The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album Franz Ferdinand which entered the UK album chart at #3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, three top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée" and "This Fire". The band has also received several Grammy Award nominations.
The band is named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria whose assassination was one of the main reasons for the start of the First World War. The band decided on the name after seeing a racehorse named Archduke Ferdinand win the Northumberland Plate in 2001, eventually coming to the decision as the alliteration and sound of the name appealed to them.
- Discography
Franz Ferdinand (2004)
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
Blood; Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Tonight: Franz Ferdinand (2009)
Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action (2013)
FFS (2015) (Collaborative album with the band Sparks)
Always Ascending (2018)
Hits to the Head (2022)
Jeremy Fraser
Franz Ferdinand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
He died of a lance of silver
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser
He died of a lance of silver
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser
In the middle of the trees all we taught him was
Freeze, freeze, freeze when it came to what
Dragged from the woods
And dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
He was dragged from the woods and dumped
In the middle of our old schoolyard
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
Working hard on his appearance
What can you do when you're left
With a dead and bleeding heart?
His friends grow older
He stays too young
We're sorry for the life of Jeremy Fraser
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser
He died of a lance of silver
The lyrics to Franz Ferdinand’s “Jeremy Fraser” tell the story of a young man who dies under mysterious circumstances. The opening lines, “We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser / He died of a lance of silver,” immediately establish the tragic and undesirable nature of his death. The song continues to describe how he was dragged from the woods and dumped in the middle of the old schoolyard. These lyrics suggest Jeremy was likely murdered, and his killer went to great lengths to conceal the crime.
Franz Ferdinand describes how Jeremy’s friends grow older, while he remains young forever. The line “Working hard on his appearance / What can you do when you're left / With a dead and bleeding heart?” suggests his grief-stricken friends may be struggling with the idea that he will never age, change or heal. The lyrics, “We’re sorry for the life of Jeremy Fraser,” shows that the band members feel sympathetic towards the unfairness of his death.
The song’s chorus repeats the phrase, “Do you want to know how we stopped the time? / There's no reason to know.” It suggests that the band has held back information about the circumstances of Jeremy’s death, either because they have something to hide or to protect someone.
Line by Line Meaning
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser
We mourned the passing of Jeremy Fraser and time seemed to stand still in that moment.
He died of a lance of silver
Jeremy Fraser was killed by a sharp, silver weapon.
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There is no need to understand the exact details behind the moment in which time stood still for us.
In the middle of the trees all we taught him was, Freeze, freeze, freeze when it came to what
Jeremy Fraser was instructed to freeze and remain still when appropriate in the woods.
Dragged from the woods, And dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
Jeremy Fraser's lifeless body was forcibly taken from the forest and placed in a familiar location.
Working hard on his appearance
Jeremy Fraser strived for a polished and put-together outward appearance.
What can you do when you're left, With a dead and bleeding heart?
How can one move forward when they are emotionally traumatized and grieving?
His friends grow older, He stays too young
Though his peers continue to age and mature, Jeremy Fraser remains forever young due to his untimely death.
We're sorry for the life of Jeremy Fraser
We express remorse and regret for the tragedy that took place in the life of Jeremy Fraser.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ALEXANDER PAUL KAPRANOS HUNTLEY, NICHOLAS JOHN MCCARTHY, PAUL ROBERT THOMPSON, ROBERT HARDY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Tucker Turtle
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
In the middle of the trees all we taught him was
Freeze, freeze, freeze when it came to what dragged from the woods
And dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
He was dragged from the woods and dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
Working hard on his appearance
What can you do when
you're left with a dead and bleeding heart?
His friends grow older these days
We're sorry for the lack of Jeremy Fraser
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
psychedelicpiper
Is it just me, or are Franz Ferdinand's B-sides from back then superior to their current album tracks? They don't seem to bother with fleshing out unique arrangements anymore.
egg egg egg egg
all the ychismb b sides are great especially the ones for do you want to
Mitsuko Suki
they're genius!! the best band ever! this song is so different, so incredible amazing woo!!!
Perry Hills-Vecchi
I remember when I was in this video :) such a good experience.
C R
that's so cool!!
KensoulEu
this is so niceee
Jeremy Frazer
I have a bone to pick 😂
ochayedonald
Hi Perry - it is true this was filmed in Beaconsfield school and Oxleas Woods?
prince of beirut
+Perry Hills that's epicly awesome!!!!!!!!
Tucker Turtle
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver
In the middle of the trees all we taught him was
Freeze, freeze, freeze when it came to what dragged from the woods
And dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
He was dragged from the woods and dumped in the middle of our old schoolyard
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
Working hard on his appearance
What can you do when
you're left with a dead and bleeding heart?
His friends grow older these days
We're sorry for the lack of Jeremy Fraser
Do you want to know how we stopped the time?
There's no reason to know
We stopped the time for Jeremy Fraser, he died of a lance of silver