"King of My Castle" is a song by American
electronic music producer
Chris Brann under his Wamdue Project alias, with vocals by
Gaelle Adisson. It was originally released in 1997 as a
downtempo song but became a worldwide club hit in 1999 when it was remixed by Italian house producer Roy Malone and included on the 1998 album Program Yourself. The song peaked at number one on the US BillboardDance Club Play chart, topped the
UK Singles Chart, and peaked within the top 10 in at least 12 other countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.
Song information
The song's title and lyrics reference
Sigmund Freud's theory of
the unconscious which holds that the human ego is not free and is instead controlled by its own unconscious
id[citation needed]—in Freud's own words, "das Ich ist nicht Herr im eigenen Hause" ("the ego is not king of its own castle"). Hence, one of the song's two music videos consists of footage from the 1995 anime film Ghost in the Shell, where people with
cyborg implants have their actions controlled against their will by a
hacker criminal known in the film as "puppetmaster".
In 2009, "King of My Castle" was covered as a duet by singers
Shayne Ward and
Britney Spears, intended for Ward's album Obsession. Ward sings new lyrics while Spears's parts largely follow the original version. For unknown reasons, it was never released, but their version leaked online in 2021.[67] A version solely featuring Spears also leaked online months later.[68]
^King of My Castle (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Wamdue Project. Eruption Records, Strictly Rhythm. 1998. ERUPT005.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (Belgian CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project. Noise Traxx. 1998. 2105952.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (French CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project. Noise Traxx. 1998. 910271.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (Australian CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project. Ultra Violet Recordings. 1998. PDJ100DS.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (US 12-inch single vinyl disc). Wamdue Project. Strictly Rhythm. 1999. SR 12583.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (UK CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project.
AM:PM Records, Strictly Rhythm. 1999. CDAMPM127, 562 488-2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (UK 12-inch single sleeve). Wamdue Project. AM:PM Records, Strictly Rhythm. 1999. 12AMPM127, 562 488-1.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (UK cassette single sleeve). Wamdue Project. AM:PM Records, Strictly Rhythm. 1999. MCAMPM127.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (Dutch CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project.
Roadrunner Records. 1999. RR 2173-2.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)
^King of My Castle (Australian & New Zealand CD single liner notes). Wamdue Project. Ultra Violet Recordings. 1999. PDJ156DS.{{
cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (
link)