When your band finally goes mainstream

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Discover the captivating rise and near-destruction of Kings of Leon in their quest for global fame. From their Southern rock roots to arena-sized anthems like "Sex On Fire" and "Use Somebody," witness how their massive success pushed the band to the brink. Explore the internal struggle, controversial performances, and the toll of constant touring that tested their brotherhood. Join me on this wild journey of sex, drugs, and rock 'n' roll, as Kings of Leon grappled with the price of superstardom.

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Timestamps:
0:00 Ladies and Gentlemen, Kings of Leon
1:00 The Followill Brothers Start A Band
3:58 The Kings Go Mainstream
8:26 Working Hard or Hardly Working
12:47 After The Night

#Middle8 #alternativerock #videoessay #kingsofleon #onlybythenight

[cloudbloom]

The only dubious part of this story is that they made an ounce of weed last a month

[jasminmujezinovic]

Kings of Leon are such an important band for me. I just love them no matter what they do.

[HotStrange]

I think Come Around Sundown is absolutely excellent. Very underrated. Their first 5 albums are fantastic.

[Roysorb]

Mechanical Bull not being seen as a return to form was always really shocking to me. That album slaps.

[TeakySnee]

Perfect band. Hating on them for mainstream success just makes you a detractor. Their sounds developed over the years but it just feels like a natural progression. It’s all great.

Great video!

[homelessboy]

Bands evolve. You don't have to love every album. It's okay.

[ninjaboy]

Reading and Leeds Festivals are sister festivals, and the bands swap around each day between the sites. I saw them at Leeds the night after everything happened at Reading, they started with some of their current album and like 4th or 5th song they played Molly's Chamber and all the crowd sang along, Caleb started crying on stage saying thank you.

[andybud]

I remember buying their first album in 2004 whilst at university of Sheffield. After about 2 weeks, every lad on the floor had bought it as well. What a great album. My dad, RIP, came to pick me up one weekend and I played the album to him, he loved it. Especially California waiting. Great band.

[fioreloe.]

Your videos on how/why alternative rock bands changed their sound (like the Coldplay one) are so good and insightful 👌🏻

[TheExperience]

I think When You See Yourself was the return that people had been waiting for, but it’s just gone unnoticed and unappreciated. The song 100, 000 People alone is, to me, proof that there is no “something” missing. It’s all there, you just have to hear it.

[discon_csert]

Can't even begin to tell you how the first four albums were literally my entire high school parties, first love, rebellious years.
My heart.

[carlitos]

Me and all my friends learned about KoL through "sex on fire" and "use somebody". Then we went backwards in their discography and loved their previous albums. Theyll always be one of my top bands.

[malikshakur]

this band is incredibly important to me as a Georgia boy who grew envious of not only the Strokes/VW NYC scene but also the SoCal RHCP and everything in between KoL and Cage the Elephant were two of the only truly Southern bands who didn’t mimic other bands but gave us a unique and authentic experience of garage rock from the south for the south. i’m about to be a dad living in nyc and knocked up is the first song and last song i listen to every day. will always love this band.

[prestonnnnn]

I grew up on kings of leon. Three year old me in the backseat w my mom during her divorce blasting KOF is a memory I will never forget. To this day, im a huge fan, have seen them in concert, and they will forever be my favorite band.

[dhruvmadiraju]

I never felt they went wrong. WALLS was one of my favorite albums back in high school. It's such a solid listen-through and Waste a Moment still absolutely holds up.

[e.my.]

What I love most about these guys is that they sound f unreal live 🔥 and they’ve never changed, always stayed humbled and continue to make amazing music

[grantwalkersound]

So I got to help out a little on "Because of the Times". I was an intern at Blackbird studios at the time and Ethan Johns wanted a few extra hands to help set up and get the session rolling. I was a big fan of Ethan and of KOL, so I felt really lucky to get to be the volunteer. I got to set up microphones, and help twist a few knobs (when told)... but I wasn't even the "assistant engineer". That was Lowell Reynolds who basically helped build that studio. The band was in the studio for two months. I remember they didn't work on weekends, but kept the studio booked. They'd later do a bunch of additional sessions at Ethan's studio. Though I only officially worked two full days on the record, I did do a lot of runs for them and had conversations struck up in the lounges and what not. I witnessed a few disagreements on the direction of the record. The big debate was whether to record the tracks live as a band without a click track the way they had always done, or if they should lock in and play to a click. I believe it was Nathan and Caleb who were in disagreement. Ethan settled the debate by saying the album would likely be a mixture of the two and they should try each song both ways to see what best serves the song. What I can tell you is that there was a distinct intention to shift the sound, but they internally also did not want to abandon their roots. And you hear that on some of the more grungier songs on that record. The first song tracked was "On Call" and I got to witness that entire tracking session. It was really cool watching them do their thing through the glass of Studio D. Somewhere I believe I have a diary with all of the mic placements, FX pedals used (they had it written on a white board), and what not. The band spent countless hours smoking weed and playing wall ball. I also got to smoke with a few of them on 4/20 as well... It was a fun time.

[matthewferrier]

I don't think the band has faltered at all. Mechanical Bull, Walls, and When You See Yourself are all excellent albums. They've managed to evolve, yet still produce great music. I don't think the analogy to Coldplay applies.

[PennyStocks]

Was introduced to Kings on that U2 tour. The next day I discovered Ah Ha and was hooked. Then they dropped Becaue of the Times and it was all I listened to. Only By The Nights was great (at times) but Come Around Sundown is amazing. They have great songs on all their albums and I'll always be a fan. I never really thought of them as "selling out" as much as I thought of them as maturing as a band.

[wonderboytroy]

My favorite band of all time. Criminally underrated when you realize most people only know the hits from Only By The Night. Their catalog depth holds up against just about anyone.