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.
Holiday
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
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I got the brakes
I got the brakes
Your laughter takes me from disaster to tears
Are washed away, on holiday
Jamaica, oo I'm gonna take you away
On holiday, on holiday
Our problems, time will have to solve them someday
On holiday, on holiday
Warm sun tells me that its more fun to stay
On holiday, on holiday
The lyrics in Albert Hammond Jr.'s song, Holiday, delve into the singer’s state of mind as he tries to move on from past troubles. The opening lines, “Wake up, months of change have fucked me up,” show that the singer is disoriented and struggling with events that have happened in the past. This has affected him deeply, and he admits to feeling the weight of these events.
The next line, “I got the brakes,” suggests that the singer has regained control over his life and is aware of the situation he finds himself in. However, his emotional state is still fragile, as he feels that he could still fall apart any time. The line, “Your laughter takes me from disaster to tears,” shows that he is still emotionally vulnerable, and his emotions are easily triggered by the people around him.
The chorus, “Jamaica, oo I'm gonna take you away, On holiday, on holiday,” suggests that the singer is looking for a change of scenery to escape his problems. He wants to leave his problems behind and take a break from his routine, hence the lines, “Our problems, time will have to solve them someday, On holiday, on holiday.” The warm sun in Jamaica, as mentioned in the last line, “Warm sun tells me that its more fun to stay, On holiday, on holiday,” is symbolic of the hope he has for a better tomorrow.
Line by Line Meaning
Wake up, months of change have fucked me up
I woke up feeling damaged and broken by months of unpredictable changes in my life.
I got the brakes
I have control over my life and can slow it down if needed.
Your laughter takes me from disaster to tears
Your laughter has the power to take me from a state of distress to a state of vulnerability.
Are washed away, on holiday
All of my worries and fears are washed away when I go on vacation.
(Come on)
This line serves as an invitation for the listener to join the singer on his trip.
Jamaica, oo I'm gonna take you away
I am going to take you, the listener, to Jamaica with me on this trip.
On holiday, on holiday
The singer is ready to immerse himself in the holiday experience and leave his troubles behind.
Our problems, time will have to solve them someday
We cannot solve all our problems right away, so we should let time take care of them while we relax on vacation.
On holiday, on holiday
The singer reiterates his eagerness to enjoy his vacation to the fullest.
Warm sun tells me that its more fun to stay
The sun's warmth is a reminder that it is more enjoyable to stay on vacation than to go back to reality.
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Albert Hammond jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind