| "The King Is Dead" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Tony Cole | ||||
| from the album If The Music Stops | ||||
| B-side | "Ruby" | |||
| Released | December 1972 | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 2:52 | |||
| Label | 20th Century (US) | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Tony Cole (words and music) | |||
| Producer(s) | David McKay | |||
| Tony Cole singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 Single sleeve of the 1977 French reissue | ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "The King Is Dead" on YouTube | ||||
"The King Is Dead" is a song written and originally recorded by Australian singer and songwriter Tony Cole. Produced by David McKay, it was part of Cole's debut album If The Music Stops (1972). That year the song was also released as a single that December, with "Ruby" on the flip side.
Background and commercial performance
"The King Is Dead" was the second single released from Tony Cole's debut album If The Music Stops (1972). U.S. Billboard magazine picked the single for its "Radio Action and Pick Singles" section. The review was:
Second cut from his debut LP is a more driving, commercial rhythm ballad loaded with Top 40 potential.
Nevertheless, the song didn't chart either on U.S. Billboard's charts, or on the UK Singles Chart. It was re-released in 1977 in France to capitalize off of the success of the French version by Johnny Hallyday (titled "Gabrielle" after the first line of the song), however, this also failed to chart.
Track listings
7" single 20th Century Records (1972, United States)
- A. "The King Is Dead" (2:52)
- B. "Ruby" (2:32)
7" single Jare International 410 067 EA (1977, France)
- A. "The King Is Dead"
- B. "Natural Dance"
Johnny Hallyday version (in French)
| "Gabrielle" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Johnny Hallyday | ||||
| from the album Derrière l'amour | ||||
| Language | French | |||
| B-side | "Né pour vivre sans amour" | |||
| Released | September 3, 1976 (1976-09-03) | |||
| Recorded | 1976 | |||
| Studio | Studio 92, Boulogne-Billancourt | |||
| Genre | Soft rock, pop rock, chanson | |||
| Length | 2:53 | |||
| Label | Philips | |||
| Songwriter(s) | French adaptation Long Chris, Patrick Larue | |||
| Producer(s) | Jacques Revaux | |||
| Johnny Hallyday singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "Gabrielle" (French TV, 1983) on YouTube | ||||
Several years later the song was adapted into French (under the title "Gabrielle") by Long Chris and Patrick Larue and recorded by Johnny Hallyday. His version was released as a single in 1976 and spent three consecutive weeks on the singles sales chart in France (from 16 September to 6 October).
Charts
| Chart (1976) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (singles sales) | 1 |
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
| Belgium (Ultratop Back Catalog Singles Flanders) | 20 |
References
- "Tony Cole - The King Is Dead".
- ^ Nielsen Business Media, Inc. (9 December 1972). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. pp. 42–. ISSN 0006-2510.
{{cite book}}:|author=has generic name (help) - Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third series. 1974. pp. 403–.
- "Tony Cole (Chart history)". Billboard. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
- "Tony Cole - The King Is Dead (Vinyl) at Discogs". Discogs. 1977. Retrieved 2017-11-16.
- ^ "Gabrielle - Johnny Hallyday - Hit-Parade.net". Retrieved 2017-11-16.
- "ultratop.be - Johnny Hallyday - Gabrielle". Ultratop. Retrieved 2017-11-16.