And so we head into the last weekend outdoors and leave you, dear reader, with a new single from BLM-backing country singer Margo Price who once said about alienating fans, “You can’t argue with stupid”, although she has never met my neighbours. ‘Long Live the King’ which pays tribute to Elvis Presley, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and John Lennon has long been performed live, but this is the first time she’s recorded a studio version of it.
“‘Long Live the King’ is a song about three extraordinary men who changed the course of history for the better,” Price comments. “But no one is without flaw and they each had a duality in their personalities. This song is also about not idolizing celebrities or putting people up on a pedestal because we are all human and we all make mistakes.”
Price’s new singles club from which the song is taken is called A Series of Rumors. Over three monthly shipments, members will receive a limited edition, autographed box of 7” vinyl records featuring the music of Price’s 2020 album, ‘That’s How Rumors Get Started’, backed with exclusive B-sides, covers and unreleased collaborations. Some are lost songs from the album sessions at both Hollywood’s East West Studios and Nashville’s Butcher Shoppe; others are from pre-production sessions in Texas with Band of Heathens, or lockdown recordings with Price’s band The Pricetags.
For the initial instalment, ‘Long Live The King’ will appear as the B-side to Rumors highlight ‘Hey Child,’ in addition to ‘Twinkle Twinkle’ b/w Price’s take on Bobbie Gentry’s ‘He Made a Woman Out of Me,’ and ‘Letting Me Down’ b/w ‘I’d Die For You’ (Synthphonic). The first set of records will ship now, and subscribers will receive their second/third deliveries in June/July. All future B-sides will remain secret until they arrive to fans. You can learn more about A Series of Rumors and join the club here although it’s not clear if they’ll ship outside the US.
Oh and finally, if you’re a very keen fan and enjoy watching gigs at 2 in the morning, on May 21st, fans can also see Margo Price perform ‘Long Live The King’ in a special livestream of the historic, sold-out run of shows she headlined at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium three years ago to date. The free streaming event, hosted by nugs.net, also falls on the one-year anniversary of Perfectly Imperfect at The Ryman, the live album that Price surprise-released to benefit COVID-19 relief throughout 2020. You can tune in on that date here.
Have a good one.
