Albert Hammond, Jr. (born April 9, 1980, in Los Angeles) is a musician best… Read Full Bio ↴Albert Hammond, Jr. (born April 9, 1980, in Los Angeles) is a musician best known as the guitarist for the rock band The Strokes. Outside of the band, he has released four solo albums.

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.

G Up
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Everyone would say
Don't you know the way
Follow what I do
I have no clue, yes
I guess
I'll go on wondering

Well everything's got to be

Just what ought to be
I'll make you see
Soon you'll come with me, yes
I guess
I'll go on wondering

As I change from left to strange
I know, you might not come with me
But please, let me sleep on it
I'm not, ooh

Man oh man
We've come, far from everyone
You are and I
You are and I, yes
I guess
I'll keep it coming

I, I fell for you
Dreams are what you do
A pull to me
Smile and let it be, yes
I guess
I'll go wondering

As I change from left to strange
I know, you might not come with me

But please, let me sleep on it
I'm need my rest

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Albert Hammond Jr.'s song "G Up" are somewhat cryptic and open to interpretation. It seems to be a song about personal growth and self-discovery, with the singer feeling unsure of themselves and looking to others for guidance. The opening lines reflect this uncertainty, with the singer acknowledging that everyone else seems to have a better handle on things than they do. However, they ultimately come to the realization that they need to chart their own course and make their own way in the world. The lines "I'll make you see / Soon you'll come with me" suggest a confidence and determination to succeed, even if it means going it alone.

The chorus of the song further reinforces this theme of self-discovery, with the singer acknowledging that they are changing and may be heading in a different direction than others. However, they still hope that the people around them will come along for the ride. The line "But please, let me sleep on it / I'm need my rest" suggests that the singer is still grappling with these changes and needs time to process them, while the refrain of "yes I guess / I'll go on wondering" reflects a continued sense of uncertainty and introspection.

Overall, "G Up" is a pretty introspective and reflective song, with a focus on personal growth and self-discovery. The lyrics are somewhat ambiguous and open to interpretation, but ultimately suggest that the singer is on a journey of self-discovery and is willing to chart their own course, even if it means going it alone.

Line by Line Meaning

Everyone would say
Many people think they know the answers to everything

Don't you know the way
They think you are lost and need guidance

Follow what I do
They believe in leading by example

I have no clue, yes
Despite their confidence, they don't actually know the answer

I guess
They are unsure of themselves

I'll go on wondering
They will keep searching for the answer

Well everything's got to be
People believe things should always be a certain way

Just what ought to be
They have a rigid idea of how things should be

I'll make you see
They will convince you to believe what they do

Soon you'll come with me, yes
They expect you to follow their lead soon

As I change from left to strange
The singer is undergoing a significant change