For the first, see: Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come. Melodic hard rock band Kingdom Come was formed in 1987 by singer-songwriter Lenny Wolf in Hamburg, Germany, with the revolving cast of other band members soon leaving Wolf the focus. After the release of their first single, 1988's "Get It On", many fans mistakenly regarded the band as a Led Zeppelin reunion. Kingdom Come's close resemblance to that group, particularly with Wolf's Robert Plant like vocals, has led to continuing controversy. Although the bands had a great deal in common, as shown by critics' nickname 'Kingdom Clone', Wolf has pursued his own personal vision of mixing slick rock hooks with a heavy metal ethos for decades.
The group's first album, the self-titled 'Kingdom Come', became quite popular due to its arena-ready hard rock sound. As the guys gained more and more commercial success, the 1988 album had three Billboard top 40 singles: "Get It On", "Living Out Of Touch", and "What Love Can Be". As stated before, supporters and detractors both felt strongly reminded of Led Zeppelin as well as, to a lesser extent, fellow German group Scorpions. Ironically, former Kingdom Come drummer James Kottak later joined the latter band.
Kingdom Come came about after the breakup a moderately successful rock project of Wolf's, known as Stone Fury. Wolf's new record company, Polygram, allowed him incredible freedom to assemble Kingdom Come's lineup and direct its sound. Recruiting Pittsburgh-based lead guitarist Danny Stag, Louisvillians Rick Steier (guitar) and James Kottak (drums), and Californian Johnny B. Frank (bass), this new outfit marked the first band where Wolf sang without playing guitar. The frontman later admitted that, for a while, it was a very awkward adjustment.
As stated before, Kingdom Come's sound was thought by many to be highly derivative of Led Zeppelin's, to the point that some listeners initially thought that Kingdom Come was actually a reunion effort. The band's first single was called "Get It On", being a great example of their aggressive sound. Before long, the group's eponymous debut went gold. Their second single ended up being the power ballad "What Love Can Be", receiving much airplay and having a music video created for it that picked up MTV airplay. By the time the single "Loving You" was released, the album had reached platinum status, fans in United States, Germany, and Canada loving the group despite the controversy.
The guys toured in England supporting Magnum on their "Wings Of Heaven" tour. As well, the band opened for the North American "Monsters of Rock" tour in 1988, supporting the artists Dokken, Scorpions, Metallica, and Van Halen. Following that, the guys were tapped to support the Scorpions on their North American "Savage Amusement" tour, at least until they were forced off. According to Stag, Lenny Wolf found the stage ramps reserved for the Scorpions' set irresistible. After several reprimands from the Scorpions' management, the singer continued to use the full stage, and Kingdom Come were asked to forfeit the rest of the tour.
The band were directed by management and the people at Polygram to get a new recording available soon. In 1989, Kingdom Come released their next album, called 'In Your Face', but some fans believed that the group seemed to have peaked too early. The continuing backlash against the band's perceived appropriating of other artists' sounds (earning them the derisive moniker "Kingdom Clone") hurt their commercial appeal. After time went on and the band's second album simply failed to sell well, all members other than Wolf quit the group.
The 90s would see several releases by the outfit, though with Kingdom Come receiving some critical scorn as well as being unable to breakthrough commercially the same way again. Music critic Jason Anderson has remarked for Allmusic that the band experienced "one of hard rock's most intense backlashes". For his part, Stag went back to Pittsburgh and immersed himself in blues and rock n rock projects. Steier and Kottak went back to Kentucky and assembled the short-lived Wild Horses project, the two of them releasing a poor-selling album on Atlantic Records. Both would later resurface in Warrant. Kottak also has served with Scorpions.
With an all new line-up, Kingdom Come had one more release on Polygram, titled 'Hands of Time', which Wolf managed to see sold internationally. By 1993, Wolf had returned to Germany to regroup, focusing his efforts on central Europe hard rock fans. In recent years, the group is often billed as "Kingdom Come & Lenny Wolf", "Lenny Wolf & Kingdom Come", "Lenny Wolf's Kingdom Come", et cetera. Their latest work as of 2015 is the album 'Outlier', which came out on May 7, 2013.
Website: www.lennywolf.com/
Secondly, Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come (often billed as just "Kingdom Come") was the name of a project by enigmatic British singer-songwriter Arthur Brown. With his larger-than-life stage presence, Brown represented a key link in the evolution of psychedelic rock into what would be become heavy metal. He also had a project by the name of The Crazy World of Arthur Brown.
Across The Universe
Kingdom Come Lyrics
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Like endless rain into a paper cup,
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind,
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Images of broken light
Which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box
They tumble blindly
As they make their way across the universe
Jai guru deva, om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Sounds of laughter, shades of earth
Are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
And calls me an and on across the universe
Jai guru deva om
Nothing's gonna change my world
Jai guru deva om
Kingdom Come's "Across the Universe" is a cover of The Beatles' 1969 hit song. The song speaks of the disjointed nature of thoughts and feelings, as they flow and ebb like water in a river. The opening line, "Words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup," encapsulates this imagery perfectly. The song speaks of the constant struggles that we encounter in life and how we grapple with these struggles while our thoughts and feelings endlessly drift. The lyrics mention "Pools of sorrow, waves of joy," highlighting the idea that these emotions come and go, just like the universe flows endlessly.
The lyrics also mention the phrase "Jai guru deva, om," which is a chant that refers to the divine power within us that we can access through meditation. The power of meditation is believed to possess and caress individuals, giving them the strength to carry on through life's ups and downs. The phrase is repeated throughout the song, with each repetition carrying even more weight and significance.
In "Across the Universe," Kingdom Come successfully captures the essence of The Beatles' original song, but injects their own style and interpretation. The band turns the song into a hard rock anthem, adding drum solos and guitar riffs, making it their own.
Line by Line Meaning
Words are flowing out
Like endless rain into a paper cup,
The lyrics are coming out naturally like water pouring into a cup, filling it up endlessly.
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
The words and ideas pass by smoothly, but they also fade away quickly as they travel across the universe.
Pools of sorrow, waves of joy
Are drifting through my opened mind,
Possessing and caressing me
Jai guru deva, om
My mind is open to various emotions that come and go like pools of sorrow and waves of joy, and they affect me deeply. I acknowledge their presence and surrender to a higher power (Jai Guru Deva, Om).
Nothing's gonna change my world
Despite the changes happening around me, nothing can shake my inner world and beliefs.
Images of broken light
Which dance before me like a million eyes
They call me on and on across the universe,
Thoughts meander like a restless wind
Inside a letter box
They tumble blindly
As they make their way across the universe
I'm bombarded by vivid imagery like broken pieces of light that resemble eyes, and they keep pulling me onwards across the vast universe. My thoughts are like a wild wind locked inside a limited space, and they move directionless as they travel across the universe.
Sounds of laughter, shades of earth
Are ringing through my open ears
Inciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love
Which shines around me like a million suns
And calls me an and on across the universe
Various sounds, colors, and energies from the earth stimulate my senses and invite me to explore my consciousness. I feel a powerful, infinite love that envelops me like a million suns and keeps propelling me forward across the universe.
Jai guru deva om
I surrender to a higher power (Jai Guru Deva, Om).
Nothing's gonna change my world
Regardless of what happens in the external world, my inner world remains unaffected and constant.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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