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king is white and in the crowd


composers
Composers: Kerr / Burchill / MacNeil / Forbes
Authors: Kerr
(Earlier sleeves simply state:- Written By: Simple Minds)


publisher
© EMI Music Publishing.
© Bucks Music/Hornall Brothers/EMI Music Publishing Ltd. (Post 2012 credit)


background
First demoed at Rockfield in January 1982 (after it emerged during rehersals), King Is White And In The Crowd was the second idea for New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) to be completed. The band first unveiled it as new song during the second leg of the Sons And Fascination tour.

The lyrics were inspired by a TV broadcast of the assassination of Sadat: "There was a thing of beauty in that tragedy. It was a coincidence that it concerned Sadat, it didn't make any difference. I saw it on TV: Sadat was inspecting a parade, some soldiers walk past and suddenly they shoot him like an animal. And the next thing you saw was a close-up of his wife." - Jim.

"We talked about Martin Fry and ABC and debated the value of writing such traditionalist love songs. Kerr explained how the line in King Is White - 'she puts on the film of him' - had been inspired by a film on TV showing her husband's assassination on TV. "There's more to life than another broken heart," says Kerr" - Adam Sweeting.

"As well as the shining heart of Simple Minds, I think there's also a bit of a dark heart as well. When that tune came up, there was something compelling about it, something Eastern about it. And at the time, perhaps it was the time we were starting to take notice of the world around us - I'd always been interested in the idea of the outsider. And you can't get more of the outsider than the assassin. And there was something about the assassin that was intreguing me. At the time there'd been this assassination of President Sadat of Eygpt. And it had all been in the news as we were working on these tracks - it was a loop we were working on, and out of that came this big wailing song." - Jim, Sunday Herald interview, 2008.


"When we played it at the Volkshaus in Zurich, Switzerland, Jim was so happy about his engagement to Chrissie Hynde that, during a very atmospheric part of a verse, he jumped into the air and sang “I’ve got a luvverly bunch of coconuts." It will never be beaten nor heard again."

Derek Forbes
www.derekforbesmusic.com
June 2016

lyrics
Talking by the pool of light, language from America.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.
They are not a melting pot, say no, say no tapestry.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.

She takes his hand and she says you'll stay.
She's lost in the crowd.
King.

Wire them up, fire them up,
The life and times, the art and talk.
Wire them up, fire them up,
The life and times, the art and talk.

Lovers run camp Africa, bars in town are civilised.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.
Panorama, city life.
Youth's dance proud from the waist down.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.

Shot from where the action is, a rhapsody in black and blue.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.
Love lies under western eyes, powerful yet transient.
She puts on the film of him, king is white and in the crowd.



discography
Album Version (7:00)
Producer: Pete Walsh
Arrangement: Pete Walsh
Engineer: Pete Walsh

New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) MC New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) US Promo LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) US Limited Edition LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) US CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) US Longbox CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Canadian Limited Edition LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) New Zealand LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Yugoslavian LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) German LP New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) LP (Virgin Budget Reissue) New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) MC (Virgin Budget Reissue) New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Reissue CD Simple Minds Box Set New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Remaster Promo CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Remaster Limited Edition CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Remaster CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Remaster Danish Promo CD New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) SACD X5 New Gold Dream Promo CD X5 Five Album Set The Vinyl Collection (79,84) New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) Half Speed Remaster LP

Session (5:18)
Producer: John Williams
Engineer: Mike Robinson
Recorded: 11th Feb 82
Broadcast: 23rd Feb 82

Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) 7" single Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) Limited Edition 7" picture disc Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) Limited Edition 7" single Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) 12" single Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) Canadian 7" Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) Canadian 12" single Themes Volume Two Theme Seven: Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) CD Theme Seven: Someone Somewhere (In Summertime) MC Themes 5-8 Promo CDR Themes Volume One - Five

Touch Tape "Instrumental" (5:55)
Producer: Pete Walsh
Arrangement: Pete Walsh
Engineer: Pete Walsh

Touch: Feature Mist
Live Version (28th February 1984) (7:19)
Recorded: Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow, UK
Engineer: Steve Lillywhite

Sparkle In The Rain French Promo CD Sparkle In The Rain Remaster Super Deluxe Box

Live Version (19th June 1991) (4:20)
Recorded: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles, USA
Mixed by Simple Minds

Stand By Love Limited Edition 7" Stand By Love Limited Edition 12" Stand By Love Limited Edition CD Stand By Love German CD Stand By Love Jukebox 7" Real Life Australian Limited Edition MC Real Life Australian Limited Edition CD Themes 21-24 Promo CDR Themes Volume One - Five Themes Volume Five

Live Version (13th August 1991) (4:20)
Recorded: Barrowlands, Glasgow, UK
Producer: Stephen Lipson
Mastered by: Simon Heyworth

Real Live 91 Fanclub CD Silver Box Promo CDR #4 Silver Box

DVD-Audio Extended Mix (7:28)
Producer: Pete Walsh
DVD-Audio Producer: Ronald Prent

New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) DVD-Audio New Gold Dream (81,82,83,84) US DVD-Audio

Live Version (21st July 2012) (4:19)
Recorded: Theatre Antique, Arles, France
Recorded by: Olivier Gerard
Mixed by: Olivier Gerard
Engineered by: Rudy Coclet
ISRC: GB01A1201467

5X5 Live Promo CD #1-1 5X5 Live Promo CD #2-1 5X5 Live 5X5 Live Irish Promo CD 5X5 Live LP 5X5 Live Export LP




sessions
Kid Jensen, Radio One: 11th February 1982
John Peel, Radio One: May 1982



live history
Sons And Fascination Tour: 1982
New Gold Tour: 1982-1983
Tour Du Monde: 1983-1984
Cash For Kids: 1987
Brazil: 1988
Real Life Tour: 1991
Celebrate 30 Years Live Tour: 2008
5X5 Tour: 2012
40 Years Of Hits Tour: 2022