during which Fripp was thought to be retired, King Crimson came together again in 2013; this time as a septet (and, later, octet) with an unusual three-drumkit frontline, and new second guitarist and singer Jakko Jakszyk. This version of King Crimson continued to tour from 2014 to 2021, and released multiple live albums, rearranging and reinterpreting music from across the band's entire 50-year career for the first time.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KingCrimson
Studio albums
In the Court of the Crimson King (1969)
In the Wake of Poseidon (1970)
Lizard (1970)
Islands (1971)
Larks' Tongues in Aspic (1973)
Starless and Bible Black (1974)
Red (1974)
Discipline (1981)
Beat (1982)
Three of a Perfect Pair (1984)
Thrak (1995)
The Construkction of Light (2000)
The Power to Believe (2003)
(NOTE: Album covers, band images and YouTube links are not available due to certain legal restrictions imposed on Last.fm by King Crimson's management.)
Frame by Frame
King Crimson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Death by drowning (from within)
In your own, in your own analysis
Step by step (suddenly)
Doubt by numbers (from within)
In your own, in your own analysis
Death by drowning (from within)
In your own, in your own analysis
Step by step (suddenly)
Doubt by numbers (from within)
In your own, in your own, in your own analysis
The lyrics of Frame by Frame by King Crimson allude to the danger of overthinking and analyzing one's own life. "Frame by frame" suggests an individual who is overly focused on scrutinizing every minute detail of their life, causing them to become trapped and "drown" in their thoughts. The song warns against becoming too consumed and paralyzed by one's own analysis, as it leads to doubt and uncertainty that can be suffocating.
Furthermore, the repetition of the lyrics emphasizes the monotony that comes with overthinking, and the danger of getting caught up in the same thought pattern and not being able to move forward. It's ambiguous whether the "analysis" referred to is coming from within oneself or from external sources, but the lyrics suggest that it's a self-imposed torture that one must snap out of to regain clarity and purpose.
Overall, the lyrics of Frame by Frame caution against becoming too caught up in one's own mind and the constant analysis of one's own life, as it can lead to stagnation and self-doubt.
Line by Line Meaning
Frame by frame (suddenly)
Experiencing life in detail, little by little, all of a sudden
Death by drowning (from within)
Emotionally overwhelmed with negative feelings, as if drowning
In your own, in your own analysis
Examining and interpreting your own experiences and thoughts
Step by step (suddenly)
Gradually moving forward, suddenly
Doubt by numbers (from within)
Feeling uncertain due to a multitude of internal conflicts
In your own, in your own analysis
Analyzing and deciphering your own personal perceptions and reactions
Frame by frame (suddenly)
Experiencing life in detail, little by little, all of a sudden
Death by drowning (from within)
Emotionally overwhelmed with negative feelings, as if drowning
In your own, in your own analysis
Examining and interpreting your own experiences and thoughts
Step by step (suddenly)
Gradually moving forward, suddenly
Doubt by numbers (from within)
Feeling uncertain due to a multitude of internal conflicts
In your own, in your own, in your own analysis
Continuously analyzing your own thoughts and feelings to understand yourself better.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Adrian Belew, Anthony Charles Levin, Robert Fripp, William Scott Bruford
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@luis_mars6229
Robert Fripp's riff in this song is impossible... You can play like for 10-15 seconds at most and you lose it, but he just keeps going and going... Dann, that's just impeccable technique...
@ba_charles
Haha I used to play it as part of my warmup. Don't forget that the bar set by the older generations is meant to be leapt over.
@IAmInfinitus208
And then there's Fracture...
@tross6380
And Tony Levin.. come on...onnnnnnnnn
@Relayer6a
You watch him play and it's like he's a spectator. Not even really paying attention to what he's playing.
@DominiqueHallMason
It"s super easy after a year :D
@m.a.freund3332
Ok, yeah, the guitar parts are pretty much the most permanently mindwarping thing I've ever heard, but how about Belew's singing? Just gorgeous. You can hear so much of his influence in Thom Yorke. Of all the aspects of King Crimson that get overlooked, the biggest one for me is Belew's singing on these records, when he actually sings.
@willard2729
Yes. This is the song in which he got the most out of his natural abilities
@rkrussland4150
This song is a proof of Robert Fripp's genius.
@anonymousSWE
Not saying you're wrong, but there is decades of his music proving that thing.