"King of the Road" is a song written by

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

singer

Roger Miller Roger Dean Miller Sr. (January 2, 1936 – October 25, 1992) was an American singer-songwriter, widely known for his honky-tonk-influenced novelty songs and his chart-topping Country music, country and pop hits "King of the Road (song), Ki ...

, who first recorded it in November 1964. The lyrics tell of the day-to-day life of a

hobo A hobo is a migrant worker in the United States. Hoboes, tramps and bums are generally regarded as related, but distinct: a hobo travels and is willing to work; a tramp travels, but avoids work if possible; and a bum neither travels nor works. E ...

who, despite having little money (a "man of means by no means"), revels in his freedom, describing himself humorously and cynically as the "king of the road". It was Miller's fifth single for

Smash Records Smash Records was an American record label founded in 1961 as a subsidiary of Mercury Records by Mercury executive Shelby Singleton and run by Singleton with Charlie Fach. Fach took over after Singleton left Mercury in 1966. Its recording artist ...

History

The

crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Albums and songs * ''Cross Over'' (Dan Peek album) * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'' (Intrigue album) * ''Crossover'' (Hitomi Shimatani album) * ''Crossover'' (Yoshino ...

record reached No. 1 on the US Country chart, No. 4 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and No. 1 on the Easy Listening surveys. It was also No. 1 in the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

, and in Norway. Miller recalled that the song was inspired when he was driving and saw a sign on the side of a barn that read, "Trailers for sale or rent". This would become the opening line of the song.

R.E.M. R.E.M. was an American rock band from Athens, Georgia, formed in 1980 by drummer Bill Berry, guitarist Peter Buck, bassist Mike Mills, and lead vocalist Michael Stipe, who were students at the University of Georgia. One of the first alternati ...

covered the song in a shambolic, drunken, offhand rendering, guitarist

Peter Buck Peter Lawrence Buck (born December 6, 1956) is an American musician and songwriter. He was a co-founder and the lead guitarist of the alternative rock band R.E.M. He also plays the banjo and mandolin on several R.E.M. songs. Throughout his car ...

would later comment, "If there was any justice in the world, Roger Miller should be able to sue for what we did to this song." A comic version by English entertainer Billy Howard, "King of the Cops", was a British chart hit in 1976.

Chart performance

Roger Miller

The Proclaimers

Randy Travis

"Queen of the House"

Country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

singer

Jody Miller Myrna Joy "Jody" Miller (November 29, 1941 – October 6, 2022) was an American country music singer. "Home of the Brave" and "Queen of the House" are her well-known albums. She is a recipient of the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal ...

(no relation) answered "King of the Road" with "Queen of the House" (1965). The song used Roger Miller's music while changing the lyrics to describe the day-to-day life of a

stay-at-home mom A housewife (also known as a homemaker or a stay-at-home mother/mom/mum) is a woman whose role is running or managing her family's home—housekeeping, which includes caring for her children; cleaning and maintaining the home; making, buying ...

. The words were written by Mary Taylor.The song was a hit, reaching number 12 on Billboard's Hot 100 and number 5 on the Hot Country Singles chart. It also won a Grammy for Female Country Vocal Performance.

Connie Francis Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero (born December 12, 1937), known professionally as Connie Francis, is an American pop singer, actress, and top-charting female vocalist of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Called the “First Lady of Rock & Roll” ...

later recorded this song on her 1966 album ''

Live at the Sahara Live may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Live!'' (2007 film), 2007 American film * ''Live'' (2014 film), a 2014 Japanese film *'' ''Live'' (Apocalyptica DVD) Music *Live (band), American alternative rock band * List of albums ...

'' (1966).

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

performed "Queen of the House" in their nightclub act. It can be heard on their ''

The Supremes at the Copa ''The Supremes at the Copa'' is a live album by Motown singing group the Supremes, recorded during their debut engagement at the prestigious Copacabana nightclub in New York City. Released in the late fall of 1965, ''At the Copa'' was the first ...

'' (1965) album and ''

I Hear a Symphony "I Hear a Symphony" is a 1965 song recorded by the Supremes for the Motown label. Written and produced by Motown's main production team, Holland–Dozier–Holland, the song became their sixth number-one pop hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop ...

'' remastered CD, which includes their September 1966 appearance at the Roostertail in Detroit, on the second disc.

References

External links

Sample
from the Roger Miller official site {{DEFAULTSORT:King Of The Road 1964 songs 1965 singles Roger Miller songs The Proclaimers songs Randy Travis songs Glen Campbell songs UK Singles Chart number-one singles Number-one singles in Norway Songs written by Roger Miller Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Song recordings produced by Jerry Kennedy Smash Records singles Songs about homelessness