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
Queen Jane
Kingmaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Watching the goose-step of the crowd
You were a picture of rebelliion
A kleptomaniac and proud
Well I should've seen it coming
From miles away
Kiss the pavement goodbye
Queen Jane
You've got everything to fight for
Queen Jane
You've got everything to lose
Queen Jane
You've got everything to live for
And there's a lot more people worse off than you
I caught him looking for employers
With his macho pressgang crowd
Belsen would be his EuroDisney
He'd like to work in immigration now
Well let's just pretend we're human beings
For a while
Chronic shyness
Can drive us to a smile
Queen Jane
You've got everything to cry for
Queen Jane
You've got everything to win
Queen Jane
You've got everything to die for
And there's a lot more people better off than you
They say your vacant face
Helps the tourist trade
If they could see you in your leisure time...well!
A funny thing happened on the way to here
The headlines read like the end was near
For Queen Jane
They say your vacant face
Helps the tourist trade
If they could see you in your leisure time...well!
Queen Jane
You've got everything to fight for
Queen Jane
You've got everything to lose
Queen Jane
You've got everything to die for
And there's a lot more people worse off than you
Queen Jane
Queen Jane
Queen Jane
Queen Jane
The lyrics to Kingmaker's song Queen Jane describe a woman who is rebellious and proud, sitting on the pavement watching the crowd like a kleptomaniac. The song acknowledges that she has many things to fight for, lose, live for, and die for, like most people in life. The lyrics encourage Queen Jane not to give up as there are many others who are worse off than she is. The second verse continues with the theme of rebelliousness, with the singer seeing a man looking for employers with a macho pressgang crowd. The singer describes how he would like to work in immigration and how Belsen would be his EuroDisney, making a reference to the Nazi concentration camp.
The song continues with a plea to pretend to be human beings for a while, a reference to everyone being equal regardless of their status, appearance, or background. The lyrics speak of chronic shyness being able to drive people to a smile, perhaps suggesting that it is easier to smile and move on than it is to confront our fears.
The final verse of the song speaks of Queen Jane’s vacant face and its impact on the tourist trade, suggesting that people may not see her struggles outside her leisure time. The lyrics make a final plea to Queen Jane to fight, lose, live and die for her cause, as there are many people worse off than she is.
Line by Line Meaning
I saw you sitting on the pavement
I spotted you sitting on the ground, probably observing the oblivious movements of the people walking by.
Watching the goose-step of the crowd
Your eyes followed the standardized movements of the people who went ahead without giving any significance to things around them.
You were a picture of rebellion
You embodied the idea of nonconformism and resistance against existing norms or established authorities.
A kleptomaniac and proud
You were shamelessly proud of your irresistible urge to steal things that don't belong to you.
Well I should’ve seen it coming
I should have anticipated the upcoming event with greater attention.
From miles away
Even from a great distance, I should have been able to recognize the signs of the future.
Kiss the pavement goodbye
Get ready for a fall, goodbye stability.
And say hello to the ice age
Greet the age of coldness and hostility, both at a personal and societal level.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to fight for
You, Queen Jane, have so many things you can still work hard for and try to achieve.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to lose
You, Queen Jane, have so many things that could potentially go wrong and be lost if something unfavorable happens.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to live for
Queen Jane, you have all the right reasons to stay alive, to have goals, dreams, aspirations, and purpose in life.
And there’s a lot more people worse off than you
Stop feeling sorry for yourself, there are others out there with much greater problems and miserable lives than you.
I caught him looking for employers
I noticed him scouting for possible future employers.
With his macho pressgang crowd
He was accompanied by his arrogant group of violent supporters, who would do anything to enforce their will and boost their ego.
Belsen would be his EuroDisney
He would have gladly approved Nazi-like concentration camps as places of entertainment for families, if it meant earning profit and favoring his ideals.
He’d like to work in immigration now
He wishes to have power over who gets to enter and reside in a country, so he can enforce his policies which might involve intolerance or abuse.
Well, let’s just pretend we’re human beings
We ought to try and show empathy and compassion, despite our differences and conflicts, because at the end of the day we are all human beings.
Chronic shyness can drive us to a smile
Sometimes the feeling of nervousness, insecurity or anxiety can lead us to try and pretend to be confident or happy.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to cry for
Queen Jane, you have so many reasons to be moved, touched, saddened and even cry for.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to win
In every battle or struggle, Queen Jane, you have many things to gain and achieve as a reward for your hard work and perseverance.
Queen Jane, You’ve got everything to die for
You have lots of values, principles, beliefs and causes that are worth fighting for even if it means risking your life for them, Queen Jane.
And there’s a lot more people better off than you
Don't be envious or resentful towards others, for there are those who have been blessed with far greater happiness, wealth, success or health than you.
They say your vacant face helps the tourist trade
Some say the expressionless look on your face adds to the exotic aura or mystery of the city, which could attract more tourists and money to flow in.
If they could see you in your leisure time...well!
If people could see you more often in your free time, they would realize that behind the façade, there is a unique, interesting and worthy human being.
A funny thing happened on the way to here
An unexpected, ironic or humorous event occurred while we were on our way here.
The headlines read like the end was near
The news reports, articles or stories we heard gave us the impression that some huge catastrophe or calamity is bound to happen very soon.
Contributed by Audrey W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.