The Frog Prince (song)
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| "The Frog Prince" | ||
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| Song by Keane | ||
| from the album Under the Iron Sea | ||
| Released |  June 12, 2006 |
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| Recorded | Helioscentric Studios | |
| Genre | Rock pop | |
| Length | 4:21 | |
| Label | Island Records | |
| Composer(s) | Tim Rice-Oxley Tom Chaplin Richard Hughes |
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| Producer(s) | Andy Green | |
| Under the Iron Sea track listing | ||
| "Broken Toy" (11) |
"The Frog Prince" (12) |
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"The Frog Prince" is a song performed and composed by English piano rock and alternative rock band Keane, released as the closing track on their sophomore album, Under the Iron Sea. The song has been arguily disputed about its meaning due to strong critic lyrics against the person talking about. The song was composed in 2004 and first mentioned by Tim Rice-Oxley on the Strangers DVD. A demo version also features Rice-Oxley singing on the lead vocals.
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[edit] Meaning
Rice-Oxley explains the song on the band's 6th podcast:
| “ | (...)It was inspired by a conversation that Tom (Chaplin) and I were having in a slightly drunken state in a hotel in Toronto, and we were talking about someone in another band who we felt was a really talented songwriter and really intelligent and talented person, but we felt he was busy bad-mouthing us and every other band that was around it seemed. It was very frustrating to see him go from a cool great songwriter in a small indie band, to suddenly becoming this person who's playing the part of the arrogant rock star(...) | ” |
Despite Rice-Oxley having had stated several times that The Frog Prince was about a singer from another band, some fans believe it is actually about bandmate Tom Chaplin. A number of artists had been mentioned, including Noel Gallagher, Alex Turner, James Blunt, Morrisey and Chris Martin. On August 19, 2006, an NME article stated the song was about Johnny Borrell of Razorlight. Tim Rice-Oxley confirmed this in a Keane Newsletter.
[edit] Lyrics
Despite Rice-Oxley's declaration about who he wrote the song about, several people suggest Chaplin to be the character. Lyrics are as follow:
An old fairytale told me
The simple heart will be prized again
A toad will be our king
And ugly ogres are heroes
Then you'll shake
Your fist at the sky
Oh why did I rely
On fashions and small fry?
All promises broken
Feed your people or lose your throne
And forfeit your whole kingdom
I'd sooner lose it than still live in it alone
You were our golden child
But the gentle and the mild
Inherit the earth, while
Your prince's crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You've wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother, let go
Cause now we all know
Soon, someone will put a spell on you
Perfume, treasure, sorcery, every trick they know
You will lie in a deep sleep
That's when
Your prince's crown
Cracks and falls down
Your castle hollow and cold
You've wandered so far
From the person you are
Let go brother, let go
Cause now we all know
[edit] Musical structure
Despected by Rice-Oxley himself as a "corny" song, it follows a medieval-fairytale soft progression, with an identic piano playing of that of "This Is the Last Time". Sixteen beats drumming are introduced with 10 seconds of playback. Rice-Oxley often creates an impronto during live performances with the entry of the chorus at 1:31, that would lead piano going quicker and stronger, leaving the electric in the background sound. Bridge requires Rice-Oxley's vocals and distorted piano to complete, followed by the last verse which lies before the magical outro, created with the Yamaha CP60 Chaplin plays during gigs, a succession of F-G-F-G-A-Bb-G-F. The song fades with the normal piano and the musicbox-fairytale riff fading out.
[edit] Technical information on song
| Song | Length | Tempo | Key | Time signature | Genre |
| "The Frog Prince" (Demo) | 3:43 | 108bpm | F (Fa major) | 4/4 on 16 beats | Rock pop |
| "The Frog Prince" | 4:22 | 112bpm | F (Fa major) | 4/4 on 8 beats | Rock pop |
[edit] External links
- "The Frog Prince" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- Pre-outro.
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
| Keane |
|---|
| Tim Rice-Oxley | Tom Chaplin | Richard Hughes |
| Adam Tudhope | Dominic Scott | Andy Green | Alex Lake | Ed Roe |
| Discography |
| Studio albums: Hopes and Fears | Under the Iron Sea |
| Lives and EPs: Live Recordings 2004 | Keane Live 06 | Live from London |
| Singles: "Call Me What You Like" | "Wolf at the Door" | "Everybody’s Changing (Part 1)" | "This Is the Last Time (Part 1)" | "Somewhere Only We Know" | "Everybody’s Changing (Part 2)" | "Bedshaped" | "This Is the Last Time (Part 2)"| "We Might As Well Be Strangers" | "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore" | "Bend and Break" | "Atlantic" | "Is It Any Wonder?" | "Crystal Ball" | "Nothing in My Way" | "Try Again" | "A Bad Dream" |
| DVDs: Hopes and Fears DVD | Strangers | Under the Iron Sea DVD |
| Tours: Hopes and Fears Tour | Under the Iron Sea Tour |
| Other: List of songs by Keane |
| Related articles |
| Piano rock | Battle, East Sussex | Rye, East Sussex | War Child (charity) | Help - a Day in the Life |
