Teenage schoolmates Loz Hardy and Myles Howell formed the group during their year off after school. They placed an advertisement for a drummer, and eventually recruited the significantly older John Andrew. Andrew was an ex-travelling puppeteer. The band began playing and touring, before making their recording debut with The Celebrated Working Man EP. After this they signed up to Chrysalis Records and released a second EP, entitled Idiots at the Wheel in January 1992. They were also immediately courted by the music press, and they invented a niche category for the band, which they dubbed "New Cool Rock".
With a fan following building up, and lyrical austerity in their melodic music, they were tipped by some as the "next big thing". Their debut album, Eat Yourself Whole was well received, and spent three weeks in the UK Album Chart, reaching a high of number twenty-nine in October 1991. In addition, the single release of the album's title track, "Eat Yourself Whole", reached the U.K. Top Twenty.
They then landed an American record deal with Chrysalis. Kingmaker's second album, Sleepwalking was released in 1993, to general acclaim. Hardy's songwriting prowess seemed to have grown in inverse proportion to their stature. Certainly the songs on Sleepwalking, primarily located in Hardy's bitter world, far surpassed anything on the debut album, and outshone the early singles that had won them most attention. The album starts off with "Playground Brutality", a sad, emotional song about bullying in schools. This sets the tone for the songs to follow, which cover a broad range of subjects such as death, anarchy and injustice.
However, despite their promising debut, the band rapidly fell out of favour. Paul Heaton of local stars The Beautiful South heavily criticised them as being middle class pretenders, and the rot set in thereafter.
Their final album, In the Best Possible Taste emerged in 1995, within one month of the death of the disc jockey Kenny Everett, who had popularised the phrase. Whilst tracks such as "One False Move" revealed a subtle shift towards urban rockabilly, the band called it quits after touring later the same year.
2. Kingmaker is a 5 piece hardcore band from Lake County IL. With members ranging from 17 to 19, it’s hard to believe that such a pissed off heavy sound could come out of some teenagers. Debuting their 6 song EP “Catacomb” recorded in guitarist Andy Eclov’s basement, the band not only shows that it’s possible for the youth of modern times to go against the grain of cookie cutter bullshit bands the suburbs spawns, but that hardcore is still alive and well today. Being the first EP any of them has recorded, there is still much room for improvement, but having only been a band for 2 months and putting out music of this quality speaks for itself. My favorite thing about this band thus far is the fact that they can put out music that makes you want to kill the person next to you, but they do it with a smile on their faces because they integrate what most bands fail to into the music, having fun. Get ready for Kingmaker kiddies, these boys are out for blood. - grizzly
Honesty Kills
Kingmaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That I haven't got
It's not that hideous grin
That puts every girl
That sees him in a spin
You say he's funny and he's nice
And you listen to his advice
'cause it will save you
Lots of pain and time
Honesty kills the best of us
And liars like him
Claim the minds of the rest of us
The news is all he wants you for
The noose is all he's good for
Remember Richard said
"The broken hearted are easy to bed"
Don't be gullible and kind
He just wants to get his pockets lined
I say he's a heretic
And a fake
And he deserves to burn at the stake
Put his ashes by the fruit machine
Think of him every time you win
Honesty kills the best of us
And liars like him
Claim the minds of the rest of us
The news is all he wants you for
The noose is all he's good for
People only see
What they want to see
It's a symptom of life's hypocrisy
People only see
What they want to see
That's why you're stripping naked in his back seat
People only see
People only see what they want to see
People only see
People only see what they want to see
The news is all he wants you for
The noose is all he's good for
Oooh, oh!
Oooh, oh!
STRING HIM UP!
The lyrics of Kingmaker's song "Honesty Kills" tackle the subject of deception in relationships. The first verse sets the scene with the singer questioning what Richard has that they don't, before dismissing his handsome appearance. The second verse, on the other hand, turns accusatory, with the singer warning a girl not to fall for Richard's lies, insisting that they have better advice to offer. The chorus delivers the song's main message, laying out the consequences of dishonesty: "honesty kills the best of us, and liars like him claim the minds of the rest of us." The song's final verse is the most biting, with the singer calling Richard a "heretic and a fake" and suggesting he deserves punishment, even proposing his ashes be placed beside a fruit machine as a cautionary tale.
Overall, "Honesty Kills" is a warning about the dangers of giving in to deception and the way in which it can warp our perceptions. The song asks us to be cautious about the people we trust and to not be blinded by superficial qualities or flattery. Ultimately, the message is that we must be vigilant in relationships to avoid falling prey to those who use lies for their own gain.
Line by Line Meaning
What's Richard got
What does Richard have that I do not?
That I haven't got
What is Richard's advantage that I am lacking?
It's not that hideous grin
His smile is not what makes him more attractive
That puts every girl
That makes every girl
That sees him in a spin
attracted to him.
You say he's funny and he's nice
You said that Richard is humorous and kind
And you listen to his advice
You take his advice seriously
Well maybe listen to some of mine
Well, maybe you should pay attention to me too
'cause it will save you
Because it will help you
Lots of pain and time
Avoiding lots of pain and wasting time.
Honesty kills the best of us
Being honest can sometimes harm oneself
And liars like him
But people who lie like him
Claim the minds of the rest of us
deceive and control other people's thoughts.
The news is all he wants you for
All he wants from you is publicity
The noose is all he's good for
He deserves to be punished for what he has done
Remember Richard said
Don't forget what Richard said.
"The broken hearted are easy to bed"
"It's easy to take advantage of emotionally vulnerable people."
Don't be gullible and kind
Don't be too naive and generous
He just wants to get his pockets lined
He is only interested in making money
I say he's a heretic
I accuse him of being a heretic.
And a fake
And a fraud
And he deserves to burn at the stake
He deserves to be punished severely
Put his ashes by the fruit machine
Put his ashes near the machine where people come to gamble.
Think of him every time you win
Remember his punishment every time when you win.
People only see
People only perceive
What they want to see
What they desire to perceive.
It's a symptom of life's hypocrisy
It is a sign of people's inconsistency in life.
That's why you're stripping naked in his back seat
That's why you are being cheated by him and lose your clothes on his car seat.
The news is all he wants you for
All he wants from you is publicity
The noose is all he's good for
He deserves to be punished for what he has done
STRING HIM UP!
Punish him severely!
Contributed by Sarah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.