Released 1984 Recorded October 1983 Length 3:28 | Format 7" single, 12" single Genre Pop, new wave Label London Records | |
"King of the Jungle" is a song written and recorded by English girl group Bananarama. It was released as a single in Japan only from their self-titled second album in 1984. The song is the second single from Bananarama to be a Japanese-only release (following "He's Got Tact" in 1982).
The song, along with several tracks on the Bananarama album, combined producers Jolley & Swain's pop music production with serious lyrical content. Bananarama member Siobhan Fahey described "King of the Jungle" as a song "about how ridiculous it is that eighteen year old boys are given guns and are endorsed by the government to go out and kill people" [1]. The song was dedicated to the group's friend, Thomas "Kidso" Riley, who had recently been killed in Belfast.
The track did not chart in Japan and was not released as a single in any other territories.