Pleasure first achieved popularity by winning a talent show at the Apollo Theater in New York with the vocalese classic 'Moody's Mood for Love'. He influenced numerous other vocalists with his inovation, among then Mark Murphy, Jon Hendricks and Manhattan Transfer.
Pleasure fell out of prominence in the early 1960s and died in Los Angeles, California in 1981.
All of his recorded material is currently available on three albums:
* King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings
* Moody's Mood for Love
* Golden Days
Twisted
King Pleasure Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
He said I was the type that was most inclined
When out of his sight to be out of my mind
And he thought I was nuts, no more ifs or ands or buts
Oh no!
They say as a child I appeared a little bit wild
With all my crazy ideas
But I knew what was happenin', I knew I was a genius
What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three?
I knew that this was meant to be
Well I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight
That's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night
My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do
But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to
Now do you think I was crazy?
I may have been only three but I was swingin'
They all laughed at Al Graham Bell
They all laughed at Edison and also at Einstein
So why should I feel sorry if they just couldn't understand
The litany and the logic that went on in my head?
I had a brain, it was insane
Don't you let them laugh at me
When I refused to ride on all those double decker buses
All because there was no driver on the top
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
I didn't listen to his jive
I knew all along he was all wrong
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
Oh no!
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
But I said "Dear doctor, I think that it's you instead
'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new
It proves that I'll have the last laugh on you
'Cause instead of one head... I got two
And you know two heads are better than one"
The song "Twisted" by King Pleasure is a satirical take on mental health treatment and the stigma surrounding unconventional thinking. The singer of the song is deemed "out of his head" by his analyst, who recommends that he receive treatment. The statement that he is better off dead is a reference to the antiquated belief that insanity is incurable and a burden on society. Despite his analyst's diagnosis, the singer refuses to accept his supposed abnormality and insists that he is not crazy. He is proud of his unique perspective and seemingly gifted abilities from an early age.
The third verse of the song refers to a childhood incident where the singer drank a fifth of vodka and witnessed "crazy scenes" before he came to. This verse suggests that the singer has always had a different perspective and inclination towards creativity and intoxication. The final verse of the song rejects the idea that just because something is unconventional, it is inherently wrong or deserving of ridicule. The song ends with the declaration that the singer has "two heads," which is an allusion to his ability to think outside of the box.
Line by Line Meaning
My analyst told me that I was right out of my head
My therapist said I was crazy and needed help
The way he described it, he said I'd be better dead than live
My therapist believed my mental state was so bad that I was better off dead
I didn't listen to his jive
I didn't believe my therapist's nonsense
I knew all along he was all wrong
I always knew that my therapist was incorrect
And I knew that he thought I was crazy but I'm not
I was aware that my therapist believed I was insane but I knew I wasn't
Oh no!
Expressing disbelief and opposition to my therapist's opinion
He said I'd need treatment but I'm not that easily led
My therapist recommended treatment but I wasn't easily swayed by their advice
He said I was the type that was most inclined
My therapist labeled me as the type of person who was most prone
When out of his sight to be out of my mind
When my therapist wasn't present, I would lose my grip on reality
And he thought I was nuts, no more ifs or ands or buts
My therapist believed I was truly crazy, with no room for doubt or debate
They say as a child I appeared a little bit wild
People often thought I was a bit unhinged as a child
With all my crazy ideas
I had some pretty outlandish ideas even as a child
But I knew what was happenin', I knew I was a genius
Despite what others thought of me, I was confident in my abilities and knew I was a genius
What's so strange when you know that you're a wizard at three?
It wasn't weird for me to be a child prodigy because I knew I was a genius even at three
I knew that this was meant to be
I had a strong sense that my talent was destined to lead me somewhere great
Well I heard little children were supposed to sleep tight
I had heard that young children were supposed to go to bed early and sleep soundly
That's why I drank a fifth of vodka one night
I drank a lot of alcohol one night because I didn't want to go to sleep
My parents got frantic, didn't know what to do
My parents were worried and didn't know how to help me
But I saw some crazy scenes before I came to
I experienced some hallucinations before I passed out from drinking
Now do you think I was crazy?
I'm challenging the listener to consider if I was really crazy or not
I may have been only three but I was swingin'
Even at a young age, I had a certain style, swag, or coolness about me
They all laughed at Al Graham Bell
Even famous inventors like Alexander Graham Bell were ridiculed initially
They all laughed at Edison and also at Einstein
Even brilliant minds like Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein faced criticism and disbelief
So why should I feel sorry if they just couldn't understand
If other people didn't understand my genius or my vision, then why should I pity myself?
The litany and the logic that went on in my head?
I had a complex and detailed thought process, and my ideas were grounded in logic and reason
I had a brain, it was insane
I had an incredible mind, with creativity and intelligence that others might see as crazy
Don't you let them laugh at me
I don't want others to make fun of me or ridicule me for my unique perspective
When I refused to ride on all those double decker buses
I didn't want to ride on buses that didn't have a driver on the top level
All because there was no driver on the top
I had a specific reason for not wanting to ride buses without drivers at the top
But I said "Dear doctor, I think that it's you instead"
I challenged my therapist and said that maybe it was their own mental state that was the real issue
'Cause I have got a thing that's unique and new
I had something special and different about me that others didn't understand
It proves that I'll have the last laugh on you
I was confident that my uniqueness and genius would ultimately be recognized and appreciated by others
'Cause instead of one head... I got two
I had a unique characteristic that set me apart from others, with two heads instead of just one
And you know two heads are better than one
Having two heads was actually an advantage and made me even more special and gifted than others
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Heidi Range, Brian Thomas Higgins, Timo Maas, Keisha Kerreece Fayeanne Buchanan, Mutya Buena
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kenjanulewicz314
Saw L, H & Ross several times at the Sutherland Hotel Lounge around 1960 in Chicago. She also went onto a movie career appearing in the following films:
Anita O'day: The Life Of A Jazz Singer (Movie)
2008
Blue Sky (Movie)
Lydia 1994
Short Cuts (Movie)
Tess Trainer 1993
Basket Case 3: The Progeny (Movie)
Granny Ruth 1992
The Player (Movie)
1992
Basket Case 2 (Movie)
Granny Ruth 1990
Pump Up The Volume (Movie)
Mrs. Cresswood 1990
Throw Momma From The Train (Movie)
Mrs. Hazeltine 1987
Superman III (Movie)
Vera Webster 1983
Funny Money (Movie)
1983
Yanks (Movie)
1979
Alfie Darling (Movie)
Claire 1975
Straight On Till Morning (Movie)
@scottnewbury4045
Annie Ross was a beautiful musician. Nobody today can touch her level of talent, skill, charisma, and loveliness. So nice how she touched Count Basie's arm. A true lady. Class.
@jcolorful9815
PURE GOLD , CIGS AND COFFEE JAZZ, 5TH O VODKA WHEN I WAS 3, TOTALLY SWINGING. THIS IS THE HEYDAY OF MUSIC ....
@bryanhead2670
RIP. First saw Annie Ross as a villain in superman 3 as a ten year old ! Now im 47 i enjoy the jazz!!!!
@macnac100
The vocal line is almost note for note to the original instrumental by Wardell Gray who wrote the song (Annie Ross added the lyrics). Gray is underappreciated as a Be-Bop great..... Look him up....
@kathyluchok2698
I love Joni Mitchell's cover with Cheech and Chong on her Court 'n Spark album. Nice to see the original here.
@oldestgamer
This is everything I thought society would inevitably come to, hip, cool, respect for all peoples regardless of their color, coming together to enjoy what each person had to offer and have a good time becoming a better person/society. Boy, how our US society has marched backwards from this ideal, just religious hatred, intolerance, and bigotry, hatred for intelligence and knowledge! It's just incredible how much we have regressed in such a short period of time!
@alansenzaki4148
Wow she was only 29 yrs.old! Love this with great company...when television was in its golden age in my opinion. R I.P. Annie.
@clarkewi
I remember watching this on TV as a 8 year old kid in 1959 after watching "Dobbie Gillis". I was really into the beatnick/hipster thing with Maymard G. Krebs etc. This song is a classic. Still sounds awefully good and hip.
@craigharris2731
clarkewi
You're still hip, bro.
@barbararenton8009
I totally agree with you!!!