The Story of Pop: 1999 (Chapter 47)

Welcome to this week’s installment of The Story of Pop: 1999, the weekly retelling of all the UK singles chart action from two whole decades ago. This week: our last chart topper this series to come from clubland…

Well. I tell a slight lie there. We do have one more dancefloor oriented record to cover this series, but decidedly from the more UK end of the remit if you take my drift. Anyway, let’s move on before I have to do any spoiler alerts.

The brainchild of Atlanta based DJ and producer Chris Brann, and featuring vocals by Gaelle Addisson (which, in that way that only dance records from the 90s can be, was lip synced over by some unknown trout pouted model from Brazil in the video and on Top of the Pops), ‘King of My Castle’ had first been released in 1997 for Wamdue Project.

It was a much more ambient piece in its original mix, and failed to make much of a splash at all that time, until just over 18 months later when producer and remixer Roy ‘King’ Malone picked it up and turned it into an irresistible deep house groove with a strong dance pop melody.

Indications that it was set for a big success came when it charted on – that old chestnut again – European import sales alone at #61 a couple of weeks before, ensuring that the reactivated ‘King of My Castle’ smashed in at number one in the UK on this very week in 1999. They were resolutely one hit wonders though, with follow-up single ‘You’re The Reason’ bombing out in the nether regions of the top 40 in spring 2000. Here’s this week then, to ‘King of My Castle’, as we also ponder the following: were they singing about being free in a tassel?