King John

[Mark Kaufman]

Far be it from me to wait until the recording is finished before I post a song...The mix is glaringly in need, but I had to run to work. On the other hand, here's a new--no, and old--song, just recorded today. Always welcome to critiques, comments, hints and broadsides. http://soundclick.com/share?songid=7076115King JohnSome say he was born in southern Nebraskawhile others claim he came from the north of AlaskaI guess I never had the nerve to ask yaKing JohnHe believes he's a king from the Middle AgesGot a wrought iron sword, he's got servants and pagesThe young dudes dig him 'cause he's so outrageousKing JohnKing JohnWe're hoping that you won't attack usSlash, hack, rape, pillage or sack usDraw and quarter, tar and feather or rack usKing JohnAt the neighborhood joust nobody's his equalAnd his jokes about the Pope, they're pretty cerebralHis big ambition is to build a cathedralKing JohnBack at his castle he's got tunnels and dungeonsAnd he rides through town wielding cudgels and truncheonsBut he's the darling of society luncheonsKing JohnKing JohnWe're hoping that you won't attack usSlash, hack, rape, pillage or sack usDraw and quarter, tar and feather or rack usKing JohnWell we figured he was suffering from paranoiaWhen he swore an oath to murder every cop and lawyerIt was getting awful hard to ignore yaKing JohnThe last time I saw him was at the police stationHe was booked on suspicion of reincarnationAnd several centuries of tax evasionKing JohnKing JohnWe're hoping that you won't attack usSlash, hack, rape, pillage or sack usDraw and quarter, tar and feather or rack usKing JohnCopyright 1988 by Mark Kaufman

[billg]

Won't comment on the mix until you work on it some more, but the lyrics are funny as s*%t !Love the "booked on suspicion of reincarnation and several centuries of tax evasion", that's clever stuff Mark.

[cameron]

Very catchy tune Mark. When I first heard the accordian I was reminded of "Cherry Bomb" and I wondered if it was going to be about John Mellencamp. Cam

[erandall]

Hi MarkLove this song, too! Why aren't you opening for Bruce or something?I particularly like the bit about "truncheons" and "society luncheons" (Kudos to that rhyme!) and the last verse "booked on suspicion of reincarnation and several centuries of tax evasion." LOL Really funny!And i know you all are going back and forth on the mix, but it sounded fine to me! (I know nothing about mixing, however.)Cheers,Ellen

[zoom]

Mark!What smart lyrics -- lots of great twists and interesting rhymes. A great left of center song! Awesome instrumentation too, as it stayed pretty light throughout. Really liked the hooks and the feel here.I think the mix with this one has some similarities to your last post "What Am I?"... though it doesn't have any issues with needing more separation. I would suggest that you may want to listen to your options with instrumentation for the last verses... it might be nice to switch it up here a little just to grab some attention... so possibly a breakdown section or at least something with some different tones (especially for the police station verse, as it has its own drama). I don't think the straight 4/4 drum pattern is an interesting enough beat that can carry the whole song as it stands.Overall though, this is a very well put together song -- which is sometimes hard to say about quirky pieces like this.... then again, I'm a sucker for clever songs that really pop.

[geo]

Man..... another great one Mark!!!!!At the neighborhood joust nobody's his equalAnd his jokes about the Pope, they're pretty cerebralHis big ambition is to build a cathedralKing JohnLove this verse!!Music is very cool too..... like Zoom's idea of a break down for the last verseGood work my man!!!Peace, Geo

[heinsite]

hey mark, i'm gunna catch hell for listening to this before some others, but these days i got about 2 listens a day in me max for the next few days--but...truncheons (whatever they are) and luncheons? f-ing GENIUS and the pope lines always touch base with me...,man i got nothin but good stuff to say--LOVE the accordian, a "fresh" highlight IMHO, and dig this very cool "old" tune, damn glad you dug it up, man, with stuff like this, keep the shovel out!i also dug (whoops sorry for the shovel thing...) the reincarnation/tax line--whole damn song is brilliant. fun, brilliant, nice little serious tone at the end,,,,,has it all...that's it,wh