"King of Anything" is a song written and recorded by American singer Sara Bareilles. The song was produced by Neal Avron, and served as the first single from her third studio album, Kaleidoscope Heart (2010). The song was nominated at the 53rd Grammy Awards for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, though it ultimately lost to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance". The song was her second time being nominated for the category and her third nomination overall.

Background

"'King of Anything' is sort of a 'f[uck] you' song," Bareilles said. "I've had more unsolicited advice on my life than I care to mention, and this was how I dealt with it. It felt empowering to turn that frustration into music, especially a song that doesn't even sound angry. That's sort of what 'Love Song' was as well. Apparently, I don't get over things very quickly."

Release

"King of Anything" was released to radio in the US on May 10, 2010. It was released for sale on June 22, 2010. It was released in Europe in the spring of 2011.

Music video

The music video was released on June 29, 2010. It was filmed in Vancouver, Canada by director Laurent Briet and features Sara singing in a number of different places accompanied by a brass band; in a restaurant, on a bus, in a music store, standing in front of a mural and finally in a garden of flowers. The scenes of the video are all fragmented throughout. A behind-the-scenes of the video was released on Bareilles' official Facebook page. Bareilles states in the behind-the-scenes video that she had input in the making of the music video, writing a treatment for it as soon as she had written the song.

Chart performance

In the week dated July 5, 2010, it debuted at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it her second entry and also her highest debut on the chart so far. It peaked at number 32, becoming her second top 40 single in the United States, after "Love Song". It peaked the highest on the Dutch Top 40, where it peaked at number 21.

"King of Anything" was certified Platinum in the United States by the RIAA. It has sold over 1.4 million copies in the US as of November 2013.

Chart (2010–2011)Peak position
Weekly charts Chart (2010–2011) Peak position Canada Hot 100 (Billboard) 94 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40) 21 Netherlands (Single Top 100) 80 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 38 US Billboard Hot 100 32 US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard) 4 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 6 US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard) 4 US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard) 48 US Pop Airplay (Billboard) 19Year-end charts Chart (2010) Position US Billboard Hot 100 95 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 27 US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard) 11 Chart (2011) Position US Adult Contemporary (Billboard) 15
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)94
Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)21
Netherlands (Single Top 100)80
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)38
US Billboard Hot 10032
US Adult Alternative Airplay (Billboard)4
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)6
US Adult Pop Airplay (Billboard)4
US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)48
US Pop Airplay (Billboard)19
Chart (2010)Position
US Billboard Hot 10095
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)27
US Adult Pop Songs (Billboard)11
Chart (2011)Position
US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)15

Certifications

RegionCertificationCertified units/sales
United States (RIAA)Platinum1,468,000

Release history

Release dates and formats for "King of Anything"
RegionDateFormatLabel(s)Ref.
United StatesAugust 17, 2010Mainstream airplayEpic

External links