Raoul and the Kings of Spain (song)

In a TV interview in 1995,[1] Roland Orzabal explained that "Raoul is a name that has been in my family for many generations, [...] I was actually born Raoul, and my mother [...] decided that after two weeks she would change it to Roland to make it easier for English people to pronounce. So it became my nickname, and then when I had my first son [...] we decided to hand it on to him."

Orzabal further explained that "The Kings of Spain" is a reference to his family history and lineage from his father's side. (His father was of Spanish-Basque descent, and his grandfather was Argentinian.) Orzabal stated that, in particular, his father told him "that my great great grandmother was the cousin of the president of Argentina, so really the album should have been called Raoul and the Presidents of Argentina, but not a lot of things rhyme with Argentina."

The track was first performed two years prior to its release on the band's 1993 Elemental World Tour.

The video for the song was filmed at The Mission Inn Hotel & Spa in Riverside, California. The Inn is a listed historic landmark, and was where Bette Davis married in 1945. The video features Orzabal with his full supporting band including guitarist Alan Griffiths (who co-wrote and co-produced the song) and bass player Gail Ann Dorsey.