King and Lionheart

{{Infobox song

| name = King and Lionheart

| cover = Of Monsters and Men - "King and Lionheart" (Promotional Single).jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Of Monsters and Men

| album = My Head Is an Animal

| released = March 3, 2013

| format =

| recorded = 2011

| studio =

| venue =

| genre =

| length = 4:34

| label = Republic

| writer = Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir

| producer =

Of Monsters and Men
Aron Arnarsson
Jacquire King

| prev_title = Mountain Sound

| prev_year = 2012

| next_title = Crystals

| next_year = 2015

| misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|A76a_LNIYwE|"King and Lionheart"}}}}

}}

"King and Lionheart" is a song recorded by Icelandic alternative folk band Of Monsters and Men, written by co-lead vocalist Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir and produced by the band with Aron Arnarsson and Jacquire King for the band's debut studio album, My Head Is an Animal. The song maintains its position on both issues of the album, appearing as the second track on both the original Icelandic and international versions of the album. After reaching No. 1 on the Icelandic Tónlist singles chart in 2012,{{cite web|url=http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Chartlist/475/|title=Netlistinn viku 3, 2012|publisher=Tonlist.is|accessdate=2013-06-20|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719153111/http://www.tonlist.is/Music/Chartlist/475/|archivedate=2013-07-19}} the song was released as a radio-only single from My Head Is an Animal in the United States and the United Kingdom in March 2013. The song peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart.

Music video

A music video for "King and Lionheart", directed by video production group WeWereMonkeys, was produced and released on 23 January 2013.{{cite web|title=Of Monsters and Men — King And Lionheart|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A76a_LNIYwE|work=OfMonstersAndMenVEVO|publisher=YouTube, Google|accessdate=29 June 2013}} The video, which mirrors the Nordic art style of the music video for "Little Talks",{{cite web|title=Review: King and Lionheart – Of Monsters And Men (video)|url=http://ramblingaboutmusic.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/reviews-king-and-lionheart-of-monsters-and-men-video/|publisher=ramblingaboutmusic|accessdate=29 June 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130629190601/http://ramblingaboutmusic.wordpress.com/2013/01/24/reviews-king-and-lionheart-of-monsters-and-men-video/|archivedate=29 June 2013}} also directed by WeWereMonkeys, blends in the visual art styles of two-dimensional rendered backgrounds with CGI and live action-imposed film sequences.{{cite web|last=Hohnen|first=Mike|title=Watch: Of Monsters and Men New Video 'King And Lionheart'|date=25 January 2013 |url=http://musicfeeds.com.au/news/watch-of-monsters-and-men-new-video-king-and-lionheart/|publisher=Musicfeeds.com.au|accessdate=29 June 2013}}

=Synopsis=

The video starts with a pair of royal siblings of a sci-fi fantasy kingdom being separated from each other by invading savage warriors, "Dwellers". The warriors whisk the sister away to the middle of the bayou where they put her in a pit and leave her to sulk. Suddenly, a rabbit-like spirit guardian appears to the girl and sets her free. She soon is spotted by the warriors and chased by them through the bayou with the spirit leading the way. Meanwhile, the brother is locked in a cage sulking and watching the warriors beat themselves up. Suddenly, a small spirit dolphin appears to the boy and sets him free as well. Meanwhile, the spirit helps the girl safely across a broken bridge. However, the spirit is soon devoured by the warriors' monstrous vehicle. The girl presses on and enters the kingdom where the boy's spirit leads him away from the warriors by leading him into a four-faced rocket ship which he enters, whereupon it immediately blasts off. The girl returns just in time to see the rocket ship blast away, her brother crying on the window. She runs toward it still chased by the warriors. Then the screen blanks out as the video ends in a cliffhanger, their fates unknown.

Lyric video

A lyric video was released in 2014 in the music videos presence. The lyric video begins with a ruins of a kingdom where the camera moves backward. Towards the main chorus, a violent thunderstorm breaks ahead. Two cloaked figures move toward it as the video ends.

Track listing

{{Tracklist

| headline = UK promotional single

| title1 = King and Lionheart

| length1 = 4:34

}}

Personnel

Adapted from My Head Is an Animal liner notes.{{cite AV media notes |title=My Head Is an Animal (2012 Issue)|others=Of Monsters and Men |date=2012 |type=liner notes |publisher=Republic Records}}

;Of Monsters and Men

Arnar Rósenkranz Hilmarsson – drums, percussion, co-producer
Árni Guðjónsson – accordion, piano, organ, co-producer
Brynjar Leifsson – electric and baritone guitar, co-producer
Kristján Páll Kristjánsson – bass, co-producer
Nanna Bryndís Hilmarsdóttir – vocals, acoustic guitar, co-producer
Ragnar Þórhallsson – vocals, acoustic guitar, co-producer

;Additional personnel

Aron Arnarsson – engineer, producer
Jacquire King – producer
Craig Silvey – mixing
Greg Calbi – mastering

Charts

=Weekly charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

!Chart (2013)

!Peak
position

{{single chart|Billboardrocksongs|28|artist=Of Monsters and Men|access-date=December 21, 2014|rowheader=true}}

{{single chart|Billboardrockairplay|24|artist=Of Monsters and Men|access-date=December 21, 2014|rowheader=true}}

=Year-end charts=

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"
Chart (2013) ! Position
scope="row"\| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine \|url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/hot-rock-songs \|title=Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013 \|magazine=Billboard \|accessdate=December 21, 2014}} \| style="text-align:center;"\| 88

class="wikitable plainrowheaders sortable"

Chart (2013)

! Position

scope="row"| US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard){{cite magazine |url=http://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2013/hot-rock-songs |title=Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013 |magazine=Billboard |accessdate=December 21, 2014}}

| style="text-align:center;"| 88

Certifications

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|relyear=2012|certyear=2024|title=Mountain Sound|artist=Of Monsters and Men|type=single|award=Gold|access-date=24 April 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|title=King and Lionheart|artist=Of Monsters & Men|type=single|award=Platinum|access-date=19 October 2023|relyear=2012|certyear=2023|digital=true}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}