The son of Gibraltarian-British songwriter Albert Hammond, Albert Jr. was sent to the elite boarding school Institut Le Rosey in Switzerland at the age of 13. While there, he met Julian Casablancas, who would go on to be a fellow band member.
In 1998, Albert met up with Julian in New York City and together they formed a band with Julian's former schoolmates: Nick Valensi, Nikolai Fraiture and Fabrizio Moretti.
His trademark is wearing formal suits, usually a different one for each show. Albert is usually seen playing an olympian white Fender Stratocaster, or bandmate Nick Valensi's Les Paul Jr. He is usually associated with the "rhythm" guitar portion of the majority of Strokes songs, and most solos are played by Valensi. The solos in which Albert does play are Last Nite, Trying Your Luck, Take It Or Leave It, Under Control, The End Has No End, Ize Of The World, and Vision Of Division. His solos tend to focus largely on more emotional, "bluesy"-type melodical work, and the guitar tends to have a cleaner, softer tone in comparison to Valensi's (with a noteable exception found in Vision Of Division). He often holds the guitar in a high horizontal position, similar to Bob Dylan and Ian Curtis.
Although vocalist Julian Casablancas is the major contributor to the songwriting process for The Strokes' music, Albert has been known to write a few pieces of his own. He has been credited to writing three mostly instrumental songs (Swiss Beats, Holland, and By The Way) for the bands' 2001 tour video entitled "In Transit". He had also written a song called "Elephant Song", in which Albert used when he was was required to record a song for his Sound 101 class in freshman year, using the school's recording equipment. The song was played at a few shows before the release of their first album. The Strokes were to later rerecord the song as a special giveaway for fanclub members.
Hammond released his debut solo album on October 9th in the United Kingdom. Entitled "Yours to Keep," the album features musical guests such as Sean Lennon, Ben Kweller, and even The Strokes' manager Ryan Gentles and lead singer Julian Casablancas. Bassist Josh Lattanzi and drummer Matt Romano serve as the backing band, with Albert the main singer and guitarist. It was produced by former Thin Lizard Dawn vocalist Greg Lattimer at the Electric Ladyland Studios.
Hammond played his first solo dates at the end of October in a few cities including New York City and Philadelphia. He is set to tour the UK and Europe in November and December 2006, and provides support to Incubus on their forthcoming US tour of January/February 2007.
Albert has finished working on his second solo album with the title "Como Te Llama?", which was released on 8th of July in 2008. The new CD gets 8/10 in NME! This 8th of July is incidentally the first date of his world tour, which kicks off at the Virgin Store in his hometown of NYC. Dates in LA, as well as Japan and Australia have been already scheduled. Cont.
Bargain of a Century
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Since I've been asking for
What did you said
Was this your valentine
(?)
To floor
It's been, it's been such a long time
I see, my time has come
Can you rescue me
From this place I sit
From this place I be
The opening lines of "Bargain of a Century" by Albert Hammond Jr. hint at a prolonged search for something. The singer of the song is clearly looking for an answer or some response to something that has been bothering him for a long time. He tries to clarify if the other person had given him a clue on Valentine's Day about the answer he yearned for. The use of the term "to floor" could be seen as a metaphorical representation of the singer's feeling of being knocked out or overwhelmed by this longing.
The next couple of lines intensify the desperation of the singer. He seems to admit that he has been waiting for an extended period and there are no words to describe his emotions. He feels that his time has finally arrived, and he seeks to be rescued from the place he is in because it does not seem to be a good place for him. This rescue can be interpreted in a couple of ways, either the singer wants an answer, or he just wants to move on with his life.
Line by Line Meaning
It seems its been such a long time
It's been a significant amount of time
Since I've been asking for
Since I have been requesting or seeking
What did you said
What was your statement or reply
Was this your valentine (?)
Was this gift or gesture given out of love or affection?
To floor
To overwhelm or surprise with unexpectedness
It's been, it's been such a long time
There has been a prolonged period between previous interactions
Yes there are words for this
There are appropriate or specific terms for this situation
I see, my time has come
I have come to the realization that this is the right moment or opportunity
Can you rescue me
Can you save or free me from my current predicament
From this place I sit
From where I am currently positioned or situated
From this place I be
From the state of being or existence that I am currently in
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Albert Hammond Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mary Rasphoumy
The first time I listened to this song I was in the car and I cried. It wasn't because of the song, but I think because it helped me figure out what I was feeling at that moment. Such an amazing song by AHJ :') I want to see him again argh
Shebi
Such a great song , Hammond's solo stuff is so underrated... I bet that It has a lot of pottential to be a well known artist.
Ray CSer
This song sounds as if I was sixteen again, I miss those old days, no big worries or anything like that. Thanks AHJ
Eric
This might be my fav song AHJ has done. Love it.
Claudia Alvarez
Just beautiful 💗
space75gr
more than perfect!
what a track!
BoxJaw
Gotta come back to his old stuff every once in awhile. I honestly prefer this sound over his new sound, he's got a little too much going on in his new music. I like the simpler approach to music that he used to have. New stuff is good too though, can't say I dislike it.
Ceasar Sanz
its been such long time since i heard a masterpiece like this probably in another life when we were cats
Rafael AJ
buena cancion
Geoffrey Stowell
Saw Albert Hammond Jr at the Double Door. He fucking killed it.
There was this rowdy guy just yelling "Bargain of the Century" the whole show. Â
He was a serious Albert Hammond fan.