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

Evolution Of The Prince Symbol

Evolution Of The Prince SymbolSong Writing

The evolution of the symbol that was Prince's name from 1993-2000.

Emilio Castillo from Tower of Power

Emilio Castillo from Tower of PowerSongwriter Interviews

Emilio talks about what it's like to write and perform with the Tower of Power horns, and why every struggling band should have a friend like Huey Lewis.

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"

Marc Campbell - "88 Lines About 44 Women"They're Playing My Song

The Nails lead singer Marc Campbell talks about those 44 women he sings about over a stock Casio keyboard track. He's married to one of them now - you might be surprised which.

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"

Chris Frantz - "Genius of Love"They're Playing My Song

Chris and his wife Tina were the rhythm section for Talking Heads when they formed The Tom Tom Club. "Genius of Love" was their blockbuster, but David Byrne only mentioned it once.

Kerry Livgren of Kansas

Kerry Livgren of KansasSongwriter Interviews

In this talk from the '80s, the Kansas frontman talks turning to God and writing "Dust In The Wind."

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The Remasters

Brian Kehew: The Man Behind The RemastersSong Writing

Brian has unearthed outtakes by Fleetwood Mac, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Costello and hundreds of other artists for reissues. Here's how he does it.