“A melody is like seeing someone for the first time. The physical attraction. But then, as you get to know the person, that’s the lyrics. Their story. Who they are underneath. It’s the combination of the two that makes it magical,” said Sophie Fischer (played by Drew Barrymore) in the movie “Music and Lyrics.”
The melody and the lyrics matter, that’s true. But let’s admit it: the band name matters too. If I were to name a band myself, I would think I would creatively name the band after something personal in my life. Something catchy. Something that would make me money.
Let’s say you were to name your band Kings of Leon. You would think everyone would agree these boys believe they are above it all, calling themselves kings. Maybe even a couple of their songs like “Sex on Fire” or “Use Somebody” would be a turnoff. But these have the opposite effect on me as a listener. I’m interested. I want to know what makes this band tick.
Not a hardcore fan or groupie and never having seen a concert, I have liked Kings of Leon ever since the band performed on MTV Movie Awards that one year. A few songs here and there caught my ear and held on. I was interested in the band name and I wondered where it originated.
The band consists of the three Followill brothers (Caleb, Nathan and Jared) as well as their cousin Matthew Followill. The band formed in Nashville, Tenn. in 1999 and has been extremely popular in the United States, United Kingdom and Australia ever since. It have won multiple awards (the majority of which were won in the U.K.), and one of its albums went platinum in the U.S.
But what else! Those of us new fans hunger for information about the band. Well … I’ve got good news folks. There’s a way to get another education than the one you are receiving at Mississippi State: an education on Kings of Leon.
This April it was announced there would be a documentary, “Talihina Sky” (named after one of the band’s earlier tracks), detailing Kings of Leon and its run as wonderful, intriguing performers.   
The documentary will be shown at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival on April 20 in New York. It is approximately 87 minutes long. Those of us not fortunate enough to be able to attend the music festival will have to settle for the DVD. And I have no issue with that whatsoever.
Before I ruin what little of the plot I have had the pleasure to hear about, I advise you to go on YouTube whenever you get the chance and look at the trailer. Type “Talihina Sky Trailer” into the search bar and it should be the first one to pop up.
This might sound strange, but the preview definitely gave me chills. Intense documentaries seem to have a serious purpose tend to shake your opinions to the core. It made me want to listen to them more and more, which I suppose is the purpose of the documentary itself. I’m ashamed to admit after I watched the preview for the third time, I downloaded about five more Kings of Leon songs.
The documentary follows the Followill boys’ relationships with God and their relationship with their “slightly disapproving father.” He is a religious man.
“As soon as I knew we got a record deal, that whole night I never slept because I knew I was going to hell and I wasn’t going to be a preacher,” one of the rockers stated as the trailer opened.
Whether you have or haven’t heard of them, please watch the trailer. Whether you like Kings of Leon or not, please watch the trailer.
A change of perspective could be all you need to get a different view of the band. Or maybe even the world.
Becca Horton is a freshman majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].