Query about the song "King Of The World"

[fiyero8132]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 5:51pm

Why do you think 'Man 1' is in prison in this vignette from Songs For A New World. The answer is not fed to us by Mr. Brown. However, the lyrics give us clues as to what his crime is. Anyone want to take a stab at the answer?

[ashley0139]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:15pm

I have always wondered this. Is it just me or has there been a large influx of SFANW questions lately? (not that this is a bad thing)

[BroadwayNick]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:16pm

Okay, from what I gather from the song, he was obviously in a position of power. Maybe an officer in the army or something...but I think a key line is "Why are we punished for wanting to explore?" or "Why are we punished for wanting to survive?" I think it was part of Mr. Brown's plan to not include the crime...make it seem like "everyman's criminal" or something like that.

p.s. I love this song! It's the reason I bought the CD!

[Caroline-Q-or-TBoo]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:26pm

did he "Stab" someone?

hehe

sorry

[apdarcey]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:29pm

it's actually "why are we punished for wanting to explore... why am I punished for trying to survive..."

just a little extra analysis.

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:35pm

It's always struck me as very religious and I wind up connecting him with Jesus/God.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:38pm

I was never too fond of Songs of a New World. They didn't strike me as that great, but I really do like this song. I would agree that it might have something to do with the army?

[iwearshoes]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:38pm

I always connected it in a religious sense as well!

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:39pm

Thank God. I thought I was crazy.

[iwearshoes]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:43pm

"thank god" haha get it? sorry...its just one of those days

[iluvtheatertrash]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:44pm

LOL! Yeah, it is one of those days.

[iwearshoes]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 6:47pm

Once upon a time I had tides to control
I had moons to spin
And stars to ignite
And they threw flowers at my feet
When I walked through the town

Once upon a time I had lives to protect
I had rules to change
And wrongs to set right
And there were people at my side
And there were rivers I could guide
I wanted nothing in return

Let me out of here
Give me back all my dreams
Let me out of here
Let please see the sun
Let me out of here
At least tell me what I did wrong

I'm king of the world
Chief of the sea
I am the wind
At least I used to be
And I'm king of the world
Please set me free
Let me remind them of my promise
Live my given destiny

Once upon a time I had fate in my hands
And the confidence of a million regimes
And they said, "Brother, you're in charge
We'll follow anything you say"

Once upon a time Father said to me,
"Child you are everything
That you see in your dreams"
And I thought, Jesus, that's the key
There are no walls surrounding me
There are no prisons in this life

Let me out of here
Give me back to the wind
Let me out of here
Let me please see my son
Let me out of here
Don't you understand who I am?

I'm king of the world
Chief of the sea
I am the wind
At least I try to be
And I'm king of the world
Please set me free
I had the power and the promise
Give me back my family

Why are we punished for wanting to explore?
Why am I sitting in this cell?
I was not challenging the system
I was working for the people
I just wanted to be better

Why are we punished for wanting to survive?
Why am I locked behind these bars?
Tell the children I'll return to them
Tell them...
Someone let them know I will be free

I will not be defeated
I will stand like a mountain
And the road will stretch before me
And they'll know it's time to follow

And we'll lift our eyes
And raise our heads
And face the sun
And tell the future
I'm king of the world
Land of the free
High in the sky
The best that I can be
And I'm king of the world
Watch and you'll see
Nothing can stop me from tomorrow,
Keep me from my destiny

I'm king of the world
At least I used to be

[Link Larkin Wanabe]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 7:07pm

For some reason I have always pictured him as a tribal chief (either African or Native) captured by white settlers. I don't know why.

Akiva

[jasonf]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 7:40pm

Partly because the song comes after Christmas Lullabye and Surabaya Santa I always thought the man was God, about how people have lost their faith in God (hence the prison) and he wants to turn people back to Him (the let me see my son, give me back my family lines) -- though the line about "Once upon a time Father said to me" kind of destroys that theory. He can't be Jesus because, well, he says "And I thought, Jesus, that's the key" - and that makes no sense.

I've always loved this song but it is kind of frustrating not knowing what it really is supposed to be!

[mrkringas]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:07pm

Its interesting that so many of you take a religious interpretation when JRB is not so big on faith himself.

I always viewed it as a political prisoner song. In a production at the Edinburgh Fringe, Man 1 committed suicide at the end of the number. He ripped his white vest off (flashed his lvoely abs!) and tied the vest around his neck, got up on the chair and stroke a hanging pose on the last beat of the song. Very effective.

Then the thread was picked up by Flagmaker and Flying Home. The staging made it seem as if the Woman was singing about the death in KOTW and then he sang Flying Home about his ascent/funeral whatever. At least that was the general consensus over what the production was going for!

Lovely thing about this whole show is that its wide open to interpretation and we can all walk away with our own vision.

YAY for JRB!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:11pm

Its interesting that so many of you take a religious interpretation when JRB is not so big on faith himself.


Really? On his "Wearing Someone Else's Clothes" cd, there are a few songs about God or have very strong religious themes.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:15pm

When I did it I made it about Apartheid. I always thought that song had a sort of Nelson Mandella connotation. Of course it's near impossible to do that if the person playing Man 1 is white. I committed suicide with in Flying Home except we didn't do it as a tragic suicide. It was def a spiritual reuniting with a soulmate.


I think you're wrong to say that JRB isn't big on faith. That's clearly not the case. In most of his shows AND his Cd he's got strong spiritual references. Now that may not be conventional religion but you can't say there is no faith in Songs. I refer you to On the deck of a ship, Christmas Lullaby, and Flying Home. He's also got a bit of gospel influences in his solo CD. I think he's very spiritual...at least his work is. Whether it's organized religion or not is a different matter.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:19pm

Yeah there is a story behind that actually. "Music of Heaven" was written as a response to when he was a rehearsal pianist for Broadway Inspirational Voices. He didnt get the spiritual connection that so many in the choir had and I believe it inspired him to write that song. I love the lyric. Have a read over and you will see what I mean. Esp "A classic New Yorker alone among millions, cynical, cold". This was written a while after Songs for a New World if I understand things correctly.

I didnt mean to imply by my initial post an intimate knowledge of the composers personal beliefs. Just from interviews and concerts etc and the general tone of his work, thats the general impression I get.

As an atheist Scot I am always struck by how deep and central faith is across the atlantic. I have relatives in your parts and the contrast between that branch of the family and the rest of us is quite drastic! Also whenever I am in NY I notice how often playbill bios make reference to faith. Not something you find in London. Please understand I am not making a comment beyond the fact that its a clear divergence of majority attitudes in the USA and UK. How it is then reflected in music and the arts fascinates me (Politics drives me crazy so we will stay well away from that LOL!)
Updated On: 5/7/06 at 08:19 PM

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:22pm

I don't think anyone is going to crucify you for saying that. But JRB's work has def spirituality to it. I mean even on his solo CD, it's more than just Music from Heaven. Look at People are coming Together. That's obviously a gospel number in style. Faith and spirituality doesn't HAVE to be about religion.

[mrkringas]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:27pm

Didnt he write "Coming Together" as a response to 9/11?

Yeah i get that faith and spirituality don't have to be about religion. I still find it fascinating that even amongst the general cynicism there is room for spirituality. Thats quite reassuring almost.

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:31pm

well pesonally there's gotta be something to go to. I personally would go crazy if there weren't some sort of spiritual backbone. The world and people are so ugly. It'd get disheartening if I didn't have faith in SOMETHING,even if it's just the goodness of people. I think that's what JRB was writing about, peace. Ya know stop bickering and act like human beings.

[workmanarts]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:32pm

I will be the one to send most of you to www.jasonrobertbrown.com go to his weblogs and most of these questions are answered by the man himself...rather than our own opinions!

Hope it helps!

[AnotherDay46]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 8:47pm

This might sound stupid but I always took it as being someone such as King Louie XVI. Some of the lyrics just seem to fit...

[Jazzysuite82]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 9:11pm

actually workmansart forming our own opinions seems to be what JRB wants. Clearly King of the World can be about anything we want. I mean obviously the lyrics and music are clues to emotional state and circumstance, but I think all of this stuff is open to opinion.

[ashley0139]

Posted: 5/7/06 at 9:12pm

I think I had always thought of him as a Martin Luther King kind of character. That's how it struck me...