Top 10 quotes from ‘Coming to America’
Opinion: In recognition of the 35th anniversary of the film "Coming to America," theGrio lists its top 10 favorite lines from the Eddie Murphy classic.
Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.
In 1988, Eddie Murphy was the hottest star in Hollywood. He parlayed his prodigious tenure on NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” and his genius stand-up comedy into a film career that was peaking. That year, on June 29, Murphy released, “Coming to America,” an instant classic that cemented his legendary stature.
“Coming to America” took Murphy to a new stratosphere. Murphy plays Prince Akeem, a privileged, but humble and wise prince of fiction African nation, Zamunda. He travels to America to find a wife, rebelling against a marriage arranged by his parents and the tradition of his kingdom. Not only did it give him opportunity to expand his comedy artistry by playing multiple characters, but it allowed him to play off of an all-star cast that included James Earl Jones, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, and others.
The film is known for its hilarious performances, grounded by a story full of warmth and love. With Murphy at a creative zenith while surrounded by a cast so rich that Samuel L. Jackson made a brief cameo, “Coming to America” became one of the most quotable films in movie history. In celebration of its 35th anniversary, here are 10 of the best lines from this classic comedy.
“The royal penis is clean, your highness.”
Right from the beginning, we find Prince Akeem living a glamorous life of regal privilege where his servants doat on him from head to toe, literally. An early scene finds Akeem being bathed by beautiful female servants in a tub big enough to serve as a swimming pool. One such servant emerges from the depths of the tub to proclaim, “the royal penis is clean, your highness.” It shows how gargantuan Akeem’s wealth is.
“Let them wait!”
On Prince Akeem’s 21st birthday, he must meet his wife-to-be, according to kingdom tradition. When he meets her, he is taken aback at her over-willingness to please him without having her own opinions. When Akeem’s father, King Jaffe (Jones), comes to inspect how his son and his betrothed are getting along, his servant Oha (played by Paul Bates) informs him that he’s holding up a ceremony. Jaffe replies, “Let them wait! I’m talking to my son.”
“Just let your Soul Glo!”
“Coming to America” succeeds so well because of the world-building. Not only is Zamunda a fully fleshed-out nation, the film’s version of Queens, New York, has its own unique identity. One of the most prominent entities throughout the film is “Soul Glo,” the fictional haircare company that caters to those who wear jheri curl hairstyles. The company’s commercial theme song, “Just Let Your Soul Glo,” is overly dramatic, hilarious, and memorable after the first listen.
“F**k you 3x!”
One of the most iconic scenes in “Coming to America” was the barbershop argument scene. Three barbers and an older Jewish patron are fighting over who the best boxer of all time is. When Clarence (played by Murphy) contends that Joe Louis is the best, the older man (also played by Murphy) brings up Rocky Marciano. When the other barbers don’t come to his defense, Clarence reaches the breaking point, saying to each one, “F**k you! F**k you, and F**k you!” Without skipping a beat, he smiles at Akeem and his servant Semmi, “Who’s next?”
“My name is Peaches…”
Akeem and Semmi hit the clubs and bars in Queens, New York, to find Akeem’s bride. Unfortunately, the two aren’t having much luck. They meet women with numerous demands and strange character traits in a hilarious montage. They even met a set of rapping twins. One of them raps, “My name is Peaches, and I’m the best/all the DJs want to feel my breasts,” while her twin beatboxes with her. This causes Akeem and Semmi to look with dropped jaws.
“Sexual Chocalate!”
One night, Prince Akeem meets his match in Lisa McDowell (played by Shari Headley) while attending a Black Awareness Pageant and Rally overseen by the animated Rev. Brown (played by Hall). As a treat to the audience, Rev. Brown introduces the evening’s musical entertainment in the form of singer Randy Watson. Before singing “The Greatest Love of All” for a less-than-enthusiastic audience, he presents his band, unironically named Sexual Chocolate. Despite such an ambitious name, Sexual Chocolate is an unassuming, adequate band.
“Martin Luther the King!”
Prince Akeem aims to win over Lisa by luring her away from their boyfriend, Darryl, heir to Soul Glo. He returns to the barbershop to get a jherl curl like Darryl. Still, Clarence and his co-workers say that his hair is fine and reminds them of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. At this point, Clarence launches into an anecdote about meeting Dr. King that his fellow barbers don’t believe. One barber, Sweets (played by Clint Smith), loudly says, “You lie! You ain’t never met Martin Luther the King!”
“To Be Loved; oh, what a feeling…”
Prince Akeem slowly but surely wins the affection of Lisa. While taking her on a date, they slow dance to Jackie Wilson’s “To Be Loved.” In the middle of the song, Akeem and Lisa passionately kiss. As Akeem walks back to his apartment, he gleefully sings “To Be Loved” loudly and off-key, making the neighbors yell out of their windows for him to stop.
“My son works?!?!”
After receiving a telegram from Semmi requesting more money, King Jaffe, his Queen (played by Sinclair), Oha, and the royal entourage arrive in Queens to bring them back to Zamunda. King Jaffe visits the apartment Akeem and Semmi once occupied before switching places with their landlord. Upon entering, King Jaffe notices an Employee of the Month plaque with Akeem’s face. The landlord tells him that Akeem works at the McDowell’s restaurant nearby, to which King Jaffe cries out, baffled that Akeem engages in labor, “My son works?!”
“I renounce my throne!”
Akeem professes his love for Lisa on a New York subway car, asking to marry him, but she says they can’t because he’s a prince. Without hesitation, Prince Akeem proclaims to the strap-hangers, “From this moment on, I renounce my throne! I am no longer Prince of Zamunda,” to which he receives no response, in typical New York fashion.
What are your favorite quotes from “Coming to America?”
Matthew Allen is an entertainment writer of music and culture for theGrio. He is an award-winning music journalist, TV producer and director based in Brooklyn, NY. He’s interviewed the likes of Quincy Jones, Jill Scott, Smokey Robinson and more for publications such as Ebony, Jet, The Root, Village Voice, Wax Poetics, Revive Music, Okayplayer, and Soulhead. His video work can be seen on PBS/All Arts, Brooklyn Free Speech TV and BRIC TV.
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