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
wave
Kingmaker Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Don't you hear the mermaids speak?
Can't you see that all the fish here are all
doing Ecstasy?
Wave
I see the waste you spread around
How's the sand, the sand how it glows...See it glow?
In underwater town you can find out about your wave
Jacques Cousteau's heart you can but swim about it
When at last the water fills my lungs
Can everybody drown me and stop singing
up about love
Wave
In underwater town you can find out about your wave
Beneath the waves it's never Summertime,
Wintertime,
Springtime,
Wavetime,
Anytime...Wavetime.
The song "Wave" by Kingmaker is a dark and introspective song with a dream-like quality to it. The lyrics paint a picture of an underwater town where life seems to be carefree, but upon closer examination is filled with waste and pollution. The mermaids are speaking, and the fish are doing ecstasy, indicating a sense of chaos and a lack of control. The chorus repeats "Wave" as if to indicate the recurring cycles of life and the relentless nature of the sea.
The second verse brings in a reference to Jacques Cousteau, the famous oceanographer and filmmaker, whose heart we can swim around. This is a somewhat cryptic metaphor, but it could be interpreted as an invitation to explore and understand the depths of our emotions and desires. The third verse takes a darker turn, with the singer asking to be drowned and pleading for the end of the constant celebration of love.
Overall, "Wave" is a song that invites listeners to reflect on the beauty and danger of the natural world and the role of humanity in its destruction. It's also a call to dive deeper into our own selves and explore the mysteries of our own psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Don't you hear the mermaids speak?
Have you not noticed the beauty of the ocean and heard the songs of the mystical creatures living in the deep?
Can't you see that all the fish here are all doing Ecstasy?
The fish in the vibrant, lively sea are swimming with joy, lost in the moment of ecstasy.
I see the waste you spread around
I am aware of the harm and litter being put into the sea and its impact on the environment.
How's the sand, the sand how it glows...See it glow?
The sand in the underwater town glows with radiance, highlighting the beauty of the sea.
In underwater town you can find out about your wave
If you explore and dive into the underwater town, you can uncover the true beauty and secrets that the sea holds.
Jacques Cousteau's heart you can but swim about it
If you explore more deeply and immerse yourself in the sea, you can experience and feel the passion of Jacques Cousteau for the ocean.
When at last the water fills my lungs, Can everybody drown me and stop singing up about love
In the final moments, after living a full and vibrant life, let the water take me and end my story, instead of mourning over the loss with endless acts of love.
Beneath the waves it's never Summertime, Wintertime, Springtime, Wavetime, Anytime...Wavetime.
Time and seasons mean nothing in the depths of the sea, as the waves continue to flow constantly and consistently, uninterrupted by the changing world above.
Contributed by Allison E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.