XTC - King For A Day

What this video is

Released April 1989 as the second single from XTC's Oranges & Lemons, 'King For A Day' was written by bassist Colin Moulding as a sardonic critique of ambition, sycophancy, and the pursuit of fame and wealth. The single reached No. 11 on the US Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, representing a rare commercial breakthrough for XTC in America during a period of renewed mainstream visibility for British art-pop. The…

Why it matters

A key artifact of late-1980s British sophisti-pop and neo-psychedelia crossover, 'King For A Day' demonstrates how XTC translated their post-punk intelligence into radio-accessible melodic pop without sacrificing lyrical acuity. The video exemplifies the high-production promotional clip as…

The director

Tony Kaye (born 8 July 1952, Stamford Hill, London) is an English director of films, music videos, commercials, and documentaries. He built his reputation as an award-winning director of TV commercials in the 1980s and early 1990s, accumulating 23 British…