How King Crimson reflected on the breakup of The Beatles in song
Music is an incredible way to document history. In Questlove’s book aptly titled Music Is History, he runs through the years of his birth until now, assigning a song to every year before explaining why that number is relevant to that year and its historical significance. However, music tends to document history because it can be viewed in the same way political polls and newspapers can be; they are rarely biographical. That is until King Crimson came along.
If you want to gauge the public’s opinion at a particular moment, the popularity of music is an effective way to do so. Songs that rebel against authority like the Sex Pistols music did in the 1970s, or tracks that protested the Cold War like Sun-Ra and Prince’s music in the ‘80s, form their own pages in history books, not only giving the consumer something good to listen to but also providing insight into the mindset of people at the time of recording.
Music is rarely historical from a narrative-driven point of view, meaning people don’t often use music to tell the story of something that happened years ago. You might find some exceptions in concept albums that take from historical events to better fit whatever theme they are going for, but that’s the extent of it.
In that sense, King Crimson’s song ‘Happy Family’ is a true rarity. The track was released on their 1970 album Lizard, and it is unusual in that while it’s laced with metaphor, the band uses it to tell the story of the Beatles breaking up.
Pete Sinfield was responsible for the lyrics, and while he writes about the characters Judas, Rufus, Silas and Jonah, all of these people represent members of The Beatles. Judas is the incarnation of Paul McCartney, Rufus represents Ringo Starr, Silas is George Harrison, and Jonah is John Lennon.
While the song isn’t one of the band’s most famous, it is a testament to the originality with which they approached songwriting. While many musicians might be keen to tell a new story with their music, they decided to cover a well-known one more creatively and engagingly. It’s a surprise, realistically, that more songs haven’t been written about the Beatles. Sure, many people will cite them as influences, but people do not try to describe them in their music or reference them. Why? There are countless books written about the Fab Four, so why haven’t more people tried to document their history and influence in the art form most closely associated with them?
King Crimson brandish their commitment to breaking the norm with this track. Firstly, they discuss their influences by directly writing about them as opposed to merely describing them as an influence. They also use music as a means to document history in a way that is retrospective rather than immediately reactive. Once you know its inspiration, the track makes for an enjoyable listen, and it provides lyrics that can be picked at and read into at the listener’s leisure.
It may seem strange for a song so definitively written about another band to help define the group that made it, but King Crimson and everything they were is distilled in this tune. It may focus on the life and times of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, but its sharp observation, cute musicianship and a clear sense of self mean ‘Happy Family’ is perfectly coloured as King Crimson.
