"King of My Castle"
Single by Wamdue Project
from the album Program Yourself
ReleasedMay 24, 1997 (1997-05-24)
GenreHouse[1]
Length3:40 (original radio edit)
Label
Songwriter(s)Chris Brann
Producer(s)Chris Brann
Wamdue Project singles chronology
"The Deep EP"
(1998)
"King of My Castle"
(1997)
"Program Yourself"
(1999)
Music video
"King of My Castle" on YouTube

"King of My Castle" is a song by American electronic music producer Chris Brann under his Wamdue Project alias, with vocals by Gaelle Adisson. It was originally released in 1997 as a downtempo song but became a worldwide club hit in 1999 when it was remixed by Italian house producer Roy Malone and included on the 1998 album Program Yourself. The song peaked at number one on the US Billboard Dance Club Play chart, topped the UK Singles Chart, and peaked within the top 10 in at least 12 other countries, including Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Norway.

Song information

The song's title and lyrics reference Sigmund Freud's theory of the unconscious which holds that the human ego is not free and is instead controlled by its own unconscious id[citation needed]—in Freud's own words, "das Ich ist nicht Herr im eigenen Hause" ("the ego is not king of its own castle"). Hence, one of the song's two music videos consists of footage from the 1995 anime film Ghost in the Shell, where people with cyborg implants have their actions controlled against their will by a hacker criminal known in the film as "puppetmaster".

Track listings

1998 release

1999 release

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Belgium (BEA)[56] Platinum 50,000*
France (SNEP)[57] Gold 250,000*
Netherlands (NVPI)[58] Gold 50,000^
Norway (IFPI Norway)[59] Gold  
United Kingdom (BPI)[60] Gold 400,000^
Summaries
Worldwide 2,000,000[61]

* Sales figures based on certification alone.
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref(s).
United States May 24, 1997 Strictly Rhythm [62]
United Kingdom June 22, 1998
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
Eruption [63]
United Kingdom (re-release) November 15, 1999
  • 12-inch vinyl
  • CD
  • cassette
AM:PM [64]
United States July 5, 2000 [65][66]

Cover versions

In 2009, "King of My Castle" was covered as a duet by singers Shayne Ward and Britney Spears, intended for Ward's album Obsession. Ward sings new lyrics while Spears's parts largely follow the original version. For unknown reasons, it was never released, but their version leaked online in 2021.[67] A version solely featuring Spears also leaked online months later.[68]

References

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