When You Are A King

Album: My Baby Loves Lovin' (1970)
Charted: 13
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Credited to J. & R. Hill and produced by Roger Greenaway, "When You Are A King" is the outstanding song from a far from outstanding group, and as good as it got for White Plains, in the 1970s anyway. Backed by "The World Gets Better With Love," this is cut from the same cloth as the even more endearing "Liverpool Lullaby." >>>
    Suggestion credit:
    Alexander Baron - London, England
  • White Plains were a studio group put together by Roger Greenaway and his songwriting partner, Roger Cook. The vocalist was session singer Tony Burrows who in the late '60s and early '70s fronted a number of studio groups. They included The Flowerpot Men ("Let's Go to San Francisco"), Edison Lighthouse ("Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes)"), The Pipkins ("Gimme Dat Ding") and Brotherhood of Man ("United We Stand").

Comments: 1

  • Kelly from Pennsylvania Not sure why Tony Burrows is always referred to as “the voice of White Plains”. It was Ricky Wolff and Pete Nelson who sang the majority of songs. Tony only sang a few on their first LP, but didn’t actually sing lead on any of their singles. “My Baby Loves Lovin’” was sung by Ricky with Tony doubling him on the chorus. It becomes obvious when you listen to the other songs Ricky sang lead on. And this song “When You Are a King” was sung by Pete (recorded a year and a half after Tony left the band!).
see more comments

Editor's Picks

Philip Cody

Philip CodySongwriter Interviews

A talented lyricist, Philip helped revive Neil Sedaka's career with the words to "Laughter In The Rain" and "Bad Blood."

Mark Arm of Mudhoney

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Eric Clapton

Eric ClaptonFact or Fiction

Did Eric Clapton really write "Cocaine" while on cocaine? This question and more in the Clapton edition of Fact or Fiction.

Real or Spinal Tap

Real or Spinal TapMusic Quiz

They sang about pink torpedoes and rocking you tonight tonight, but some real lyrics are just as ridiculous. See if you can tell which lyrics are real and which are Spinal Tap in this lyrics quiz.

How "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" Became Rock's Top Proverb

How "A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss" Became Rock's Top ProverbSong Writing

How a country weeper and a blues number made "rolling stone" the most popular phrase in rock.

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. Televangelists

Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk: Rock vs. TelevangelistsSong Writing

When televangelists like Jimmy Swaggart took on rockers like Ozzy Osbourne and Metallica, the rockers retaliated. Bono could even be seen mocking the preachers.