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The King of Rock 'n' Roll

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"The King of Rock 'n' Roll"
Single by Prefab Sprout
from the album From Langley Park to Memphis
B-side"Moving the River"
ReleasedMarch 1988 (1988-03)
Genre
Length4:26
LabelKitchenware
Songwriter(s)Paddy McAloon
Producer(s)Thomas Dolby
Prefab Sprout singles chronology
"Cars and Girls"
(1988) 		"The King of Rock 'n' Roll"
(1988) 		"Hey Manhattan!"
(1988)

"The King of Rock 'n' Roll" is a single by English pop band Prefab Sprout, released by Kitchenware Records in March 1988. It was the second single taken from their album of that year, From Langley Park to Memphis. It remains the band's biggest chart success in their native UK, reaching number 7 on the UK Singles Chart, where it spent 11 weeks.[1]

Composition

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Paddy McAloon wrote "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" in February 1985 as a companion piece to another new song he wrote at that time, "Cars and Girls". The lyric was prompted by an NME article about an Edwyn Collins gig where Collins covered Kevin Johnson's "Rock and Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)". McAloon's dislike for songs with 'rock 'n' roll' in the title compelled him to write one of his own.[2]

The song's lyrics concern a washed-up 1950s star who is only remembered for his one-hit novelty song. McAloon has described "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" as a purpose-built catchy song,[3] and Rolling Stone's David Wild described the song as a "bouncy, seemingly upbeat pop tune" that "actually tells the rather barbed tale of a middle-aged one-hit wonder condemned to sing the same juvenile ditty over and over".[4]

The chorus of "Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque" has been interpreted by some as lyrics from the washed-up character's hit.[4][5] In a 2019 interview with BBC Newsnight, McAloon described the words as "haiku without the syllabic law" and said the line "hasn’t got any sense other than this vaguely American feeling to it".[6] He had made similar comments in a 1988 interview with Rock & Folk, saying he was "playing with words for their sound" and that the line "doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a series of Americanisms." When then asked what the song was about, he said "...the refrain is a happy contrast to the rest. You might imagine that this is the song he always dreamed of writing."[7]

The song's commercial and singalong qualities are unlike the work Prefab Sprout were known for in 1985, and McAloon initially felt the song was of no use to his band. He changed his mind and felt a lighter song may surprise fans used to his work being "very precise and delicate".[8] That year, he joked in an interview while promoting the album Steve McQueen, "you won’t catch Prefab Sprout with titles like 'Rebel Land' or 'King of Rock ‘n’ Roll'!"[9][10][nb 1]

Recording

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The song was recorded with Steve McQueen producer Thomas Dolby for From Langley Park to Memphis, one of four songs Dolby produced for the album.[11] Dolby could not commit to producing the entire album due to his work on the soundtrack for the critical and commercial flop Howard the Duck.[12] Dolby added a synth bass in the verses to mimic the sound of a bullfrog, tying them to the chorus.[13]

Release

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The song entered the UK Singles Chart on 23 March 1988 at number 77, eventually reaching two weeks at number 7 from 28 April to 10 May. Ultimately, the song spent 11 weeks in the top 100, and remains the band's only top ten single. Paddy McAloon made an appearance on Channel 4's Wired on 13 May 1988, performing a solo acoustic version of the song in front of Grey's Monument in the centre of Newcastle.[14][15] The band promoted the single with mimed performances of the song on Top Of The Pops[16] and Wogan.[17] An unusual music video was produced for the song, featuring the band lying beside a pool and attended by a frog butler, a diver who is reluctant to jump into the pool until the end, and dancing human-size hot dogs.

Reception and legacy

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Writing for Sound on Sound, Tom Doyle described the song as "naggingly catchy and knowingly daft".[12] In a 2013 Red Bull Music Academy article, Angus Finlayson implored readers to "listen beyond the nonchalant synth pop bounce, you may detect a note of poignancy in this tale of an aging pop star still dining out on the success of his first hit."[18]

Reflecting on the song in 2000, Prefab Sprout drummer Neil Conti declared "The King of Rock 'n' Roll" "the f***ing kiss of death for this band because it pushed everything in a poppy direction and the record company just wanted more of that. And that song was a joke! It's a song about a guy who dreams about being a rock 'n' roll star and ends up a one hit wonder – although Prefab were never a one hit wonder, it’s still ironic in a weird sort of way".[19] McAloon has similarly acknowledged an irony in the single's success and related how Paul McCartney told him at one of his Buddy Holly-themed parties that the song was "your "My Ding-a-Ling"".[4][20][21][nb 2] The song was performed on Prefab Sprout's UK and European tours in 1990, but was notably left out of their 2000 UK tour setlists.[22] McAloon has described himself as "reconciled to being remembered for that song" and "aware that it's a bit like being known for 'Yellow Submarine' rather than 'Hey Jude'."[3]

The song features in "Gatherings", a 1999 episode of Edgar Wright's sitcom Spaced, with Daisy (Jessica Stevenson) singing the chorus as "Hot dog, jumping frog, almond cookies." In 2014, the song was used in a British television advertising campaign by Boots.[23] The 2020 Netflix series I Am Not Okay with This features a scene where Stanley Barber (Wyatt Oleff) lip syncs and dances to the song.[24]

Track listings

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7" vinyl single

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Side 1

  1. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll"

Side 2

  1. "Moving the River"

12" vinyl single

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Side 1

  1. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll"
  2. "Moving the River"

Side 2

  1. "Dandy of the Danube"
  2. "Tin Can Pot"

CD single

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  1. "The King of Rock 'n' Roll"
  2. "Moving the River"
  3. "Dandy of the Danube"
  4. "He'll Have to Go"

Charts

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Chart (1988) Peak
position
Denmark (Hitlisten)[25] 7
Ireland (IRMA)[26] 6
UK Singles (OCC)[27] 7

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[28] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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Footnotes
  1. ^ "Rebel Land" was performed during the band's Peel session in August 1985, but a studio recording was never released.
  2. ^ A ribald novelty song written by Dave Bartholomew in 1952, "My Ding-a-Ling" was a UK and US #1 single for Chuck Berry in 1972
Citations
  1. ^ Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. p. 433. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
  2. ^ Maconie, Stuart (20 June 1992). "Fop on the tyne". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b Thompson, Graeme. "Paddy McAloon: My daughter wanted me to be a fireman not a pop star". Express. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Wild, David. "Paddy McAloon: The Last Pop Genius". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  5. ^ The King of Rock 'N' Roll - Prefab Sprout | AllMusic, retrieved 2024-06-15
  6. ^ Smith, Stephen (2019-02-05). "BBC Two - Newsnight, Newsnight meets Prefab Sprout's Paddy McAloon". BBC. I thought the chorus of it was haiku without the syllabic law. Hotdog, jumping frog, Albuquerque. It hasn't got any sense other than this vaguely American feeling to it, and it's a bit like you know when you see shirts that have been made in Japan, T-shirts, and they've got three disconnected words on them, there was a touch of that involved in it.
  7. ^ Lenquette, Youri (August 1988). "Youri Lenquette #2 – Rock and Folk, August 1988". Rock and Folk. Retrieved 2024-06-15 – via Sproutology. McA – ...I also rediscovered the pleasure of playing with words for their sound. In "King Of Rock n 'Roll", for example," Hot Dog, Jumping Frog, Albuquerque", it doesn't mean anything. It's just a series of Americanisms. In a way it's kind of what Bolan did, or of course people like Chuck Berry. Memphis Tennessee … All that." // "R & F – What is King Of Rock n 'Roll about?" // "McA – You could imagine that it would be a sort of Elvis Presley imitator. Someone who still chases the dreams of adolescence, someone trying to convince himself and to convince others that he's still eighteen when he hasn't been for a very long time. "Hot Dog Jumping Frog, Albuquerque", the refrain is a happy contrast to the rest. You might imagine that this is the song he always dreamed of writing.
  8. ^ Stubbs, David (6 February 1988). "All the way to Memphis". Melody Maker. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  9. ^ Jackson, Alan (6 February 1988). "The King of Rock 'n' Roll". NME. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  10. ^ Potter, Simon (May 1985). "The Beat (HMV House Magazine)". Sproutology.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  11. ^ Lynch, Bobby (15 April 1988). "Records". Kerryman: 20. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  12. ^ a b Doyle, Tom. "Paddy McAloon: From Langley Park To Memphis (And Back)". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  13. ^ "The King of Rock 'N' Roll - Prefab Sprout - Song Info - AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 November 2018.
  14. ^ "Sunday TV Guide". Bridgwater Journal: 5. 14 May 1988. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  15. ^ "Wired". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  16. ^ "Top Of The Pops". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  17. ^ "Wogan". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  18. ^ Finlayson, Angus. "Prefab Sprout: The Kings of Rock 'n' Roll, Completely". Red Bull Music Academy. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  19. ^ Braund, Simon (March 1993). "Neil Conti". Rhythm Magazine. Retrieved 3 May 2022.
  20. ^ Smith, Stephen. ""Hot dog, jumping frog, Albuquerque": The pop genius behind the strangest lyric of the 1980s". BBC. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  21. ^ Karcher, Isabelle (August 1989). "Fab Songs". Best Magazine. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  22. ^ "The Ultimate Prefab Sprout Gigography". Sproutology.co.uk. Retrieved 5 June 2019.
  23. ^ "Boots – Order and Collect". Tv Ad Music. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  24. ^ Renfro, Kim (27 February 2020). "Wyatt Oleff, 16, says 'it's really lucky' he and costar Sophia Lillis get to play actual teenagers on Netflix's 'I Am Not Okay With This'". Inside. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  25. ^ Danish Charts Archive. July 1988.
  26. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – The King of Rock 'n' Roll". Irish Singles Chart.
  27. ^ "Prefab Sprout: Artist Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 7 August 2017.
  28. ^ "British single certifications – Prefab Sprout – The King Of Rock N Roll". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
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