"Possum Kingdom" is a song by American alternative rock band Toadies released as the second single from their 1994 album, Rubberneck.
The song's origins lie in folklore from the band's native state of Texas. Possum Kingdom Lake is a lake in North Texas near Fort Worth. In the documentary "Dark Secrets: The Stories of Rubberneck", vocalist Vaden Todd Lewis further elaborates that he intended "Possum Kingdom" to be a continuation of the story told in the song "I Burn". While he envisioned "I Burn" to be a story about cult members immolating themselves in order to ascend to a higher plane, "Possum Kingdom" was about one of the immolated people becoming "just smoke, and ...he goes to Possum Kingdom [Lake] and tries to find somebody to join him."[6]
Most of the song alternates between a 7
4 and a 4
4 time signature.
Music video
The music video for "Possum Kingdom" was directed by Thomas Mignone and begins with a body bag being dragged from a lake, then pans to the lead singer, Vaden Todd Lewis, singing in a dark room. It then pans to a shot of the band performing in a small venue with several dozen dancing fans. The individual who dragged the body bag from the river then opens it and begins violently hacking away at it. The video ends by revealing the individual is actually an ice sculptor that is creating the image of a beautiful woman. A drop of water is seen streaming down her face. Filming was done for the stage scene at a small venue, run by Brannon Richards and Kevin Hurnden, called The Crossing.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Possum Kingdom" (Edit Version) | 4:11 |
| 2. | "Possum Kingdom" (LP Version) | 5:08 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Possum Kingdom" (live; with intro) | 5:36 |
| 2. | "Possum Kingdom" (live; without intro) | 5:23 |
| 3. | "Santacide" | 4:43 |
Tracks 1 and 2 recorded live September 22, 1995 at the Complex in Dallas, Texas.
Charts
| Chart (1995) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Rock/Alternative (RPM)[7] | 3 |
| US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[8] | 4 |
| US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9] | 9 |
| US Radio Songs (Billboard)[10] | 40 |
In other media
Possum Kingdom was included in the setlist for the Xbox 360 edition of Guitar Hero II.[11]
Season 2, Episode 2 Reacher. The song is played while Reacher and his crew are driving.
Possum Kingdom was played in the Apple TV series “For All Mankind” S3 Ep4.
References
- ^ Eldred, James. "Scrunged: Toadies' Possum Kingdom". Mostly Retro. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Leahey, Andrew. "Toadies Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic. Retrieved December 11, 2021.
- ^ Childers, Chad (October 26, 2021). "Toadies Announce 25th Anniversary (and Then Some) 'Rubberneck' Tour Dates". Loudwire. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ ""Possum Kingdom"". Entertainment Weekly. December 8, 1995. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
- ^ Thomas, Leah Marilla (July 27, 2021). "The 70 Best One-Hit Wonders of the '90s". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
- ^ "Dark Secrets: The Stories of Rubberneck". The Toadies. March 24, 2014.
- ^ "Top RPM Rock/Alternative Tracks: Issue 2774." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Toadies Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Toadies Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Toadies Chart History (Radio Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Guitar Hero 2 360's New Tracks Revealed: News from 1UP.com". 2010-01-05. Archived from the original on 5 January 2010. Retrieved 2022-05-31.
