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.
Miss Myrtle
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You see all around
But you don't
Want to go down
You're afraid
Afraid of the moves that you make
Because they're so quick to judge
You go back
You go way
You couldn't be late
But it's down
It's down from the hill
You won't have a new thrill
You won't fill up
With some kind of space
You have to go down
Now you're gone
Tomorrow's long over due
I'll be thinking of you
And lights go out
And I know it's you
I'm just like you
Easily confused
And I'm mark by your views
Blinding me with truth
Smile and decide
Somethings you hide
I can't forget the moment
I'm thankful to you to end of time(?)
You know, you had
What you do
It's a shame
We all seem to be, who to blame
But I won't ask you again
You had me win but I won't
Never a one but I can
Never a one but I can
I'm just like you
Easily confused
And I'm mark by your views
Blinding me with truth
Smile and decide
Somethings you hide
I can't forget the moment
The song "Miss Myrtle" by Albert Hammond Jr. talks about fear, insecurity, confusion, and the struggle to make decisions. The first stanza is sung from someone else's perspective who is giving advice to the singer. This person tells the singer that they fear making moves because they are quick to judge and are afraid of going down. The singer is advised that they need to go down in order to fill up with some kind of space. It seems like the advice-giver is trying to encourage the singer to be brave and take risks.
In the chorus, the singer reveals that they are just like the advice-giver, easily confused and marked by their views. The advice-giver's truth is blinding the singer, and they can't forget the moment. The second stanza is a bit more cryptic. The singer talks about how someone had something to do with them, and that now it's a shame that they seem to be blaming each other. The singer won't ask again, but they had been won over before, and as much as they might not want to be affected, they are.
Overall, the song seems to be about the difficulty of making decisions and the fear of taking risks. The advice-giver is trying to encourage the singer to go down and take those risks, but it's not clear if the singer is ready to do so.
Line by Line Meaning
You said "you see"
Someone says that they can see things clearly.
You see all around
They can see everything that's going on.
But you don't / Want to go down
They don't want to get involved.
You're afraid / Afraid of the moves that you make / Because they're so quick to judge
They're scared of being judged for their actions.
You go back / You said you have to go back
They have to return to where they came from.
You go way / You couldn't be late
They have to leave quickly and on time.
But it's down / It's down from the hill / You won't have a new thrill / You won't fill up / With some kind of space / You have to go down
They're coming down from a high and won't be able to get that feeling again. They have to face reality.
Now you're gone / Tomorrow's long over due / I'll be thinking of you / And lights go out / And I know it's you
The person is gone now and it's been a long time coming, but they'll still be remembered. The lights go out and it's a sign that it's them.
I'm just like you / Easily confused / And I'm mark by your views / Blinding me with truth
The singer is like the person they're talking about. They're easily confused and the person's opinions have a strong effect on them.
Smile and decide / Somethings you hide / I can't forget the moment
Though they may hide things, their smile and decisions can have a lasting effect on someone.
You know, you had / What you do / It's a shame / We all seem to be, who to blame / But I won't ask you again / You had me win but I won't / Never a one but I can / Never a one but I can
It's a shame that things didn't work out. Everyone seems to be pointing fingers and placing blame. The singer won't ask again but acknowledges that they were defeated. They won't become like the person they're talking about.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Albert Hammond Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind