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.
Shot Down
Kingdom Come Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Driven hard with no thought of surrender
If I knew where I could find them
I could spare you the act of a madman
[Chorus:]
Shot down
Scared to fall
Shot down
Can't recall
Where did I go wrong
Winds of war, holy disaster
If I could I would fight it with laughter
Breathing hard is what I've been doing
I just hope that no evil is brewing
The lyrics of "Shot Down" by Kingdom Come have a very introspective feel to them. The lyrics revolve around a protagonist who is looking for answers and is driven hard with no thought of surrender. The first line, "Here I am looking for answers," implies that the singer is searching for some answers in his life. He is lost, and he needs to know where he belongs. The second line, "Driven hard with no thought of surrender," shows that the singer is not giving up on his search for answers. He is determined to find the truth, no matter how hard it may be.
In the chorus, the singer talks about being "Shot Down." He is scared to fall and is looking for a place where he belongs. The next line, "Can't recall where did I go wrong," shows that the singer is having trouble remembering what caused his downfall. He doesn't know where he went wrong and is now lost.
The next verse talks about the "Winds of war, holy disaster." These lines imply that the singer is going through a tough time in his life. He would fight it with laughter if he could, but it seems like he can't. He is breathing hard, and he hopes that there is no evil brewing.
Overall, the lyrics of "Shot Down" by Kingdom Come describe a man who is lost and is trying to find his place in the world. He has been shot down numerous times, and he is scared to fall. He wants to know where he belongs and is searching for answers. The singer is going through a very difficult time in his life, and he is hoping that he will be able to find his way out of it soon.
Line by Line Meaning
Here I am looking for answers
I'm searching for solutions to unresolved problems or questions.
Driven hard with no thought of surrender
I'm persistently pushing forward and won't give up easily or quickly.
If I knew where I could find them
If I had a precise location or information, I could help you.
I could spare you the act of a madman
I could prevent any irrational or crazy behavior.
[Chorus:] Shot down Scared to fall Where do I belong Shot down Can't recall Where did I go wrong
I feel defeated, afraid of failing and unsure of where I fit or what I did wrong.
Winds of war, holy disaster
There are severe conflicts and crises happening that are out of my control.
If I could I would fight it with laughter
If possible, I would confront the situation with humor or positive attitude.
Breathing hard is what I've been doing
I'm struggling and facing difficulties.
I just hope that no evil is brewing
I'm praying or wishing that nothing harmful or negative is developing as a result.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: CAROL ANN TATUM, LENNY WOLF
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mopheadmusic2000
The haunting atmosphere of this track always reminded me of something that RUSH would do. This is a great song from a great disc. KC is the best kept secret. Buy ALL of their cds.
L. K.
one of the best compositions in rock history , no doubt , amazing atmosphere ! Respect to Wolf
Carol Tatum, Harpist / Austin
This was one of my favorite songs on the CD along with "Should I" and "Blood On The Land." Lenny writes great music. We were a great team. ~ Carol Tatum
Carol Tatum, Harpist / Austin
@Dartem Coogfft Thank you. :)
Dartem Coogfft
Thank you for being a part of one of the best albums I remeber Carol.
Davemonzon
By 1988 everybody told about KC they were the Led Zeppelin clones...through the years they showed class and real music...but, regret, they are underrated...
Ant KLOS
My favorite song by Kingdom Come!!
Carol Tatum, Harpist / Austin
Tha's so awesome!
Trump's Bane
I love Lenny's voice.
vonkaunaz
The bass guitar and the dark synth in the background made a brilliant intro.