He was in many bands before Franz Ferdinand-- including The Yummy Fur, The Karelia, Quinn, and The Amphetameanies-- and played bass as well as guitar. He held down a variety of odd jobs during this time, including a English lecturer to asylum seekers, delivery driver, welder, chef, wine waiter, and kitchen porter. Fom the early 1990s, he was a fixture of the Glasgow music scene as a promoter for small Glasgow venues, most notably The 13th Note, where he ran the Kazoo Club.
He is known for his crazy facial expressions, on-stage scissor kicks, sharp sense of style, and quiet intellect. He had his first kiss and lost his virginity when he was 18 and is an asthmatic smoker. He also has a serious allergy to peanuts, which he likens to arsenic. He likes to cook for his friends, and wrote a column, "Soundbites," for The Guardian on food and traveling around the world with his band.
"Soundbites" has now been released as a book of the same title, with illustrations by Andrew Knowles, graduate of Glasgow School of Art and Franz Ferdinand's touring drummer, keyboardist and mandolin extraordinaire.
Recently, Alex produced The Cribs' third album, "Men's Needs, Women's Needs, Whatever." He now splits his time between Glasgow and New York, where his girlfriend Eleanor Friedberger of The Fiery Furnaces resides.
Summer Wine
Alex Kapranos Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Mon vin d'été a toutes ses saveurs en même temps
I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to
A song that I had only sang to just a few
She saw my silver spurs and said lets pass some time
And I will give to you summer wine
Oh oh summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
Mm mm vin d'été
My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak
I tried to get up but I could not find my feet
She reassured me with an unfamiliar line
And then she gave to me more summer wine
Mm mm summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
Mm mm vin d'été
When I woke up the sun was shining in my eyes
My silver spurs were gone my head felt twice its size
She took my silver spurs, a dollar and a dime
And left me cravin' for more summer wine
Mm mm summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm vin d'été
The lyrics to Alex Kapranos's song Summer Wine depict a romantic encounter between a man and a woman who share a bottle of wine together. The French lines in the beginning of the song, "Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps, Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps," translate to "Strawberries, cherries, an angel's kiss in spring, My summer wine is really made from all these things." The man walks into town wearing silver spurs and encounters the woman who invites him to spend time with her and share summer wine. As he drinks the wine, he becomes intoxicated and his eyes grow heavy, ultimately falling asleep. When he wakes up, he discovers that the woman has taken his silver spurs and left him wanting more summer wine.
The lyrics create a vivid image of a romantic and somewhat dangerous encounter between the two characters. They share a bottle of wine together and become caught up in the moment, losing themselves in the summer heat and the taste of the wine. The line "And I will give to you summer wine" suggests that the wine is not just a physical beverage, but also a symbol of the passion and intensity of their encounter. The man's loss of his silver spurs and the woman's theft of his money emphasizes that their encounter was not just romantic, but also somewhat dangerous.
Line by Line Meaning
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Strawberries, cherries, and an angel's kiss in spring
Mon vin d'été a toutes ses saveurs en même temps
My summer wine has all its flavors at once
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Take off your spurs, make me forget everything
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
And I will give you some summer wine
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm summer wine
I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to
I strolled into town with silver spurs that jangled to
A song that I had only sang to just a few
A song that I had only sung to a select few
She saw my silver spurs and said lets pass some time
She saw my silver spurs and suggested we spend some time together
And I will give to you summer wine
And I will give you summer wine
Oh oh summer wine
Oh oh summer wine
My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak
My eyes became heavy and I couldn't speak
I tried to get up but I could not find my feet
I tried to stand up but couldn't find my feet
She reassured me with an unfamiliar line
She reassured me with an unfamiliar phrase
And then she gave to me more summer wine
And then she gave me more summer wine
When I woke up the sun was shining in my eyes
When I woke up, the sun was shining in my eyes
My silver spurs were gone my head felt twice its size
My silver spurs were gone, and my head felt twice its size
She took my silver spurs, a dollar and a dime
She took my silver spurs, a dollar, and a dime
And left me cravin' for more summer wine
And left me craving for more summer wine
Mm mm summer wine
Mm mm summer wine
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm summer wine
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm summer wine
Mm mm vin d'été
Mm mm summer wine
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lee Hazlewood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@wendolineH
Lyrics:
"Summer Wine"
(originally by Lee Hazlewood)
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ses saveurs en même temps
I walked in town on silver spurs that jingled to
A song that I had only sang to just a few
She saw my silver spurs and said lets pass some time
And I will give to you summer wine
Ohh-oh-oh summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
Hum hum… du vin d'été
My eyes grew heavy and my lips they could not speak
I tried to get up but I couldn't find my feet
She reassured me with an unfamiliar line
And then she gave to me more summer wine
Ohh-oh-oh summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
Hum hum… du vin d'été
When I woke up the sun was shining in my eyes
My silver spurs were gone my head felt twice its size
She took my silver spurs a dollar and a dime
And left me cravin' for more summer wine
Ohh-oh-oh summer wine
Des fraises, des cerises, un baiser d'ange au printemps
Mon vin d'été a toutes ces saveurs en même temps
Enlève tes éperons, fais-moi tout oublier
Et je te donnerai du vin d'été
@chchcherryb0mb
Great cover, and the fact that they're a real couple (married now) makes it even more perfect ❤
@fredericvandamme4821
And even parents now ❤
@nealwhaley63
Kudos to them for managing to keep it under wraps like they did. Or seemed to anyway.
@SteveThePster
I predicted all this (see comment from three years ago)
@annelieseswann8950
I've always loved this cover. Their voices are angelical and match perfectly.
But everything turned more beautiful when they revealed they are expecting their first child together...❤😂
@chicaamantedelaliteratura
❤️❤️
@LetsChillPage
Tarantino would love surely this song ...
@canalkevinjordan
not enough gore, I think
@veroniquegarcia9059
♥️♥️♥️♥️😂
@valeriegoffin2237
I thought the exact same thing