Ill Ray (The King)

Album: For Crying Out Loud (2017)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • The opening track of Crying Out Loud, this is is a call to arms. Guitarist and chief songwriter Serge Pizzorno told NME: "It's a pure call-out tune. It's got the line 'What's your band called, mate?' It came from my best pal and every time I played him a new song I'd just whisper in his ear, 'What's your band called, mate?' It always made us laugh so I just wanted to use that. It's so ridiculously cocky, and it would make a great T-shirt as well."

    Pizzorno added that he has always admired the cockiness in hip-hop where rappers just call people out. "That Kendrick Lamar verse in 'Control' where he just says 'I'm coming for you', calling them out name by name. It's never really done in rock music, but we've done it so much," he said. "There's something amazing about being on stage in front of people and saying the line, 'What's your band called mate?' and 'You smell of hotel soap.'"
  • Serge Pizzorno: "I imagine this man in a leather jacket and slicked back hair in a ponytail slonked at the bar that will be Ray the King."
  • The song's music video, written and conceived by Serge Pizzorno, shows Game of Thrones' Lena Headey (Cersei Lannister), performing a magic ritual to resurrect Richard III in a Leicester car park. The setting is an allusion to the time in 2012 when the Leicester city council exhumed the monarch's skeleton in a Leicester parking lot. Headey then takes the late king on a trip through the city centre, stopping off at the pub and a shopping center.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Prince

PrinceFact or Fiction

Prince is shrouded in mystery, making him an excellent candidate for Fact or Fiction. Is he really a Scientologist? Does he own an exotic animal?

Alan Merrill of The Arrows

Alan Merrill of The ArrowsSongwriter Interviews

In her days with The Runaways, Joan Jett saw The Arrows perform "I Love Rock And Roll," which Alan Merrill co-wrote - that story and much more from this glam rock pioneer.

Van Dyke Parks

Van Dyke ParksSongwriter Interviews

U2, Carly Simon, Joanna Newsom, Brian Wilson and Fiona Apple have all gone to Van Dyke Parks to make their songs exceptional.

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside Story

Jesus Christ Superstar: Ted Neeley Tells the Inside StorySong Writing

The in-depth discussion about the making of Jesus Christ Superstar with Ted Neeley, who played Jesus in the 1973 film.

Amy Grant

Amy GrantSongwriter Interviews

The top Contemporary Christian artist of all time on song inspirations and what she learned from Johnny Carson.

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New York

Janis Ian: Married in London, but not in New YorkSong Writing

Can you be married in one country but not another? Only if you're part of a gay couple. One of the first famous singers to come out as a lesbian, Janis wrote a song about it.