21st Century Schizoid Man
Encyclopedia
"21st Century Schizoid Man" is a song by progressive rock
band King Crimson
from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King
.
The song makes reference to the Vietnam War
as exemplified in the lyric "innocents raped with napalm fire" and "politicians' funeral pyre." Before a live performance of the song on December 14, 1969 (as shown in the live album Epitaph), Fripp remarked that the song was dedicated to "an American political personality whom we all know and love dearly. His name is Spiro Agnew
."
, a driving mechanical rhythm and piercingly loud saxophone and guitar, along with its instrumental middle section, called "Mirrors". Most of the song is in either 4/4 or 6/8 time, save for the end of the song, which is in free time.
. It appeared on four live albums from different versions of the band, first sung by Lake on Epitaph, then by Boz Burrell
on Earthbound
(1972), by John Wetton
, on USA
(1974), and by Adrian Belew
on Vrooom Vrooom
(2001, recorded in 1996). In 1993, Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded a version for their 1993 box set The Return of the Manticore
.
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band King Crimson
King Crimson
King Crimson are a rock band founded in London, England in 1969. Often categorised as a foundational progressive rock group, the band have incorporated diverse influences and instrumentation during their history...
from their debut album In the Court of the Crimson King
In the Court of the Crimson King
In the Court of the Crimson King is the 1969 debut album by the British progressive rock group King Crimson. The album reached No. 5 on the British charts, and is certified gold in the United States....
.
Personnel
- Greg LakeGreg LakeGregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
– Vocals, bass guitar - Ian McDonaldIan McDonald (musician)Ian McDonald is an English multi-instrumental musician, best known as a founding member of progressive rock group King Crimson, formed in 1969, and of the hard rock band Foreigner in 1976. He is well-known as a rock session musician, predominantly as a saxophonist...
– saxophone - Robert FrippRobert FrippRobert Fripp is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. He was ranked 42nd on Rolling Stone magazine's 2003 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and #47 on Gibson.com’s "Top 50 Guitarists of All Time". Among rock guitarists, Fripp is a master of crosspicking, a technique...
– guitars - Michael GilesMichael GilesMichael Giles is an English drummer, best known as a co-founder of King Crimson in 1969...
– drums - Peter SinfieldPeter SinfieldPeter John Sinfield is an English poet, lyricist and artist, most famously known as the lyricist and co-founding member of early incarnations of King Crimson, whose debut album In the Court of the Crimson King has been regarded as one of the most influential progressive rock albums ever...
– lyricsLyricsLyrics are a set of words that make up a song. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist or lyrist. The meaning of lyrics can either be explicit or implicit. Some lyrics are abstract, almost unintelligible, and, in such cases, their explication emphasizes form, articulation, meter, and symmetry of...
Lyrical content
Unlike the lyrics to the overwhelming majority of songs, which can be broken down into complete or near complete sentences, "21st Century Schizoid Man" consists chiefly of disconnected phrases which present a series of images. All three verses follow a set pattern in presenting these images. The first line of each verse presents two relatively vague images (e.g."iron claw", "death seed"). The second line is a single image, often more specific than the first two, and the third line approaches an actual sentence. The fourth and final line of every verse is "21st century schizoid man".The song makes reference to the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
as exemplified in the lyric "innocents raped with napalm fire" and "politicians' funeral pyre." Before a live performance of the song on December 14, 1969 (as shown in the live album Epitaph), Fripp remarked that the song was dedicated to "an American political personality whom we all know and love dearly. His name is Spiro Agnew
Spiro Agnew
Spiro Theodore Agnew was the 39th Vice President of the United States , serving under President Richard Nixon, and the 55th Governor of Maryland...
."
Musical structure
Musically, the song is notable for its heavily distorted vocals sung by Greg LakeGreg Lake
Gregory Stuart "Greg" Lake is an English musician, songwriter and producer, best known as a vocalist and bassist of King Crimson, and the bassist, guitarist, vocalist, and lyricist of Emerson, Lake & Palmer.-1960s: King Crimson:...
, a driving mechanical rhythm and piercingly loud saxophone and guitar, along with its instrumental middle section, called "Mirrors". Most of the song is in either 4/4 or 6/8 time, save for the end of the song, which is in free time.
Performances
King Crimson continued to perform it in their live act after Greg Lake left King Crimson in 1970 to form Emerson, Lake & PalmerEmerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
. It appeared on four live albums from different versions of the band, first sung by Lake on Epitaph, then by Boz Burrell
Boz Burrell
Raymond "Boz" Burrell was an English musician. Originally a vocalist, Burrell is best known for his bass playing and work with the rock bands King Crimson and Bad Company.-Career:...
on Earthbound
Earthbound (King Crimson album)
Earthbound is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 1972 as a budget record shortly after the line-up that recorded it had broken up...
(1972), by John Wetton
John Wetton
John Kenneth Wetton is an English bassist, guitarist, keyboardist, singer and songwriter. He was born in Willington, Derbyshire, and grew up in Bournemouth. He has been a professional musician since the late 1960s...
, on USA
USA (album)
USA is a live album by the English band King Crimson, released in 1975.*Tracks 1-6 and 8-9 recorded at the Casino, Asbury Park, June 28, 1974*Track 7 recorded at the Palace Theatre, Providence, USA, June 30, 1974...
(1974), and by Adrian Belew
Adrian Belew
Adrian Belew is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and record producer...
on Vrooom Vrooom
Vrooom Vrooom
Vrooom Vrooom is a live album by the band King Crimson, released in 2001.Although it was released during the active lifespan of the 2000-2003 King Crimson "Double Duo" lineup , Vrooom Vrooom is compiled from recordings by the previous six-man line-up of...
(2001, recorded in 1996). In 1993, Emerson, Lake & Palmer recorded a version for their 1993 box set The Return of the Manticore
The Return of the Manticore
The Return of the Manticore is a 4-disc retrospective on the band Emerson, Lake & Palmer's career. It was released in 1993 and features several new recordings of previously released songs, most notably a studio recording of "Pictures at an Exhibition," presented in Dolby Surround Sound...
.
Covers
- Flower Travellin' BandFlower Travellin' Bandis a Japanese heavy psych outfit that was first active in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They reunited in 2007. Vocalist Joe Yamanaka died on August 7, 2011 after a battle with lung cancer.-History:...
, Premiata Forneria MarconiPremiata Forneria MarconiPremiata Forneria Marconi is an Italian progressive rock band. They were the first Italian group to have success abroad, entering both the British and American charts. Between 1973 and 1977 they released five albums with English lyrics...
, EntombedEntombed (band)Entombed is a Swedish death metal band which formed in 1987 under the name of Nihilist. Though Entombed began their career as an early pioneer of Scandinavian death metal which initially differed itself from its American counterpart with its distinct guitar tone, by the early 1990s their sound had...
, Edge of SpiritEdge of SpiritEdge of Spirit is a Japanese metalcore/hardcore band formed in Kobe, Hyogo and based in Tokyo. Edge of Spirit has released four studio albums and four split albums...
, Von Hertzen BrothersVon Hertzen BrothersVon Hertzen Brothers is a Finnish prog-related rock band consisting of the three von Hertzen brothers, citing bands such as Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, Pink Floyd and Kingston Wall as their influences. Each of the brothers have played in many popular Finnish rock bands. Kie played in Don Huonot,...
, VoivodVoivod (band)Voivod are a Canadian heavy metal band from Jonquière, Quebec, Canada. Their musical style has changed several times since the band's origin in the early 1980s...
, UnrestUnrest (band)Unrest is an indie rock band from the Washington, D.C. area. It was one of Mark Robinson's projects for what would eventually become the TeenBeat label, also created by Mark while in high school. Developing from an experimental approach of never playing the same song twice, earlier material seemed...
, AfterhoursAfterhours (band)Afterhours is an Italian alternative rock band. The name is a tribute to the same-titled Velvet Underground's song.-Biography:The Afterhours were formed in 1985 in Milan around Manuel Agnelli, a Velvet Underground fan...
, RorschachRorschach (band)Rorschach is a New Jersey-based band that existed from 1989 to 1993 and reformed in 2009. The group often blended hardcore punk and dissonant elements of metal providing the inspiration to a number of hardcore and post hardcore bands thereafter....
, The TangentThe Tangent-Formation:Originally formed by keyboardists Andy Tillison and Sam Baine of Parallel or 90 Degrees and The Flower Kings guitarist Roine Stolt, bassist Jonas Reingold, and drummer Zoltan Csörsz. The septet was completed by renowned saxophonist David Jackson of Van der Graaf Generator and...
, and Savage RepublicSavage RepublicSavage Republic is a Los Angeles Tribal-Industrial-Art-Punk band from the 1980s, that reformed as of 2004 and is active with a different line-up.-Studio albums:-EPs:-Singles:-Compilations:- External links :* * * * *...
have all covered the song, as have ForbiddenForbidden (band)Forbidden is a thrash metal band from the San Francisco Bay Area. Formed in 1985 as Forbidden Evil, the group was founded by Russ Anderson and Craig Locicero, who are both permanent members. Since their formation, Forbidden have broken up and reformed twice with numerous line-up changes...
on their album Distortion, and SuckSuck (band)Suck were a rock band who were part of South Africa's first wave of hard rock titled, the "Big Heavies." The group lasted eight months between 1970 to 1971 in which they recorded their lone LP, Time to Suck. It was later released in America in 2009. They were also one of the earliest groups to...
on Time to Suck. Omaha, Nebraska band CursiveCursive (band)Cursive is an American indie rock band from Omaha, Nebraska, on Saddle Creek Records.-History:The band was formed in 1995 by Tim Kasher, Matt Maginn, Steve Pedersen , and drummer Clint Schnase. In 1997, they released Such Blinding Stars for Starving Eyes. After a couple years of touring, the band...
is also known to end their live shows with the song. - Canadian rock band April WineApril WineApril Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words sounded good together...
covered the song on their album Harder ... FasterHarder ... FasterHarder ... Faster is the eighth studio album by Canadian rock band April Wine, released in 1979 . This album is RIAA certified gold in the US.I Like to Rock was a huge hit for the band...
released in 1979. - Croatian alternative rock band Let 3Let 3Let 3 is a modern rock band from Rijeka, Croatia formed in 1987. The band frontmen are Damir "Mrle" Martinović and Zoran "Prlja" Prodanović. The band is popular in Croatia and other former Yugoslav republics due to their original approach to rock music and their obscene live performances...
covered the song on their album Peace released in 1994. - Italian grindcore band Cripple BastardsCripple BastardsCripple Bastards is a grindcore band from Asti, Italy. They were formed in 1988 in order to keep their area on the hardcore map as most of the other bands around them were breaking up....
covered the song on their album Your Lies In Check released in 1996. - Les FradkinLes FradkinLes Fradkin is a guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known for being a member of the original cast of the hit Broadway show Beatlemania...
who recorded a MIDI Guitar version for the album "Hyper MIDI Guitar" in 2010. - The song was performed by King Crimson member Greg Lake with Gary MooreGary MooreRobert William Gary Moore , better known simply as Gary Moore, was a Northern Irish musician from Belfast, best recognised as a blues rock guitarist and singer....
on guitar on Lake's album Live at Hammersmith Odeon 1981, released in 1996. - American hard rock band Talas covered the song on their album If Only We Knew Then What We Know Now released in 1998.
- The song was covered by Ozzy OsbourneOzzy OsbourneJohn Michael "Ozzy" Osbourne is an English vocalist, whose musical career has spanned over 40 years. Osbourne rose to prominence as lead singer of the pioneering English heavy metal band Black Sabbath, whose radically different, intentionally dark, harder sound helped spawn the heavy metal...
on his album Under CoverUnder Cover-Personnel:*Ozzy Osbourne – vocals*Jerry Cantrell – guitars*Chris Wyse – bass*Mike Bordin – drumsGuest musicians*Ian Hunter – vocals on "All the Young Dudes"*Leslie West – guitar solo on "Mississippi Queen"...
in 2005. - The song was released in 2009 as a digital download by The Human Experimente, featuring performances by Jeffrey FaymanJeffrey FaymanJeffrey Fayman is a percussionist and composer, best known for his soundtrack work.-Biography:In 1977, Fayman drummed in Peter Banks' Empire band, the sessions appearing on the archival Mark II release in 1997....
, Robert Fripp, and Maynard James KeenanMaynard James KeenanMaynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
. - Norwegian band ShiningShining (Norwegian band)Shining is a Norwegian band that started out as an acoustic jazz quartet in 1999. Their sound has since become more experimental and extreme, incorporating elements from metal and progressive rock as well as 19th and 20th century classical music....
covered the track on their 2010 album BlackjazzBlackjazzBlackjazz is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band Shining, released through Indie Recordings on 18 January 2010.- Singles :Shining performed the world premiere of the song Fisheye live on Store Studio, a culture talk show on NRK, 10 October 2009...
. - Gov't MuleGov't MuleGov't Mule is a Southern rock jam band formed in 1994 as an Allman Brothers Band side project by Warren Haynes and Allen Woody.The band released their debut album Gov't Mule in 1995...
on 2010's release of their live show from December 31, 1999. - The song was sampled by Kanye WestKanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
for the song "PowerPower (Kanye West song)"Power" is a single by American hip hop recording artist Kanye West, released as the lead single from his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. The song features additional vocals by Dwele and is co-produced by Kanye West and Symbolyc One...
", the first track released from his 2010 album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. - Noir DésirNoir DésirNoir Désir was a French rock band from Bordeaux. They were active during the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, and have had two albums certified double platinum in France and three certified gold. They have been an influence on numerous French musicians including Cali, Louise Attaque and Miossec...
on 2005's release of their live performances "En Public". - A part of the lyrics appeared in the outro of "21st Century (Digital Boy)21st Century (Digital Boy)"21st Century " is a song by the punk rock group Bad Religion. It was originally recorded in 1990 on their fifth full-length studio album Against the Grain and rerecorded on the 1994 album Stranger Than Fiction...
" by punk rock band Bad ReligionBad ReligionBad Religion is a punk rock band that formed in Los Angeles in 1979. Their current line-up consists of Greg Graffin , Brett Gurewitz , Jay Bentley , Greg Hetson , Brian Baker and Brooks Wackerman . Gurewitz is also the founder of the label Epitaph Records, which has released almost all of the...
. The song was released on the albums Against the GrainAgainst the Grain (Bad Religion album)-Release history:-Personnel:* Greg Graffin – vocals* Brett Gurewitz – guitar, backing vocals* Greg Hetson – guitar* Jay Bentley – bass guitar, backing vocals* Pete Finestone – drums* The Legendary Starbolt – mixing...
and Stranger Than FictionStranger than Fiction (Bad Religion album)Stranger than Fiction is the eighth full-length studio album by Bad Religion, released in 1994...
. - The String Cheese Incident performed the song to close the first set of the second night at the Electric Forest Festival in Rothbury Michigan on July 2, 2011.