King For A Day – Thompson Twins | Top 40 Chart Performance, Story and Song Meaning
Chart Performance: Pop (#8); 1986
Story Behind The Song By Ed Osborne
The Thompson Twins weren’t twins and none of the members were named Thompson. Instead, the original band of three was named after a pair of detectives from the wildly popular (overseas) Tintin comic books.
Eventually, the Thompson Twins expanded to seven strong, before shrinking to three – original vocalist and synth player Tom Bailey, percussionist Alannah Currie, and synth-and-congas man Joe Leeway – before the recording of their sophomore album.
Image-wise, the reinvented Twins took on “Snap, Crackle, & Pop” personas, and took the UK chart by storm. Two Top 10 Brit tracks were followed by the #4 single, Hold Me Now, which topped out at #3 on the U.S.
pop list and #1 on the Hot Dance music side. The hits kept on comin’ until King For A Day, from the ironically-named album Here’s To Future Days, marked the Twins final appearance in the Top 30.
With Tom Bailey’s subsequent departure the band was finally reduced to the duo implied by its name.
This content and all Song Meaning articles were created and written by Top 40 Contributing Editor Ed Osborne. © 2024 Ed Osborne. All Rights Reserved. In addition to these song meaning articles, Ed has written our “Year in Music 1960s-1990s” articles.
Produced by:
- Nile Rodgers
- Tom Bailey
Lyrics Written by:
- Tom Bailey
- Alannah Currie
- Joe Leeway
Ed Osborne
Hi. I got my first record at age two and never looked back, spending a decades-long career in radio and the music business. Even after years of reading about and listening to all types of music, I am still fascinated by it. Apart from that, I’m endlessly intrigued by art, nature, and the inner lives of people (and dogs).