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.
Call An Ambulance
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
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And he left to go home to get some sleep instead
Well, his baby stayed where she was
I go talk to her 'cause I wanna sleep with her
And you would only hold me
If I would never tell you it would end
And you would never have me
And you would always hold out till he gave out
Now that he's back, I'm afraid you'll go back
To his bed, where I know he'll try to keep you
Well, I'm well aware of what she does
She won't leave me because I sleep with her
And you would only hold me
If I would never tell you it would end
And you would never have me
'Cause you were only wanting to be friends
And you would always hold out till he gave out
In Albert Hammond Jr.'s "Call An Ambulance," the lyrics paint a picture of a complicated love triangle. The song starts by recounting a story of a boy who caught a cold and left his girlfriend behind to get some rest. The singer sees this as an opportunity to approach the girl he desires. He admits his intentions are impure, as he wants to sleep with her, making it clear that he does not have genuine feelings for her. The boy is aware of the situation, but he still pursues the girl because of his own selfish desires.
The chorus talks about the girl's reluctance to commit to the singer. She would only hold him if he never told her it would end, and she never wanted more than a friendship. The singer understands that the girl is waiting for the original boy to give up on her, leaving the door open for the possibility of a future relationship.
Near the end of the song, the singer confesses he does not fear losing the girl to the original boy and has no intentions of pursuing a real relationship with her. He knows she will never leave him because of their physical connection, and not because of any deeper feelings. The song ends with the singer lamenting his own actions and the unfairness of the situation.
In summary, "Call An Ambulance" is a melancholic reflection on unrequited love, lust and betrayal.
Line by Line Meaning
Once I was told that a boy caught a cold
I heard a story of a boy falling ill with a cold
And he left to go home to get some sleep instead
He went home to rest instead of staying out
Well, his baby stayed where she was
His girlfriend stayed in the same place
I go talk to her 'cause I wanna sleep with her
I approach her with the intention of having sex
And you would only hold me
If I would never tell you it would end
You would only be with me if I promised it wouldn't end
And you would never have me
'Cause you were only wanting to be friends
You only wanted to be friends and nothing more
And you would always hold out till he gave out
You always waited until he tired out
Now that he's back, I'm afraid you'll go back
To his bed, where I know he'll try to keep you
Now that he has returned, I fear you will go back to his bed where he will try to keep you
Well, I'm well aware of what she does
I am aware of her actions
She won't leave me because I sleep with her
She is not leaving me because we are sleeping together
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALBERT JR HAMMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind