The Court of the Crimson King

This article is about the King Crimson song. For the album, see In the Court of the Crimson King.

"The Court of the Crimson King"
French Picture Sleeve.
Single by King Crimson
from the album In the Court of the Crimson King
A-side	"The Court of the Crimson King, Pt. 1"
B-side	"The Court of the Crimson King, Pt. 2"
Released	October 1969 (1969-10) (UK) December 1969 (1969-12) (US)
Recorded	21–23 July 1969
Studio	Wessex, London
Genre	Progressive rock
Length	9:25 (album version) 7:16 (edited version) 3:22 (single version, Part One) 4:30 (single version, Part Two) 10:00 (album version with Hidden Track)
Label	Island (UK WIP-6071) Atlantic (US 2703)
Composer(s)	Ian McDonald
Lyricist(s)	Peter Sinfield
Producer(s)	King Crimson
King Crimson singles chronology
"The Court of the Crimson King" (1969) "Cat Food" (1970)

"The Court of the Crimson King", sometimes billed "In the Court of the Crimson King", is the titular fifth and final track from the British progressive rock band King Crimson's debut album, In the Court of the Crimson King. Released as a single, it reached No. 80 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the only King Crimson single to chart on the Hot 100.

Background

The track is dominated by a distinctive, repeated four-bar riff performed on a Mellotron. The main part of the song is split into four stanzas, divided by an instrumental section called "The Return of the Fire Witch". The song climaxes at seven minutes, but after a pause continues with a brief instrumental interlude called "The Dance of the Puppets", before ending with a reprise of the main theme. The music was composed by Ian McDonald, and the lyrics were written by Peter Sinfield.

Cash Box said "Unusual lyric imagery and instrumental impact with a 'Jude' hypnotism should set the side on a breakout path." Record World called it "a heavy hard rock item with some classy jazz overtones."

Track listing

Promo single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1"	3:22
2.	"The Court of the Crimson King, Part 2"	4:30

Part 1 single

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1" (Short Version)	2:18
2.	"The Court of the Crimson King, Part 1" (Long Version)	3:22

Personnel

• Robert Fripp – guitars
• Greg Lake – bass guitar, lead vocals
• Ian McDonald – Mellotron, harpsichord, organ, flute, calliope, backing vocals
• Michael Giles – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Peter Sinfield – lyrics

Charts

Chart (1970)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot 100	80