"Portrait (He Knew)" is a song by the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. Init ...

band

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

. It was written by

Kerry Livgren Kerry Allen Livgren (born September 18, 1949) is an American musician, best known as one of the founding members and primary songwriters for the American rock band Kansas. Biography Livgren was raised in Topeka, Kansas, by his father Allen L ...

and Steve Walsh and was recorded for the band's fifth album, ''

Point of Know Return ''Point of Know Return'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Kansas, released in 1977. The album was reissued in remastered format on CD in 2002. Composition and recording The recording sessions for ''Point of Know Return'' comme ...

''. The song was also released as a single after the success of "

" and "

Dust in the Wind "Dust in the Wind" is a song recorded by American progressive rock band Kansas and written by band member Kerry Livgren, first released on their 1977 album ''Point of Know Return''. The song peaked at No. 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 the wee ...

" and charted at #64 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was later released on the live and compilation albums '' Two for the Show'', ''

Live at the Whisky ''Live at the Whisky'' is the second live recording by American rock band Kansas, released in 1992. The U.S. version includes a bonus track "Lonely Street" from 1975. A German version of the release contains an alternative bonus track, "Journey ...

'', '' Device, Voice, Drum'', ''

The Kansas Boxed Set ''The Kansas Boxed Set'' is the third compilation from the band Kansas. It was originally released in 1994, and was the band's first boxed set overview of their career, emphasizing only their progressive rock era which was bracketed by the albu ...

'', '' The Ultimate Kansas'', '' Sail On: The 30th Anniversary Collection'', '' Works in Progress'', and '' Playlist: The Very Best of Kansas''. It appears in a number of different mixes and lengths: the original album version, the edited single version, a different single edit that appears as a bonus track on the European-only 1999 compilation ''Definitive Collection'', and a new remix by the original producers Jeff Glixman as a bonus track on the CD remaster of its original parent album. It was also released on the DVDs of ''Device, Voice, Drum'' and ''Works in Progress''.

Background

The inspiration for the song came from Kerry Livgren's admiration for

Albert Einstein Albert Einstein ( ; ; 14 March 1879 – 18 April 1955) was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest and most influential physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory ...

. He wrote the lyrics in a time when he was going through a spiritual transitional phase in his life, and after converting to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, he re-recorded the song with his band AD, modifying the lyrics to make them fit the story of

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

and retitling the song "Portrait II".

Reception

Billboard Magazine ''Billboard'' (stylized as ''billboard'') is an American music and entertainment magazine published weekly by Penske Media Corporation. The magazine provides music charts, news, video, opinion, reviews, events, and style related to the music ...

'' described "Portrait (He Knew)" as "a rivieting, snarling rock number which winds up in a frenzied rock climax." ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that "a strong bobbing beat provides a romping backdrop for the excellent and melodic singing." ''Ultimate Classic Rock'' critic Eduardo Rivadavia rated "Portrait (He Knew)" as Kansas' 8th greatest song, saying it "exemplifies the sort of cerebral subject matter that inspired the group at the start of its career."

Chart history

References

{{Authority control Kansas (band) songs 1977 songs 1978 singles Songs about Albert Einstein Songs about Jesus Song recordings produced by Jeff Glixman Songs written by Kerry Livgren Songs written by Steve Walsh (musician)