Empire Song
"Empire Song" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Killing Joke | ||||
from the album Revelations | ||||
B-side | "Brilliant" | |||
Released | March 1982 | |||
Genre | Post-punk, gothic rock | |||
Length | 7:19 | |||
Label | E.G. | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jaz Coleman, Kevin "Geordie" Walker, Martin "Youth" Glover, Paul Ferguson | |||
Producer(s) | Killing Joke, Conny Plank | |||
Killing Joke singles chronology | ||||
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Empire Song is a song by English post-punk band Killing Joke. It was released in 1982 by E.G. Records as the first single from their third studio album, Revelations.
Production and release
By 1982, members of Killing Joke, especially singer Jaz Coleman, had become immersed in the occult, particularly the works of Aleister Crowley. In February of that year, Coleman moved to Iceland to survive the apocalypse, which Coleman predicted was coming soon.[1]
"Empire Song" was released in March 1982 by E.G. Records as the first single from the band's third studio album, Revelations. Polydor also released "Empire Song" as a single in Ireland. It reached No. 43 in the UK Singles Chart that same month.[2] As a result of Coleman moving to Iceland, "Empire Song" was performed at Top of the Pops with drummer Paul Ferguson on vocals. Because Coleman was absent, a dummy was placed in front of a keyboard, while the other three members played.
Guitarist Kevin "Geordie" Walker and bassist Martin "Youth" Glover followed Coleman and moved to Iceland later that year.[citation needed] There, Coleman and Walker worked with musicians from the band Þeyr in the project Niceland. After a few months, Youth decided there was no indication of the apocalypse, and moved back to England.[citation needed] Youth then began the band Brilliant with Ferguson, but the latter defected and traveled to Iceland to rejoin Killing Joke with new bassist Paul Raven (previously of Neon Hearts and the rock/glam band Kitsch) in tow. After spending some time in Iceland, Killing Joke returned to England and began touring and recording again.[citation needed]
Track listing
- Side A
- "Empire Song" – 03:19
- Side B
- "Brilliant" – 04:00
Charts
Year | Chart | Peak Position |
---|---|---|
1982 | UK Singles Chart | 43[2] |
References
- ^ Hämäläinen, Jyrki "Spider" (2020). Killing Joke: Are You Receiving?, p. 64-83. Milton Keynes: New Haven Publishing. ISBN 978-1912587407.
- ^ a b "Killing Joke | Official Charts Company". Official Charts. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- v
- t
- e
- Jaz Coleman
- Paul Ferguson
- Youth
- Paul Raven
- Geordie Walker
- Dave Kovacevic
- Martin Atkins
- Dave "Taif" Ball
- John Bechdel
- Nick Holywell-Walker
- Geoff Dugmore
- Troy Gregory
- Dave Grohl
- Ted Parsons
- Ben Calvert
- Reza Udhin
- Killing Joke
- What's THIS For...!
- Revelations
- Fire Dances
- Night Time
- Brighter Than a Thousand Suns
- Outside the Gate
- Extremities, Dirt and Various Repressed Emotions
- Pandemonium
- Democracy
- Killing Joke
- Hosannas from the Basements of Hell
- Absolute Dissent
- MMXII
- Pylon
- Turn to Red
- Lord of Chaos
- Ha
- BBC in Concert
- The Courtauld Talks
- ...No Way Out but Forward Go (Love Like Blood)
- The Peel Sessions 1979–1981
- "Nervous System"
- "Wardance"
- "Change"
- "Requiem"
- "Follow the Leaders"
- "Empire Song"
- "Chop-Chop"
- "Birds of a Feather"
- "Let's All Go (to the Fire Dances)"
- "Me or You?"
- "Eighties"
- "A New Day"
- "Love Like Blood"
- "Kings and Queens"
- "Adorations"
- "Sanity"
- "America"
- "My Love of This Land"
- "Money Is Not Our God"
- "Change: Spiral Tribe Mix"
- "Exorcism"
- "Pandemonium"
- Discography
- Niceland
- Brilliant
- Pigface
- Murder, Inc.
- The Damage Manual
- Transmission
- Category:Killing Joke