Not Even the King

Girl on Fire is Keys' fifth studio album and a follow-up to The Element of Freedom (2009). It is her first release under RCA Records, after a re-organization at parent company Sony Music Entertainment led to her previous label J Records roster being absorbed into RCA. Speaking on how the events of the last three years inspired her during an interview with Billboard, Keys stated: "These last three years have been the most in every way. The most newest, the most difficult, the most loving, the most dream-filled, the most breaking free ... an entire crazy dynamic of lessons and emotions to grow into and claim." "Girl on Fire", the album's title track, was released as the album's lead single. Apart from the main version, two other versions of the song were released: the "Inferno remix" featuring rapper Nicki Minaj and a softer "Bluelight" version. She released the studio version of "Not Even the King" through a lyric video uploaded to VEVO on September 8, 2012, following her performance of the track at Stand Up to Cancer. == Music and lyrics ==

"Not Even the King" is a piano ballad with a length of three minutes and seven seconds (3:07). They also collaborated on two other songs from Girl on Fire, "Brand New Me" and "101". Of working with Sandé, Keys called it "instant magic" stating: "I have to say, myself and Emeli Sande – when we met and we really began to write together, it was instant magic and that doesn't happen all the time." Lyrically, "Not Even the King" is about "good wealth versus less-good wealth" according to MTV. == Lyric video ==

On September 8, 2012, a lyric video was uploaded to Keys' official VEVO channel. It was produced by The Uprising Creative and directed by Laban Pheidias. According to Idolator, the lyric video depicted "artful illustrations of a tune that’s all about being rich in love." According to Trent Fitzgerald of Popcrush said: "The artsy clip gets its muse from late artist-painter Basquiat and creates a collage of typographic images to paint Keys’ sky-reaching vocals It’s great to hear and see how Keys’ vision of empowerment is taking shape with her songs and visuals." Essence praised the video, writing: "With Basquiat references and artistic touches throughout, the lyric video is unique in itself and isn't like anything we've seen from Keys in recent memory." == Critical reception ==

Upon its release, the song received acclaim from music critics. Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly commented that she "returns to the bench on 'Not Even the King'" after there are "one too many jazzy smoothfests" on Girl on Fire. Maerz praised the song, stating that: "the music feels surprisingly intimate. You can hear her take a deep breath and press down the pedal before she starts to sing." X. Alexander of Idolator wrote: "Not even the king can afford a voice as lovely as Alicia’s on this sweet, sentimental track." Jenna Rubenstein of MTV Buzzworthy called the lyrics "deep" and wrote: "we can't help it if all we wanna do is sit back with a nice glass of red wine and a boyfriend, and just soak in the sound of Alicia's voice." == Live performances ==

On September 8, 2012, Keys performed "Not Even the King" at the Stand Up to Cancer telethon; which featured several other artists including Coldplay and Taylor Swift. Of the performance, Charley Rogulewski of Vibe magazine said that she: "commands attention right from the start thanks to the stripped down setup". On October 16, she performed the song during the 'City Advantage Love the Journey Concert' at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall in New York City. Her performance earned her a standing ovation and "endless applause". On November 12, Keys performed the song on VH1 Storytellers, as well as "Brand New Me" and other songs. Josh Stillman of Entertainment Weekly praised her appearance on the show as a whole; he wrote: "She carries herself onstage with cool and confidence – not showy or attention seeking, merely comfortable – and speaks in a voice so smooth you could drape it over your shoulders." Keys announced plans to tour the UK in May 2013; "Not Even the King" was on the setlist along with several other songs from Girl on Fire, as well as her older hits. == Credits and personnel ==

Credits adapted from the Girl on Fire liner notes. Recording • Recorded and mixed at Oven Studios, New York City, New York Personnel • Lead vocals, production, piano – Alicia Keys • Vocal recording, mixing – Ann Mincieli • Songwriting – Alicia Keys, Emeli Sandé • Assistant vocal engineers – Val Brathwaite, Ramon Rivas ==References==