Southern blues-rock superstar Marcus King was the musical guest on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon Tuesday. The young guitarist stopped by 30 Rockefeller Plaza to perform the song “Hard Working Man” off his forthcoming album, Young Blood, which is due out August 26th.
King looked like a rockstar for his Tonight Show appearance with a large “Marcus King” sign illuminated behind his seven-piece band. The group exuded musical joy as they performed “Hard Working Man”, one of two singles released ahead of Young Blood (the other being “Rescue Me”).
Cowritten by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys and Kings of Leon collaborator/producer Angelo Petraglia, the song is upbeat and catchy, but its lyrics lag as they retrace the all-too-familiar “hard-working man” trope that has persisted in rock and roll for decades—and has arguably been played-out for nearly as long. “Hey, baby, don’t you understand? / I been working all day, doin’ the best I can / Got that easy lovin’ if you’d take my hand / I’m a hard-working man / I’m a hard-working man, bet your life I am,” King sings. His sultry voice and spirited guitar playing redeem the song, giving it some depth and authenticity despite its surface-level thematic scope.
King’s hard-rocking Tonight Show performance breathed new life into his album’s lead single, reminding viewers that it was his talent as an instrumentalist and singer that earned him widespread acclaim. The performance comes ahead of the Young Blood Tour, which will commence in September after the band returns from playing stops across Europe.
Watch Marcus King perform “Hard Working Man” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon below. For more info and to purchase tickets to Marcus King’s upcoming shows, visit his website.
Marcus King – “Hard Working Man”
