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.
Hey mama
Kingdom Come Lyrics
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Every Tuesday, I try to get through
Every Wednesday, I had too much booze
Coming Thursday, I try to keep cool
Every Friday, the weekend in sight
Every Saturday, I still don’t feel right
Coming Sunday, I’m asking why
Hey Mama, you gave me life
Hey Mama, I wonder why
They’re saying, there’s much more to life
Besides working, and buying more time
There’s much more to life
Than buying more time
The lyrics of Kingdom Come’s song Hey Mama tells a story of the struggles that the singer goes through every week, trying to keep up with the demands of life. The song’s lyrics use each day of the week to highlight the singer’s experiences that seem to direct the rhythm of his life. The lyrics start with the blues and how the character is feeling it every Monday. It continues to Tuesday where he tries to push through the week, even if it was tough. By Wednesday, the character has had too much booze and is feeling the weight of the week. Thursday is when the character tries to remain calm and cool, but as Friday comes around, the character can see the weekend in sight but still doesn’t feel right. Saturday comes, and the character is still struggling, and as Sunday comes around, he's questioning why he has to face another week. The singer then brings up the song's theme, mentioning the idea that there’s “much more to life, than buying more time" and questioning why people are consumed by work and material possessions.
The lyrics are relatable to many people as they describe the struggles that one has trying to balance work, relationships, and personal time. The song highlights the challenge of being consumed by the daily grind and its impact on mental health. It challenges the listeners to think about their priorities in life, the importance of being present and not just going through the motion of life. The song encourages one to take stock of their values and desires and pursue what truly makes them happy.
Line by Line Meaning
Every Monday, I’m feeling the blues
At the start of every week, I feel down and dejected
Every Tuesday, I try to get through
On Tuesdays, I struggle to keep going
Every Wednesday, I had too much booze
Midweek, I turn to alcohol to cope
Coming Thursday, I try to keep cool
Thursdays pose a challenge, but I try to remain calm
Every Friday, the weekend in sight
By Friday, I look forward to the weekend
Every Saturday, I still don’t feel right
Even on weekends, I struggle with my feelings
Coming Sunday, I’m asking why
As the weekend ends, I question the purpose of it all
Can’t the next day, leave me behind
I wish I could escape the monotony of my life
Hey Mama, you gave me life
Mother, you brought me into this world
Hey Mama, I wonder why
Mother, I question the meaning of my existence
They’re saying, there’s much more to life
I've heard others claim there is more to life than what I currently experience
Besides working, and buying more time
Life must involve more than just working and trying to prolong it
There’s much more to life
Life contains countless experiences beyond the mundane
Contributed by Isabella J. Suggest a correction in the comments below.