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.
In Transit
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm not gonna change till I want to
And I'm free from it all
I'm not gonna change till I want to
By the way she looked, I should've calmed down
I went too far, oh, that's all I've got to say
By the way she looked, I should've calmed down
Free from it all
I'm not gonna change till I want to
And I'm free from the world
Where I've built too many roads
By the way she looked, I should've calmed down
I went too far, oh, that's all I've got to say
By the way she looked, I should've calmed down
I went too far, oh, I went too far
The lyrics to "In Transit" by Albert Hammond Jr. seem to be about the topic of breaking away from external pressures and expectations. The first verse tells us that the singer is "free from it all," while also establishing that he will only change when it is his own choice or desire to do so. The repeated phrase "I'm not gonna change till I want to" expresses a need for autonomy and agency in his life, perhaps indicating past instances where he was forced to conform or give in to outside influences.
The second verse delves into a specific situation where the singer did not heed his own internal voice and went too far, potentially damaging a relationship or situation. He regrets not calming down and recognizing the repercussions of his actions in the moment. This could be a metaphor for a broader theme of learning to trust oneself and ignoring external pressures to overreact or compromise personal values.
Overall, the lyrics of "In Transit" suggest a desire for independence and freedom from external influences, while also acknowledging past mistakes and a need to take responsibility for one's actions. It encourages listeners to trust themselves and make changes when they are truly ready to do so, rather than out of obligation or coercion.
Line by Line Meaning
Free from it all
I am detached from all things that used to control me
I'm not gonna change till I want to
I will not change myself until I feel like it's time to do so
And I'm free from it all
I am relieved from all the past mistakes and troubles
By the way she looked, I should've calmed down
Her expression showed that I should have composed myself
I went too far, oh, that's all I've got to say
I behaved outrageously and I regret it now
And I'm free from the world
I'm not affected by external factors anymore
Where I've built too many roads
I have created too many paths in life, making it hard to choose one
Oh, I went too far
It became too much for me to handle, and I went beyond the limits
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ALBERT JR HAMMOND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@kiriathespinoza589
Free from it all
I'm not gonna change till I want to
And I'm free it all
I'm not gonna change till I want to
By the way she looked I should've calmed down
I went too far
Oh that's all I got to say
By the way she looked I should've calmed down
I went too far
Oh that's all I got to say
Free from it all
I'm not gonna change till I want to
And I'm free from the world
Where I built too many walls
By the way she looked I should've calmed down
I went too far
Oh that's all I got to say
By the way she looked I should've calmed down
I went too far
Oh I went too far
@willonweb4543
February 2024.... Discovering this song and this clip. Amazing !
@phillipmanning4995
Yep, definitely, it always has been ace , top album all the way through aswell.
@michaelcavallari2054
Me too ! 🔥
@GLD516
Saw The Strokes at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens this past June. Been on a deep dive of all things Strokes ever since. It’s rich stuff folks.
@hugonada
Joaquin Phoenix directed this video.
@woopman9937
Wait what
@heicup1054
i-im sorry, who?!
@joedrew9418
Heicup10 for real
@lyndanet5116
For realsies....?
@ImmuneToKnives
@@lyndanet5116 Yes lol Albert and Joaquin are friends