Two bands exist called Kingdom Come - it is also an alias of Ron Allen, hou… Read Full Bio ↴Two bands exist called Kingdom Come - it is also an alias of Ron Allen, house music producer.

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.

Outsider
Kingdom Come Lyrics

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I don't mind
Simple rules so we won't live like cavemen
But I won't
Let them take what is left of my freedom

So tired
Worn out my tears are gone
Outsider

But not the only one

All I hear
's don't do this, don't do that you're a madman
Had enough
I'm just not their political trash can

So tired
Worn out my tears are gone
Outsider
But not the only one

You may think
I'm a fool who is living in dreamland
Rather that
Than like you who are walking on quicksand, oh

So tired
Worn out my tears are gone
Outsider
But not the only one

So tired
Worn out my tears are gone
Outsider
Is what I have become

So tired
Worn out my tears are gone

Outsider
But not the only one

Overall Meaning

Kingdom Come's song "Outsider" is a defiant expression of individualism against the pressures of conformity and societal expectations. The lyrics illustrate the singer's refusal to comply with the rules imposed on him by society, but rather to defend his freedom and maintain his own identity. The first verse states the singer's willingness to follow simple rules as long as they preserve his liberties, while making it clear that he will not let anyone take that freedom away from him.

The chorus describes the singer's weariness, stating that he's tired and has no more tears left to shed. He considers himself an outsider, but he is not the only one who feels that way. He does not want to be told what to do and what not to do, nor does he want to be a "political trash can." The second verse amplifies this sentiment, highlighting the opposition that the singer faces from those who consider him foolish for his beliefs. The lyrics indirectly criticize those who follow the crowd and conform to societal norms, calling them the ones who are walking on quicksand.

The chorus repeats once more, emphasizing the singer's exhaustion and his designation as an outsider. The lyrics of the song suggest that the price for the singer's individuality is his isolation from society. Ultimately, the song portrays a message of resistance and nonconformity that resonates with anyone who identifies as an outsider or struggles to maintain their individuality in a conformist society.

Line by Line Meaning

I don't mind
I am okay with following basic rules that allow us to live together in a civilized society.

Simple rules so we won't live like cavemen
These rules are necessary to prevent us from reverting to pre-civilization ways of living.

But I won't
However, I am not willing to surrender the remaining shreds of my freedom.

Let them take what is left of my freedom
I refuse to allow anyone to deprive me of my liberty.

So tired
I am exhausted and drained.

Worn out my tears are gone
I have cried so much that I have no more tears left.

Outsider
I feel like I don't belong or fit in with everyone else.

But not the only one
However, I know that there are others who feel the same way.

All I hear
I constantly hear people telling me what I can and cannot do.

's don't do this, don't do that you're a madman
They always warn me not to do certain things and label me as crazy.

Had enough
I am tired of being told what to do and how to live my life.