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)
Love & Destroy
Franz Ferdinand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Rip the robes right off of my chest
I'll fly high above the moscowites' sky
I'm going to rip, rip, oh I'll never rest
I'm going to meet you at midnight
I'm going to meet you at midnight
You see, I'm not used to living alone
I gotta learn how to live or i’ll die.
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Mar-ga-rita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
I'm so free as I'm naked
Shining silver under the moon
I’m high above the moscowites' sky
I'm gonna rip, rip, I'll never sleep(???)
Oh I'm going to meet you at midnight
Oh I'm going to meet you at midnight
You see, I'll forget about living alone
As I learn how to live and to die.
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Mar-gar-ritaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
I'm so free as I meet you
Welcoming black, your the queen of the ball
It's dark beneath the moscowite' sky
But you give, you give me it all
I'm here with you at midnight
Oh I'm here with you at midnight
You see I forgot about living alone
As I learn, I learn how to die
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Mar-gar-ritaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
(x2)
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
The lyrics of "Love & Destroy" by the British rock band Franz Ferdinand are mysterious and open to interpretation. The first verse depicts a character who takes pride in their freedom and is willing to take drastic measures to assert it. They are willing to shred their own clothes and fly above the skies of Moscow, seemingly without any hesitation or concern for the consequences of their actions. The character also talks about meeting someone at midnight, possibly hinting at a romantic encounter.
The chorus then introduces the name "Margarita" and the phrase "love and destroy" - this could be interpreted as either a person or an idea. The second verse continues the themes of freedom and recklessness, with the character being completely exposed under the light of the moon. They are still flying high above Moscow and seem to be in a state of constant motion.
The final verse is where the song takes a turn. The character is now meeting someone - presumably Margarita - and is fully surrendering to their influence. The darkness of the Moscow sky is contrasted with the light that this person brings into their life. The character has forgotten about their prior desire for freedom and seems to be willingly giving themselves over to the destructive forces embodied by Margarita and her concept of love and destruction. Ultimately, the song seems to be about the temptation to abandon our own sense of self and surrender to the all-encompassing power of love and passion.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm so free I could lacerate
I am feeling extremely liberated
Rip the robes right off of my chest
I am casting away all societal expectations and constraints
I'll fly high above the moscowites' sky
I will soar above the city and its people
I'm going to rip, rip, oh I'll never rest
I am determined to break free and never stop
I'm going to meet you at midnight
I have a rendezvous at midnight that I cannot miss
You see, I'm not used to living alone
I am unaccustomed to being solitary
I gotta learn how to live or i’ll die.
I must adapt to my new circumstance or suffer
Margarita - love and destroy
The artist addresses someone named Margarita, expressing a desire for both passion and destruction
I'm so free as I'm naked
The artist is completely uninhibited
Shining silver under the moon
The artist is sparkling and radiant
I’m high above the moscowites' sky
The singer is transcending the limits of earth and society
I'm gonna rip, rip, I'll never sleep(???)
The artist is determined to keep pushing forward
Oh I'm going to meet you at midnight
The singer reiterates their commitment to their rendezvous
You see, I'll forget about living alone
The singer is abandoning their reservations about being alone
As I learn how to live and to die.
The singer is embracing their new way of life
I'm so free as I meet you
The artist finds immense freedom in this encounter
Welcoming black, your the queen of the ball
The person they are meeting is embraced even though they are shrouded in darkness
It's dark beneath the moscowite' sky
The darkness persists and is heightened by the location
But you give, you give me it all
The person they are meeting provides them with everything they need
I'm here with you at midnight
The artist is where they need to be
You see I forgot about living alone
The artist no longer feels the weight of solitude
As I learn, I learn how to die
The artist is discovering how to meaningfully live and ultimately pass on
Mar-gar-ritaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
The name of Margarita is repeated in a dramatic, lighthearted tone
Margarita - love and destroy
The artist continues to express their conflicting and intense feelings towards Margarita
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Margarita - love and destroy
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind