Lyin King

Album: Souled Out (2014)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This bass-heavy song finds Aiko addressing a former lover, ticking him off for the way he treated her. She uses the metaphor of the King of the Jungle (Lion King/Lyin King geddit?) to emphasize the pain she feels over the way he steals hearts only to feed them to his pride.
  • The guy this song was written about is the same one Aiko talked about another Souled Out track, "It's Cool." On that cut she'd sung of her love for the man after meeting him during a troubled time in her life.
  • The song was produced by frequent collaborators Fisticuffs. The production duo of Mac Robinson and Brian Warfield also supplied the beat for "The Pressure" as well as co-producing another Souled Out track, "W.A.Y.S."
  • The TOCK and Topshelf Junior-directed music video finds Aiko portraying a time-traveling medicine woman who attempts to heal a rift between genders in a primitive civilization,. The singer explained the clip's concept in a letter that she shared with Fader:

    "A mysterious, time traveling medicine woman has a prophetic vision of an early civilization in trouble. The men have neglected the women and deprived them of love. By orders of their chief, the men of the tribe have taken away the women's hearts and voices. The women are powerless. The children are suffering. The medicine woman travels for many days to reach the primitive village.

    Upon her arrival, the medicine woman performs a miracle. She instantly restores the grace of the women of the tribe and gives them their voices back. The men of this early tribe are not pleased. With the men of the tribe's attention, the medicine woman and the women of the tribe begin a ceremony in which they tell the story of how they are taking their voices back.

    The chief is infuriated. The medicine woman leaves the now capable women to conduct a private ceremony for the chief. The chief is intrigued and frightened. What he thinks will be a sexual experience turns out to be something very different. After the ritual is performed, the medicine woman passes on her apocalyptic prophecy of how the world will end due to the lack of love throughout humanity. The chief experiences ego death. He sees that it starts with him."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Kim Thayil of Soundgarden

Kim Thayil of SoundgardenSongwriter Interviews

Their frontman (Chris Cornell) started out as their drummer, so Soundgarden takes a linear approach when it comes to songwriting. Kim explains how they do it.

Edwin McCain

Edwin McCainSongwriter Interviews

"I'll Be" was what Edwin called his "Hail Mary" song. He says it proves "intention of the songwriter is 180 degrees from potential interpretation by an audience."

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TV

90210 to Buffy to Glee: How Songs Transformed TVSong Writing

Shows like Dawson's Creek, Grey's Anatomy and Buffy the Vampire Slayer changed the way songs were heard on TV, and produced some hits in the process.

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic Furs

Tim Butler of The Psychedelic FursSongwriter Interviews

Tim and his brother Richard are the Furs' foundation; Tim explains how they write and tells the story of "Pretty In Pink."

Michael Glabicki of Rusted Root

Michael Glabicki of Rusted RootSongwriter Interviews

Michael tells the story of "Send Me On My Way," and explains why some of the words in the song don't have a literal meaning.

Don Brewer of Grand Funk

Don Brewer of Grand FunkSongwriter Interviews

The drummer and one of the primary songwriters in Grand Funk talks rock stardom and Todd Rundgren.