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)
Twilight Omens
Franz Ferdinand Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slept upon it and I woke up with it
Backwards on my face
Reading forwards to my mirror
To my heart
Twilight omens in my life
Then I hear your name
Should I give you a call
And I say,
Baby, you still feel the same
I typed your number into my calculator
Where it's spelled as your word
When you turn it upside down
You can turn my dirty world
The bright way round
Twilight omens in my life
Then I hear your name
Hear the way you sing your name
Should give you a call
And I say,
Oh, maybe I still feel the same
Twilight omens in my life
Keep hearing your name
Keep hearing your name
Keep hearing your name
Keep hearing you sing your name
The lyrics of Franz Ferdinand's song Twilight Omens showcase a narrative about a person who is deeply smitten with someone but has not yet confessed their love. The first few lines describe the singer's desire to keep the memory of the person close to them by writing their name on their hand. The obsession with the person grows so much that upon waking up, they find the name written backward on their face, meaning that the person is always on their mind, even during slumber.
The singer in the song seems to be looking for signs of encouragement or rejection from the person they admire. There are "twilight omens" in their life, and every time they hear their love interest's name, they become hopeful. They also mention hearing the person "sing their name" - perhaps a reference to a unique tone or melody that they associate with them.
The next set of lyrics explores the singer's dilemma of whether they should confess their feelings or not. They type their love interest's number into their calculator and turn their world "the bright way round." It is a metaphor for wanting to turn their life around by being with this person. The song culminates with the singer admitting that they still feel the same way about their love interest and keep hearing their name over and over. It is a song about being in love and wondering if one should take the risk of confessing their true emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
I wrote your name upon the back of my hands
I inscribed your name on the back of my hands
Slept upon it and I woke up with it
I fell asleep with your name on my hands and woke up still thinking of you
Backwards on my face
I saw your name reflected backwards on my face
Reading forwards to my mirror
I read your name forwards while facing myself in the mirror
To my heart
My heart was filled with thoughts of you
Twilight omens in my life
Signs and symbols of change appear at twilight in my life
Then I hear your name
Suddenly, I hear your name being spoken or mentioned
Hear the way you sing your name, baby
I remember how you pronounce your name in a unique way
Should I give you a call
I wonder if I should call you
And I say, Baby, you still feel the same
If I called you, I would ask if you still have the same feelings for me
I typed your number into my calculator
I entered your phone number into my calculator
Where it's spelled as your word
Your phone number spells out a word that resembles your name
When you turn it upside down
When you invert the calculator screen
You can turn my dirty world
You can make my chaotic world a better place
The bright way round
By seeing things in a positive light
Keep hearing your name
I keep hearing your name being mentioned or spoken
Keep hearing you sing your name
I keep hearing the unique way you pronounce your name
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: Alexander Paul Kapranos Huntley, Nicholas John McCarthy, Paul Robert Thompson, Robert Hardy
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind