Beginning in 1987 in London, England, Bill Drummond (alias King Boy D) and Jimmy Cauty (alias Rockman Rock) released hip hop-inspired and sample-heavy records as The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu and, on one occasion (the British number one hit single "Doctorin' the Tardis"), as The Timelords. As The KLF, Drummond and Cauty pioneered the genres "stadium house" (rave music with a pop-rock production and sampled crowd noise) and "ambient house". The KLF released a series of international top-ten hits on their own KLF Communications record label, and became the highest internationally selling UK band of 1991. The duo also published a book, The Manual, and worked on a road movie called The White Room.
From the outset, they adopted the philosophy espoused by esoteric novels The Illuminatus! Trilogy, gaining notoriety for various anarchic situationist manifestations, including the defacement of billboard adverts, the posting of prominent cryptic advertisements in NME magazine and the mainstream press, and highly distinctive and unusual performances on Top of the Pops. Their most notorious performance was at the February 1992 Brit Awards, where they horrified the formal audience with a hardcore thrash version of "3 A.M. Eternal" (performed with the justifiably named Extreme Noise Terror) that also included Drummond spraying the crowd with blanks from an automatic rifle and the post-performance announcement, "The KLF have left the music industry." Topping their already extreme actions, Cauty and Drummond delivered the carcass of a dead sheep -- plus eight gallons of blood -- to the lobby of the hotel after-party. In May 1992 the duo deleted their entire back catalogue.
With The KLF's profits, Drummond and Cauty established the K Foundation and sought to subvert the art world, staging an alternative art award for the worst artist of the year and burning a million pounds sterling. Although Drummond and Cauty remained true to their word of May 1992βthe KLF Communications catalogue remains deletedβthey have released a small number of new tracks since then, as the K Foundation, The One World Orchestra and most recently, in 1997, as 2K. Cauty has provided remixing services for bands as diverse as Hawkwind and Placebo, under the name Scourge of the Earth.
The KLF catalogue remained absent from digital platforms until January 1, 2021, when an 8-track compilation of their 7" hit singles 1988-1991 - Solid State Logik 1 was released on streaming platforms, marking the 1st installment of a series called Samplecity Thru Trancentral.
Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard
The KLF Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yes I'm that preacher everybody's talking about
The Doctor Williams givin' out them red hot lessons ten dollars
New York and New Jersey every week
All the way down the east coast
>From Boston clean down to Atlanta Georgia last week
I tore down the east coast
And from somewhere I hear
do somethin' to help yourself
come get your mojo hey
go in to Atlanta City an' be a winner
go down to Atlanta City come back fat as a rat
why should you be a loser when you can be a winner
Yes ma'am yes sir I-
Brooklyn New York
Brooklyn New York
Get ready
Doctor Williams will be in Brooklyn New York
Tomorrow evenin' Monday evenin'
6 pm until 8 pm
I'm talkin' to the hot red hot
big money spending scum
An' you be here
6 o'clock tomorrow evenin'
And then I hear
Bronx New York
Get on the telephone
Call 50 of your friends
Tell all your friends who need some help
Doctor Williams comin' to the Bronx New York
Doctor Williams comin' to the Bronx New York
Doctor Williams will be in the Bronx New York
???
straight straight hot hot hot hot hot red hot
big money blessed cash nobody stop these suckers
not even the devil in hell can't stop it
I want you to know I love you
I'm talkin' to you baby
I'm talkin' to you sucker
I love you
I love you
I have a special phone number where you can call me so that I can send
you a special gift
The lyrics to The KLF's song Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard are a satirical commentary on the role of televangelists and their tactics to scam people out of their money. The singer is posing as a preacher, Doctor Williams, who travels along the East Coast giving "red hot lessons" for a fee of ten dollars. He entices listeners by promising to help them be winners and get rich, preying on their desperation and vulnerability.
The lyrics describe Doctor Williams' tour from New York to Atlanta and then to Brooklyn and The Bronx. He encourages people to attend his lectures and spend money on his services, claiming that he can make them rich and successful. The repetitive phrases "come get your mojo" and "do somethin' to help yourself" reinforce the idea that Doctor Williams is trying to sell his listeners a false sense of hope and empowerment.
The song also critiques the greed and corruption within American society, particularly among the wealthy elite. The line "straight straight hot hot hot hot hot red hot big money blessed cash nobody stop these suckers" suggests that those with wealth and power will stop at nothing to maintain their status and may even be complicit in scams like those perpetuated by Doctor Williams.
Overall, the lyrics to Wichita Lineman Was a Song I Once Heard are a scathing critique of the televangelist industry and the exploitation of vulnerable people for personal gain.
Line by Line Meaning
broadcasting listening tonight
Announcing that the singer is currently on air and can be heard on the radio.
Yes I'm that preacher everybody's talking about
The singer is claiming to be a famous and well-regarded preacher that people are discussing.
The Doctor Williams givin' out them red hot lessons ten dollars
Referring to himself as Doctor Williams, the singer is offering his teachings for a price of ten dollars.
New York and New Jersey every week
The artist regularly travels to cities in New York and New Jersey to preach his lessons.
All the way down the east coast
>From Boston clean down to Atlanta Georgia last week
I tore down the east coast
The artist has traveled all the way down the east coast from Boston to Atlanta, creating a stir wherever he goes.
And from somewhere I hear
do somethin' to help you
do somethin' to help yourself
come get your mojo hey
go in to Atlanta City an' be a winner
go down to Atlanta City come back fat as a rat
why should you be a loser when you can be a winner
The singer hears a message encouraging people to take action to improve their lives and become successful in Atlanta without being left behind.
Yes ma'am yes sir I-
Brooklyn New York
Brooklyn New York
The singer is responding politely to someone and then repeats the name of the city he will soon visit.
Get ready
Doctor Williams will be in Brooklyn New York
tomorrow evenin' Monday evenin'
6 pm until 8 pm
I'm talkin' to the hot red hot
big money spending scum
An' you be here
6 o'clock tomorrow evenin'
The artist is telling his listeners to prepare for his upcoming visit to Brooklyn and encourages people with money to come hear him speak in-person.
And then I hear
Bronx New York
Get on the telephone
Call 50 of your friends
Tell all your friends who need some help
Doctor Williams comin' to the Bronx New York
Doctor Williams comin' to the Bronx New York
Doctor Williams will be in the Bronx New York
???
The artist hears about another opportunity to spread his message in the Bronx and instructs his listeners to spread the word to those in need of help.
straight straight hot hot hot hot hot red hot
big money blessed cash nobody stop these suckers
not even the devil in hell can't stop it
The artist boasts about how his teachings are popular and people with money are receptive to his message, implying that nothing will stand in their way of success.
I want you to know I love you
I'm talkin' to you baby
I'm talkin' to you sucker
I love you
I love you
I have a special phone number where you can call me so that I can send
you a special gift
The singer expresses affection for his listeners and offers a special gift which they can receive by calling him at a designated phone number.
Contributed by Josiah H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@johnlloyd8109
I meet music snobs quite regularly. It often goes like this...
Music Snob: "The KLF were just a hit-driven commercial pop group. I never found them interesting."
Me: "Have you heard Wichita Linesman Was A Song I Once Heard?"
Music Snob: "No."
Me: <plays Wichita Linesman Was A Song I Once Heard>
Music Snob: "Fucking hell..."
@pouyah5288
i wish i personally knew someone who would appreciate this as much as i did.
@zombiestars42
+pouya haghani let's meet !
@pouyah5288
+Roodoo Zefreak
this is so sad that we probably won't since i live in a hellhole but i'm going to listen to the playlists you've made. that gotta count for something right? :)
@phuturephunk
You're in the company of many, we're just all not in the same room. ;)
@ianbain9483
Yep there's lots of us..
@landi76
the white room is big enough ;-)
@leesaunders8193
Quite simply one of the most beautiful tracks ever made. Absolutely nothing in this track doesn't go.
@duncannelson2033
This helped me through my absolute worst lsd trip back in the 90βsβ¦. now I want it played at my funeral
@katiejaeckel5135
This is my favorite track on the album.
@eyeswideopendevushka
Katie Jaeckel Yes, easily!!