The band formed in 1990 when Jian Ghomeshi and Murray Foster, former classmates at the local Thornlea Secondary School, and participants in the school choir, joined with Mike Ford and David Matheson to busk in Toronto. They drew unusually large crowds, and, eventually, the attention of Toronto-based CBC Radio One, which commissioned songs about political and local issues for the radio show Later the Same Day. Some songs written for the show later appeared on their albums; these songs include "The Gulf War Song" and "My Baby Loves a Bunch of Authors", which was written for a Toronto authors' festival.
They cut a six-song demo tape in 1992, and their first major-label album was released the next year. Its single, "King of Spain", was only the second Canadian independent #1 hit in that country's history. (Torontonians Barenaked Ladies were first by a few months, with 1991's "Be My Yoko Ono".) Shortly after, they embarked on a touring schedule that continued, practically without stopping except to record new material, until the end of 2000.
The band reminds some listeners of the Beatles (which Früvous happily acknowledges) or They Might Be Giants. They sometimes sang with little or no accompaniment in a style similar to contemporary a cappella, drawing comparisons to Da Vinci's Notebook. A number of their songs also express the band's progressive political leanings ("The Greatest Man in America", for instance, harps on Rush Limbaugh, and "Big Fish" lambasts former Premier of Ontario Mike Harris). Früvous was also known for their close relationship with their fans and their live shows, which were full of political commentary, humorous banter, and musical improvisation.
The band gave its last concert in 2000 (excepting performances at annual fan conventions in 2001 and 2002), and the last update to the band's website occurred in 2002. As of fall 2005, Jian Ghomeshi was hosting National Playlist on CBC Radio One, and Murray Foster was the bass player for Great Big Sea. On September 5, 2005, Ford, Foster and Ghomeshi performed on CIUT, the University of Toronto's campus radio station, as part of the morning program Toronto Unlocked (an ad hoc program produced and hosted by locked-out CBC Radio One staff).
King of Spain
Moxy Früvous Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh... my unspeakable wife, Queen Lisa, now I eat humble pie
I'm telling you I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
And now I work at the Pizza Pizza
1 2 3 4!
Royalty, lord it looked good on me
Or playing Crokinole with the Princess of Monaco
Telling my jokes to the OPEC leaders, getting it all on video
Once I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
A palatial palace, that was my home, now I eat humble pie
I'm telling you I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
And now I vacuum the turf at SkyDome
Once he was the King of Spain
I can't wait, I'm lowering interest rates, my people say:
"King, how are you such a genius?
There's a roof overhead
and food on our plates!"
It's laissez-faire, I don't even give a care
Let's make Friday part of the weekend
And give every new baby a chocolate eclair
Once I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
Hey Clinton! Hey Yeltsin! Got problems?
You phone me, now I eat humble pie
I'm telling you I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
Now the Leafs call me up to drive the Zamboni
Once he was the King of Spain
Ladies and Gentlemen, I introduce to you the international orchestra!
Now some of you might be wondering how I came to be living in Canada
after being royalty in Spain. Should I tell them, guys?
Tell us, King!
You see late one night when the palace was asleep
Out of my royal chambers and into the garden I creep
And I wait till the appointed time, when the moon is lighting the pitch
At which point my peasant friend, who looks just like me
Arrives and we make switch!
(gasp)
Prince and pauper, junior and whopper
World made up of silver and copper
Under my own volition, I took a change of position
So next time you drool in the pizza line
Remember, slower pizza's more luscious
The King of Spain never rushes!!!
Once I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
I was lookin' for off-handed ways to improve us, now I eat humble pie
I'm telling you I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
And now I'm jamming with Moxy Fruvous!
Once he was the King of Spain
The lyrics to Moxy Früvous's song "King of Spain" tell the story of a former king who has fallen on hard times and now works at Pizza Pizza. He reminisces about his time as a monarch, where he enjoyed luxury and power, but ultimately gave it all up for a simpler life. The song is filled with humorous anecdotes about his time as king, such as playing Crokinole with the Princess of Monaco and telling jokes to OPEC leaders.
Despite his current situation, the former king seems content with his life and even jokes about how he's lowering interest rates and making Friday part of the weekend. He reveals that he once made a switch with his peasant friend to escape his royal duties and start a new life. Overall, the song is a comical take on the idea of giving up power and prestige for a meaningful life.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
I used to be the king but now I'm no longer in power and have to face reality
Oh... my unspeakable wife, Queen Lisa, now I eat humble pie
My wife caused me a lot of problems which led to my dethronement
I'm telling you I was the King of Spain, now I eat humble pie
I'm insisting that I'm not lying about being the king in the past
And now I work at the Pizza Pizza
I have a low-paying job in a pizza chain now
Royalty, lord it looked good on me
Being in power and living a luxurious life suited me well
Buried in silk in the royal boudoir or going nuclear free
I could either live a comfortable life or make a difference in the world
Or playing Crokinole with the Princess of Monaco
I had the opportunity to socialize with royalty and play games with them
Telling my jokes to the OPEC leaders, getting it all on video
I could entertain and interact with other powerful leaders and was quite famous
A palatial palace, that was my home, now I eat humble pie
I used to live in grandeur but now I live in humble conditions
And now I vacuum the turf at SkyDome
I have a lowly job now that involves cleaning the turf in a stadium
I can't wait, I'm lowering interest rates, my people say:
As king, I have the power to make important decisions to benefit the country
"King, how are you such a genius?
My people are impressed by my decisions and actions
There's a roof overhead
and food on our plates!"
My people have basic necessities covered and are content
It's laissez-faire, I don't even give a care
I have a mentality of letting things run themselves and not worrying too much
Let's make Friday part of the weekend
And give every new baby a chocolate eclair
I propose making Friday a holiday and giving treats to newborns
Hey Clinton! Hey Yeltsin! Got problems?
You phone me, now I eat humble pie
I used to have powerful connections but now I'm an average person
Now the Leafs call me up to drive the Zamboni
I have an unexpected job offer to drive a machine at a hockey arena
Now some of you might be wondering how I came to be living in Canada
I moved from Spain to Canada and people are curious why
Out of my royal chambers and into the garden I creep
I snuck out of my palace to meet with my peasant friend
And I wait till the appointed time, when the moon is lighting the pitch
We have a specific meeting time when the conditions are right
At which point my peasant friend, who looks just like me
Arrives and we make switch!
We switch identities as a way for me to escape my royal life
Prince and pauper, junior and whopper
World made up of silver and copper
The world has different classes of people and material goods
Under my own volition, I took a change of position
I made the decision to change my life and escape from royalty
So next time you drool in the pizza line
Remember, slower pizza's more luscious
The King of Spain never rushes!!!
I offer advice to enjoy life and take things slow, and I still identify as the king despite my current situation.
Once he was the King of Spain
Repeating the phrase to emphasize the loss of power
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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