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.
The Boss Americana
Albert Hammond Jr. Lyrics
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Just for a bit can't you see I watch as you go by
While all the others try for a while
Oh, can't you stay on my face, these stains you can't see
Now have you gone for a bit, I know you're not the same
It's hard for me to blame
Would you let me go?
And I will have your way, you know they took it down
The things you'd say
Crap, have you seen we trust an empty green?
With a face of regret we could have washed the stains
Another night remains
After all I'm not with you and I know the trees go back below
High as we fly one more time, I'm not beneath the wind
I'm not beneath the wind
Well, you're all I know and I don't want you to stay
Oh, won't you please let go?
I wouldn't have you that way disperse our love
If you won't ask me to pay, yeah, oh
The lyrics to "The Boss Americana" by Albert Hammond Jr. speak of a complicated relationship where one person wants the other to stay but also acknowledges that they cannot force them to do so. The opening lines describe the person jumping into the room but only for a short period of time. The singer watches them go by, while others try to hold onto the person. The next few lines suggest that the singer has a close relationship with the person who just left, but things have changed, and the singer can no longer blame them for leaving.
The chorus implies that the singer is torn between asking the person to stay and letting them go. The next verse speaks of missed opportunities and regrets. The person could have stayed, and the singer could have fixed things. However, it is now too late, and they are left with the memory of the person's words, which the singer has taken to heart. The final chorus talks about the perspective they have gained as they fly over the world. They know that the person is all they know, but they also acknowledge that they cannot have them in the way they want.
Overall, the song speaks of a complicated relationship where one person wants to hold on while the other is pulling away. The singer grapples with his emotions as he comes to terms with the fact that he cannot control the situation or the other person's decisions.
Line by Line Meaning
Jump as you go
Hurry up and leave
Go inside the room
Enter a room
Just for a bit
For only a short while
Can't you see
Don't you understand
I watch as you go by
I see you leave
While all the others try
While others make an effort
For awhile
For a short period of time
Why can't you stay
Why can't you remain here
On my place
In my position
These things you can't see
You are unaware of these matters
Now that you're gone for a bit
Now that you're absent for a while
I know you're not the same
I know you've changed
It's hard for me to blame
It's difficult for me to accuse
Well, I won't know
I won't understand
If I'll ask you to stay
If I request for you to remain
Would you let me go?
Would you release me?
And I won't have your way
And I won't control you
You know they took it down
You realize they removed it
The things you'd say (say...)
The things that you would articulate
Have you seen
Did you observe
We touched an empty gleen (?)
We obtained nothing significant
With the place of my regret
With the location of my sorrow
We could have watched the stains
We could have witnessed the imperfections
Another night remains
Another evening continues
After all...
In the end...
You and I know
You and I are aware
The trees go by below
The trees are passing beneath us
As high as we fly
As elevated as we soar
One more time
Once more
I'm not beneath the wind
I'm not inferior to fate
I'm not beneath the world
I'm not inferior to existence
You are all I know
You are the only person I am familiar with
And I don't want you stay
And I don't want you to remain
Oh won't you please let go
Oh, can't you just let go
I wouldn't have you that way
I wouldn't want you in that manner
(?)
If you won't ask me to pay
If you won't request payment from me
Ohh
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Albert Hammond Jr.
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jonnathan Monsalve
Jump as you go alone inside my room
Just for a bit can't you see I watch as you go by
While all the others try for a while
Oh, can't you stay on my face, these stains you can't see
Now have you gone for a bit, I know you're not the same
It's hard for me to blame
Well, I won't know if I won't ask you to stay
Would you let me go?
And I will have your way, you know they took it down
The things you'd say
Crap, have you seen we trust an empty green?
With a face of regret we could have washed the stains
Another night remains
After all I'm not with you and I know the trees go back below
High as we fly one more time, I?m not beneath the wind
I?m not beneath the wind
Well, you're all I know and I don't want you to stay
Oh, won't you please let go?
I wouldn't have you that way disperse our love
If you won't ask me to pay, yeah, oh
Jonnathan Monsalve
Jump as you go alone inside my room
Just for a bit can't you see I watch as you go by
While all the others try for a while
Oh, can't you stay on my face, these stains you can't see
Now have you gone for a bit, I know you're not the same
It's hard for me to blame
Well, I won't know if I won't ask you to stay
Would you let me go?
And I will have your way, you know they took it down
The things you'd say
Crap, have you seen we trust an empty green?
With a face of regret we could have washed the stains
Another night remains
After all I'm not with you and I know the trees go back below
High as we fly one more time, I?m not beneath the wind
I?m not beneath the wind
Well, you're all I know and I don't want you to stay
Oh, won't you please let go?
I wouldn't have you that way disperse our love
If you won't ask me to pay, yeah, oh
Iago Horta
albert hammond is amazing. the strokes should go on tour sometime soon
Abraham Vicente
esta canción es GENIAL!!!! A ALGUIEN MAS QUE LE GUSTE ALBERT HAMMOND JR?????? LOS OLIVOS - LIMA - PERU. AQUI
X
This is one of the greatest songs why is this the only version and why does it have so few views
flawermusic
Esta canción me pone de buenas (:
Alex S
amazing song!! great!!! just great!!
Lazy Boy
So underrated
Heath Jackson
Still dig it.
benswhisky
lol i was bobbing my head while reading your comment, seriously good song though!
Sean Parkin
JUMP as you go