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The Court of the Crimson King

This article is about the King Crimson song. For the album, see In the Court of the Crimson King.

"The Court of the Crimson King", sometimes billed "In the Court of the Crimson King", is the titular fifth and final track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King. Released as a single, it reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart,[3] the only King Crimson single to chart on the Hot 100.

"The Court of the Crimson King"
French Picture Sleeve.
Single by King Crimson
from the album In the Court of the Crimson King
A-side"The Court of the Crimson King, Pt. 1"
B-side"The Court of the Crimson King, Pt. 2"
ReleasedOctober 1969 (1969-10) (UK) December 1969 (1969-12) (US)[1]
Recorded21–23 July 1969
StudioWessex, London
GenreProgressive rock[2]
Length
  • 9:25 (album version)
  • 7:16 (edited version)
  • 3:22 (single version, Part One)
  • 4:30 (single version, Part Two)
  • 10:00 (album version with Hidden Track)
Label
Composer(s)Ian McDonald
Lyricist(s)Peter Sinfield
Producer(s)King Crimson
King Crimson singles chronology
"The Court of the Crimson King"
(1969) 		"Cat Food"
(1970)

Background

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The track is dominated by a distinctive, repeated four-bar riff performed on a Mellotron. The main part of the song is split into four stanzas, divided by an instrumental section called "The Return of the Fire Witch". The song climaxes at seven minutes, but after a pause continues with a brief instrumental interlude called "The Dance of the Puppets", before ending with a reprise of the main theme. The music was composed by Ian McDonald, and the lyrics were written by Peter Sinfield.

Cash Box said "Unusual lyric imagery and instrumental impact with a 'Jude' hypnotism should set the side on a breakout path."[4] Record World called it "a heavy hard rock item with some classy jazz overtones."[5]

Track listing

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Promo single
No.TitleLength
1."The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1"3:22
2."The Court of the Crimson King, Part 2"4:30
Part 1 single
No.TitleLength
1."The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1" (Short Version)2:18
2."The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1" (Long Version)3:22

Personnel

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Charts

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Chart (1970) Peak
position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[3] 80

References

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  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. Canongate Press. p. 460. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ Murphy, Sean (22 May 2011). "The 25 Best Progressive Rock Songs of All Time". PopMatters. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Hot 100 entry". Billboard. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  4. ^ "CashBox Record Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. January 10, 1970. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
  5. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Record World. January 10, 1970. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-04-29.
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