THE KING & QUEEN OF AMERICA

Released this day in 1990

Perhaps one of the most polarising singles Eurythmics released, and was a slap in the face for what many people hold as The American Dream.
The single performed best in Belgium reaching No. 16, followed by Ireland and The UK at 23 and 29.

The release was not a success and is rarely featured as a fan favourite and only just reached our Top 50 at No. 44 in our Poll 101 we ran in 2018, however created a number of collecatble items, as well as the holy grail of a withdrawn sleeve.  

The King and Queen of America

was taken from the Eurythmics album We Too Are One and was released as the album’s third UK single on January 22nd 1990.

Video

The song’s music video showed Lennox and Stewart in a variety of costumes and settings which parodied various aspects of American pop culture, including a game show host and hostess, singing cowboy and cowgirl à la Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, and Ronald and Nancy Reagan.

MTV

Although not released as a single in the United States, “The King and Queen of America” received a fair amount of airplay on MTV.

 The release brought with it one of the most collectable Eurythmics items when a 7″ single was issued in an incorrect sleeve and was withdrawn from sale on the day it went on sale. The sleeve commands around the £1000 mark these days, with very few in circulation. 

The release also saw a 12″ poster bag released and a CD single issued in 2 slightly different wooden boxes, one with a clasp and one without.

In an interview in 2011, Dave Stewart spoke about the video:

“The video was really funny. We had a lot of fun that day. We did it with my friend Willy Smack, who I’ve been friends with since I was 19, and Annie and I were just, like, trying to get all the archetypal costumes and hairdos by which American gets perceived in Europe on TV. These are the characters: cheerleaders, limousines pulling up outside of premières, Elvis-like characters, couples wearing nylon jogging suits in shopping malls.

We tried to cover as many people as we could, and in the video, it’s in a shopping mall, and the cheerleaders are cheerleading, Mickey and Minnie Mouse are boxing each other, a TV preacher is preaching, and all the while I’m having a heart attack in a supermarket. It’s pretty weird. And we’re basically singing about the pomp and circumstance that comes across from America, like a huge chocolate cake with nothing inside it. There’s no sort of history or culture that’s behind it. It’s like, even though in Europe we’ve got a terrible history of people going around killing people or sailing off to other territories and raiding them and blah blah blah, there’s some kind of history.

So when you see pomp and circumstance looking at a cathedral in Rome or this or that, you’ve got this feeling of ancient civilizations. But in America, you have… Well, you’ve just witnessed it, where the media tried desperately to make the Kardashian wedding an important event to compare to the Prince and Princess in England. Not that I think that the Prince and Princess Of England getting married was anything, anyway, but it’s just funny how American media tried to create some kind of false royalty. ”

See below for the collectors discography, chart information and other memorabilia.

CHARTS

CountryChartPositionYear End
AustraliaSingles Chart76
BelgiumSingles Chart16
FranceSingles Chart98
GermanySingles Chart51
IrelandSingles Chart23
JapanSingles Chart62
The NetherlandsSingles Chart33
PolandSingles Chart31
The UKSingles Chart29

Discography

Record IDImageFormatRelease DetailsNoteClick for more info
2825
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - Arista - A 15 Year History Of Rock - CD - The USA'CDArtist : Eurythmics
Title : Arista - A 15 Year History Of Rock
Format : CD
Label : RCA
Cat No. : ARCD-8654
Country : The USA
Promo : Yes
This album was created as a companion to Arista Records' CBS-TV 15th Anniversary Concert, which benefited AIDS organizations nationwide. All proceeds from the artists and Arista were donated.link
5630
NW2019-01
Eurythmics - BMG Promo CD Volume 1 - CD - Canada'CDArtist : Eurythmics
Title : BMG Promo CD Volume 1
Format : CD
Label : RCA
Cat No. : KCDP-7149
Country : Canada
Promo : Yes
14 track promo CD including King & Queenlink
5015
UP2020-08
Eurythmics - Ready, Steady, Go! Vol. 2 - CD - Germany'CDArtist : Eurythmics
Title : Ready, Steady, Go! Vol. 2
Format : CD
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PD74469
Country : Germany
Promo : Yes
German 14 track promo CD Includes The King & Queen Of America and Lily Was Here by Dave Stewart and Candy Dulferlink
0297
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - Brazil'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : 990-4021
Country : Brazil
Promo : Yes
Rare Brazilian Promo with the Playboy Playgirl pose. Double A-Side. Pose has been inverted from main cover sleeve.link
0266
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - The UK'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DAT23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
0298
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - The UK'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DAT23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
With Free Posterlink
0241
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - The UK'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DAT23 DJ
Country : The UK
Promo : Yes
Advanced DJ Copy Promo but with standard Cat No.link
0306
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - The UK'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DAT24
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
4467
NW2015-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 12" Single - Spain'12" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 12" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PT43400
Country : Spain
Promo : No
Dance Mixlink
0171
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - The UK'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DA23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
4646
UP2017-12
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - Australia'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DA23
Country : Australia
Promo : No
Standard release with Australian text at the bottom of the sleeve.link
6648
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - The UK'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DA23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard release with fan made coverlink
1300
NW2019-04
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - The UK'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DA23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Very Rare UK Presidential Sleeve - Rumoured to have been deleted on the day of issuelink
4847
NW2017-08
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - Italy'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PB 43399
Country : Italy
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
3525
NW2019-04
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - Germany'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PB-43399
Country : Germany
Promo : Yes
Promo with Press Releaselink
6496
NW2020-10
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - France'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PB-43399
Country : France
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
0572
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - Germany'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PB-43399
Country : Germany
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
0052
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - 7" Single - Spain'7" SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : 7" Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PB-43399
Country : Spain
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
1814
NW2019-04
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - Cassette Single - Australia'Cassette SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : Cassette Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : CSDAK23
Country : Australia
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
0501
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - Cassette Single - The UK'Cassette SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : Cassette Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DAK23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
5670
NW2019-01
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD - Germany'CDArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PD 74469
Country : Germany
Promo : Yes
Ready, Steady, Go! Volume 2.German 14 Track BMG Promo - Also featuring Dave Stewart and Candy Dulferlink
0685
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - Japan'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : BVCP-9002
Country : Japan
Promo : No
Japanese 4 Track CD in Special Sleevelink
1514
UP2020-09
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - Japan'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : BVCP-9002
Country : Japan
Promo : Yes
Japanese 4 Track Promo in Unique Sleeve with obilink
0433
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - The UK'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DACD23
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Standard releaselink
0474
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - The UK'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DACD24
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Ltd Edition Numbered Wooden Box - No Clasp - CD Itself is DACD23.link
1891
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - The UK'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : DACD24
Country : The UK
Promo : No
Ltd Edition Numbered Wooden Box - With Clasp - CD Itself is DACD23.link
0938
UP2017-11
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - Germany'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PD-43402
Country : Germany
Promo : No
Standard release with Catalogue number printed on the CD covers spine.link
4846
NW2017-08
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - Germany'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : PD-43402
Country : Germany
Promo : No
Standard release without the catalogue number printed on the CD covers spine.link
5643
NW2019-01
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - CD Single - The UK'CD SingleArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : CD Single
Label : RCA
Cat No. : Unknown
Country : The UK
Promo : Yes
3 track RCA CDR Promo - Unknown Countrylink
5627
NW2019-01
Eurythmics - The King And Queen Of America - Video - France'VideoArtist : Eurythmics
Title : The King And Queen Of America
Format : Video
Label : BMG Ariola France
Cat No. : None
Country : France
Promo : Yes
Promo 8 track video on SECAM from Francelink

Memorabilia