Was macht einen Konig aus / What Makes A King? Lyrics — Artus Excalibur

Song Overview

Review and Highlights

Quick summary

• What it is: Arthur's reflective solo in Artus - Excalibur, where leadership stops being a prophecy and becomes a set of choices.
• Who made it: Music by Frank Wildhorn; lyrics by Robin Lerner; book by Ivan Menchell.
• Where it appears: Act I, right after Guinevere steadies Arthur and just before Gareth attacks from the shadows.
• Who sings it on the 2014 recording: Patrick Stanke (Arthur).
• Why it matters: It is a character test disguised as a question, then the plot answers it with violence.

Artus - Excalibur (2014) - stage musical - non-diegetic. Arthur solo and moral inventory, placed on a forest clearing where the crown feels heavier than the sword. It matters because the show briefly pauses the battles and spells to ask what leadership looks like when the cheering ends.

This is Wildhorn in thinker mode. The melody stays clear, almost conversational, while the harmony sits underneath like a low weather system. Arthur is not boasting, he is measuring himself against a job he did not apply for. The writing keeps turning on the same hinge: when hope burns out, when trust collapses, when duty feels like gravity, what is left that still counts as kingship? The dramatic trick is that the song does not answer fully before the ambush lands. The show turns philosophy into survival in one hard cut.

• Key takeaway: The number reframes "chosen king" as "responsible king."
• Key takeaway: The lyric builds a checklist of pressure points: doubt, loneliness, public expectation.
• Key takeaway: The immediate attack after the song makes the question feel urgent, not abstract.

Creation History

Artus - Excalibur premiered at Theater St. Gallen on March 15, 2014. The cast album followed on April 4, 2014 and lists this track late in the sequence as part of Act I's turning stretch, where Arthur moves from reluctance toward decision. According to Playbill reporting from the release week, the recording campaign around the premiere period also drew notable sales attention in Germany, giving several songs a long shelf life outside the theater.

Song Meaning and Annotations

Plot

After the sword test, Arthur is shaken by the public coronation and the private revelations Merlin has forced into daylight. Guinevere meets him in the forest and offers a definition of heroism grounded in action, not pedigree. When she leaves, Arthur is alone with the crown-shaped echo of her words. This is where the song begins: he thinks through what separates a ruler from a lucky survivor. Then Gareth and his men attack, and Lancelot rushes in. Arthur spares Gareth again, and that restraint becomes the first visible proof of the values he is trying to name.

Song Meaning

The title is a prompt, but the meaning is a stance. Arthur is testing possible versions of kingship: the iron-fisted symbol, the untouchable hero, the public face that never cracks. The song rejects those masks one by one and circles a quieter definition: a leader is someone who endures pressure without surrendering judgment. That is why the surrounding scene matters. Right after the reflection, Arthur has the chance to kill Gareth and chooses not to. The show lets the audience watch morality happen, not just hear it described.

Annotations

The most useful anchors here come from the documented storyline and the way official listings position the track in the album sequence.

Arthur begins to consider what makes a true king and what distinguishes him from everyone else.

This is the thesis in plain language. The song is not only introspection, it is the moment the character starts building a personal constitution.

After the ambush, Arthur again refuses to kill Gareth and decides to become the new king.

The number is surrounded by proof. Reflection alone is cheap; the plot forces Arthur to pay for his ideals immediately, in front of friends and enemies.

Driving rhythm and vocal shape

The rhythm stays steady, as if Arthur is holding himself together by counting steps. The vocal line leans on clear phrasing rather than decoration, which matches the scene's function: thought, not spectacle.

Emotional arc

It starts in doubt, grows into a set of demands Arthur places on himself, and ends with a firmer center. The later reprise exists because the same question returns when the stakes are higher and the losses are real.

Key phrases and symbols

Fire fading, burdens crushing, trust evaporating: the language keeps returning to endurance. The crown is not described as shiny. It is described as weight, and that is the point.

Technical Information (Quick Facts)

• Song: Was macht einen Konig aus (What Makes A King?)
• Artist: Patrick Stanke
• Featured: Arthur
• Composer: Frank Wildhorn
• Producer: Not reliably confirmed in the consulted sources
• Release Date: April 4, 2014
• Genre: Musical theatre
• Instruments: Theater orchestration (arrangements and orchestrations credited to Koen Schoots for the production)
• Label: HitSquad Records
• Mood: Reflective; pressured; resolute
• Length: 3:09
• Track #: 13
• Language: German
• Album (if any): Artus Excalibur - Das Musical
• Music style: Narrative theater-pop built for character clarity
• Poetic meter: Mixed accentual (speech-led phrasing shaped for dramatic clarity)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who sings the song on the 2014 recording?

Streaming and retail listings credit Patrick Stanke.

Where does it occur in the story?

After Guinevere leaves the forest clearing and Arthur is left alone to think, just before Gareth attacks from ambush.

Is it a solo or an ensemble number?

It is presented as an Arthur solo on common track listings.

Why does the plot put an attack immediately after the reflection?

To test whether Arthur's new ideals survive contact with danger. The scene forces morality into action.

Is there a reprise?

Yes, a reprise appears near the end, when Arthur faces the final battle with fewer illusions and higher costs.

What is the key idea behind the title?

Leadership is defined by endurance and judgment, not by a single miracle or public acclaim.

Does the track have a widely documented chart peak?

Track-level chart peaks are not widely documented for this individual number in the sources used here.

Where can the track be found on physical editions?

Retail CD listings place it late in the sequence as track 13, with a runtime of 3:09.

Awards and Chart Positions

There is no widely sourced, track-level weekly chart record for this individual song in the consulted catalog sources. The wider release campaign around the St. Gallen production did post a notable milestone: according to Playbill, the concept recording tied to the project reached No. 1 on German iTunes and Amazon on April 3, 2014.

Additional Info

The show keeps insisting that kingship is not a crown, it is a pattern of decisions under stress. This is the scene where that idea becomes audible. Arthur is still a young man who would rather be ordinary, but the lyric refuses to let him hide behind that comfort. He is already being watched, and he has already shown mercy twice. The song is the quiet bridge between those facts and a vow he can actually live with.

Another small discography detail helps with cataloging: several European retailers list the track explicitly as number 13 with a 3:09 runtime, matching Spotify's timing. That consistency makes it one of the easier cuts on the album to identify across platforms.

Key Contributors

Sources

Sources: YouTube (Rebeat Digital audio release), Spotify, de.wikipedia, JPC, Amazon, Playbill