Released March 3, 2013 Length 4:34 | Recorded 2011 Label Republic | |
Genre Indie rock, indie pop, indie folk Writer(s) Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir | ||
"King and Lionheart" is a song recorded by Icelandic alternative folk band Of Monsters and Men, written by co-lead vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and produced by the band with Aron Arnarsson and Jacquire King for the band's debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal. The song maintains its position on both issues of the album, appearing as the second track on both the original Icelandic and international versions of the album. After reaching #1 on the Icelandic Tónlist singles chart in 2012, the song was released as a radio-only single from My Head Is an Animal in the United States and the United Kingdom in March 2013. The song peaked at #17 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.
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Music video
A music video for "King and Lionheart", directed by video production group WeWereMonkeys, was produced and released on 23 January 2013. The video, which mirrors the Nordic art style of the music video for "Little Talks", also directed by WeWereMonkeys, blends in the visual art styles of two-dimensional rendered backgrounds with CGI and live action-imposed film sequences.
Synopsis
It starts with a boy and girl in an apolitical kingdom being separated from each other by Viking warriors. The warriors whisk the girl away to the middle of the bayou where they put her in a pit and leave her to sulk. Suddenly, a rabbit-like ghost appears to the girl and sets her free. She soon is spotted by the Viking warriors and chased by them through the bayou with the ghost leading the way. Meanwhile, the boy is locked in a cage sulking and watching the Viking warriors beat themselves up. Suddenly, a mini-ghost-dolphin appears to the boy and sets him free as well. Meanwhile, the ghost-rabbit helps the girl safely avoid attempting to cross a broken bridge. However, the ghost is soon eaten by the Viking warriors ship. The girl presses on and enters the kingdom where the boy's ghost leads him away from the Viking warriors by leading him into a four-faced rocket ship which he enters, whereupon it immediately blasts off. The girl returns just to see the boy crying in the rocket ship as it blasts away. The girl runs toward it being chased by the viking warriors. The screen blanks out and the video ends stating their fates remain unknown.
Lyric video
A lyric video was released in 2014 in the music videos presence. The lyric video begins with a ruins of a kingdom where the camera moves backwards. Towards the main chorus, a violent thunderstorm breaks ahead. Two cloaked figures move toward it as the video ends.
Personnel
Adapted from My Head Is an Animal liner notes.