# So are The Kings Of Leon bigger than Jesus yet in the USA? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 2, 2009, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300 "2009-10-02T00:29:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/21 "2009-10-02T14:04:03Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > No, I don’t consider this threadshitting. I’m genuinely curious because it is rare that a band is huge here and then becomes big in the US. The cultural wave is usually the other way. They’re an American band but they staked their claim to fame here and across Europe earlier than in the US. I believe the same is true for a few other bands the last few years, The Killers is one I think. I got one of their albums in 2002 as a present. I wasn’t too big into it but some of the songs were nice. The next I saw of them they were stadium monsters with a completely different look and fairly different sound, more stadium rock than the country rock of earlier record. It worked for Jimi Hendrix and the Stray Cats, too - both American acts blew up in the UK before conquering the U.S. By the same token, it is my understanding that although Def Leppard came from Sheffield, they were far more popular in the U.S. first… ---
**Author:** ![Jelly\_Roll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Jelly\_Roll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jelly_Roll)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/22 "2009-10-02T14:13:19Z")
They’re from Nashville, so they are fairly popular in these parts. I think I saw them a few years ago at the Austin City Music Festival when I live in Texas. If they’re the band I’m thinking of, they were a big crowd draw, so I guess college kids have known about them for awhile. I understand you can go either way with the lead singer’s voice, but while **WOOKINPANUB** can’t stand his voice, I find it hard to turn off. It’s definitely different - in a good way (for me). ---
**Author:** ![Woeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/df705f/32.png) [@Woeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Woeg)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/23 "2009-10-02T14:17:47Z")
My girlfriend loves them, I personally can’t stand them. The lead singer’s voice grates on me too, and something about their songs sounds whiny to me, from my limited (quick quick change the channel!) exposure to them. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/24 "2009-10-02T15:26:21Z")
I am so aggravated that I don’t care for this latest disk at all. My wife is always bugging me that I only like bands that are obscure. She claims that even if a bad was awesome I wouldn’t like them if they were popular, just on principle. At any rate, I have LOVED Kings of Leon from the start. Personally, I think it has been a steady decline since their debut (which is AWESOME), but I still enjoyed their last album. And then this one came out, and I think it sucks. And of course, it’s a monster hit, but in my defence, I bought it as soon as it came out and disliked it immediately. But of course, the wife claims that I only dislike it because they’re finally popular. It’s been very frustrating for me. But, to answer the OP, they’re quite popular, but not HUGE yet. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2009, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/25 "2009-10-02T22:59:31Z")
Never heard of 'em, but I don’t listen to pop/Top 40 stations really ever, and they haven’t hit the rock stations. (Don’t take that as an affront against pop - 80s/90s pop is one of my favorite musical genres - but “pop” means about 75% “hip-hop” on the radio around here right now.) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/26 "2009-10-03T00:40:43Z")
I’ve heard the usual two singles on the radio. They struck me as pretty ordinary, and “Sex on Fire” progressed to “annoying enough to change the station” within a week, which hardly ever happens at all to any song. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/27 "2009-10-03T05:11:29Z")
I’ll go against the tide a bit - I like their new stuff better than the older stuff. “Molly’s Chambers” is the only song I liked in 2003 (well, I don’t hate “Wasted Time”), and I thought a few of their songs like “on Call” and “My Party” were okay after that, but I **love** “Be Somebody” and “Closer”. Of course, I don’t listen to the radio, so I’m not hearing “Sex on Fire” every 20 minutes, which would annoy me since I do not like that one. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/28 "2009-10-03T08:37:49Z")
I’ve not heard of the ‘Kings of Leon’ myself, but I’m confident they’ll never be as big as this lot were: [On April 4, 1964, the group topped the US Billboard Hot 100 charts with Can’t Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Please Please Me. They also had another seven singles in the charts, including I Saw Her Standing There, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, Roll Over Beethoven, From Me To You, Do You Want to Know a Secret and Thank You Girl. The Beatles arrived in the US in February 1964 and became an instant sensation.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/5099666/The-Beatles-Rare-photos-of-fab-four-during-height-of-fame.html) ---
**Author:** ![jackdavinci](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackdavinci/32/3259_2.png) [@jackdavinci](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jackdavinci)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 9:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/29 "2009-10-03T09:12:25Z")
I don’t think so. I randomly found them, maybe from a song ina tv show or something, and I think they kick ass, but if I hadn’t stumbled on them accidentally I never would have heard of them. ---
**Author:** ![Bruce\_Wayne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bruce\_Wayne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bruce_Wayne)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2009, 1:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/30 "2009-10-03T13:56:30Z")
There was an article about them in _Entertainment Weekly_ a few issues ago, so I gave _Somebody_ a second listen and realized I liked it. I started asking around. In my circle of friends they are quite popular. I’ve been listening them to years according to them, but I didn’t know it. Just background noise at parties and BBQs that I never picked up on. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/31 "2009-10-04T03:51:00Z")
> [@Bruce\_Wayne](#): > > There was an article about them in _Entertainment Weekly_ a few issues ago, so I gave _Somebody_ a second listen and realized I liked it. _Which_ “Somebody”? Their latest album has two songs with somebody in the title: “Use Somebody” and “Be Somebody.” ---
**Author:** ![jimpatro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b9e5f3/32.png) [@jimpatro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jimpatro)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/32 "2009-10-04T06:27:38Z")
They’re playing ACL, one of the headliners, so they are pretty popular in Texas at least. Gotta turn up Sex on Fire all the way when it comes on. A simple but driving bassline on that cut. Infectious. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/33 "2009-10-04T06:54:34Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > _Which_ “Somebody”? Their latest album has two songs with somebody in the title: “Use Somebody” and “Be Somebody.” “Use Somebody” is their second big radio hit, though IMO “Be Somebody” is a better song. That being said, I like them a lot. > [@glee](#): > > I’ve not heard of the ‘Kings of Leon’ myself, but I’m confident they’ll never be as big as this lot were: > > [On April 4, 1964, the group topped the US Billboard Hot 100 charts with Can’t Buy Me Love, Twist and Shout, She Loves You, I Want to Hold Your Hand and Please Please Me. > They also had another seven singles in the charts, including I Saw Her Standing There, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, Roll Over Beethoven, From Me To You, Do You Want to Know a Secret and Thank You Girl. > The Beatles arrived in the US in February 1964 and became an instant sensation.](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/5099666/The-Beatles-Rare-photos-of-fab-four-during-height-of-fame.html) Can I ask what the point of this post was? To me, it’s basically a thinly veiled attempt to threadshit. “Well, I have absolutely no idea who this new band is, but as you can clearly see they are obviously inferior to my favorite band in every way so who really gives a fuck about them?” Yes, The Beatles were a great bad and arguably had more influence than anyone else in the history of rock, but I fail to see why you felt the need to bring them up out of nowhere in this thread. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/34 "2009-10-04T14:35:37Z")
… ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/35 "2009-10-04T14:36:45Z")
They play the ‘‘Use Somebody’’ song on the radio a lot. I think they are forgettable, though now that they have been brought to my attention I will probably start to hate them. Even thinking ‘‘Sex on Fire’’ is a good name for a song is grounds for hate. Um, **bouv** , ‘‘the bigger than Jesus’’ reference in the thread title refers specifically to The Beatles, so it’s not exactly out of nowhere. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/36 "2009-10-04T16:14:46Z")
I’m ambivalent about Use Somebody, and though I loved Sex on Fire at first, I’ve burned myself out on it. That said, Closer is one of my favorite songs of the past year, and I also like Crawl quite a bit. I hope they blow up huge. ---
**Author:** ![Hippy\_Hollow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hippy_hollow/32/4841_2.png) [@Hippy\_Hollow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hippy_Hollow)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/37 "2009-10-04T19:01:45Z")
I have been reading about these guys in Q, but honestly couldn’t tell you that I’d heard them before… they seemed to have that hipster niche, like Vampire Weekend and Fleet Foxes (which typically means I’m going to hate them with a passion)… but I’ve this earworm for about a month after hearing the song in the background of TV shows and generally around town… It’s “Sex on Fire!” Man, I like that song! I last heard it on _EastEnders_. I understand they are headliners at this year’s (very wet) Austin City Limits Festival. I didn’t go, but I’ll probably get that “Sex on Fire” song on iTunes and try to check their stuff out. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/38 "2009-10-04T21:45:44Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > IThat “somebody” song sucks donkey dick. Talk about overplayed! It was OK the first time I heard it, but it drives me nuts after airing #1,945,832,587. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [October 4, 2009, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/39 "2009-10-04T22:55:14Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > Can I ask what the point of this post was? To me, it’s basically a thinly veiled attempt to threadshit. > “Well, I have absolutely no idea who this new band is, but as you can clearly see they are obviously inferior to my favorite band in every way so who really gives a fuck about them?” > > Yes, The Beatles were a great bad and arguably had more influence than anyone else in the history of rock, but I fail to see why you felt the need to bring them up out of nowhere in this thread. Yes, you may ask. No, it’s not an attempt to threadshit. It’s clearly relevant if I’ve heard of the Kings of Leon, since the OP asks how popular they are. The Beatles are not my favourite band. **The reason I brought up the Beatles was of course that in March 1966 John Lennon memorably said “I do not know what will go first, rock’n’roll or Christianity … we’re more popular than Jesus now”.** Obviously you are both ignorant of that :eek: and prefer to throw around insults rather than learn anything. :rolleyes: I accept your apology. ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [October 5, 2009, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300/40 "2009-10-05T03:20:40Z")
Alright, my apologies to that comment. I’m young, but I do remember hearing about people making a fuss over The Beatles saying they were bigger than Jesus now that you mention it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-are-the-kings-of-leon-bigger-than-jesus-yet-in-the-usa/512300.md?page=3)