Several members of the band are ardent fans of the English football team Leeds United (as the band originates from Leeds). The band are named after the South African Kaizer Chiefs Football Club, the former team of long-serving former Leeds captain Lucas Radebe.
The band's main musical influences include The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks, Blur, Eric Burdon, The Jam, and other new wave bands. Andrew White (b. England; guitar), Ricky Wilson (b. Charles Richard Wilson, 17 January 1975, Keighley, West Yorkshire, England; vocals), Nick Baines (keyboards), Nick Hodgson (b. Nicholas Hodgson, 20 October 1977, England; drums) and Simon Rix (b. James Simon Rix, 18 October 1977, England; bass) formed the band in early 2003, having originally played garage rock under the Parva moniker. Their energetic brand of post-millennial guitar rock, which would have been branded "indie" in previous decades, quickly found favour on the local gig circuit. The quintet issued their debut, the XTC-soundalike Oh My God, before they had even signed a proper recording contract, teaming up with the Drowned In Sound website in May 2004 for a limited edition release. A contract with the B-Unique label followed and the band began to attract wider interest at the end of 2004 with the release of their storming I Predict A Riot. The topical lyrics, concerning alcohol-fuelled violence in small English towns, attracted as much attention as the band's anarchic update on late 70s new wave.
The band's explosion onto the global music scene in early 2005 was epitomised when they had their first single I Predict A Riot off their debut album Employment played on the radio around the world and opened Live8 in Philadelphia. Several years prior to 2003 the members of the band had been a garage rock group called Parva (before that they had been known as Runston Parva). However, after their label Mantra Records went bust in late 2002, the band went back to their roots and adopted a more britpop sound, helping the band reach their current popularity within the UK and beyond as a consequence.
The band re-released the single Oh My God on 21 February, which charted at #6. The debut album Employment was released on 7 March 2005 and entered the charts at #3 that week. Despite becoming favourite after being shortlisted, the album failed to win the 2005 Mercury Music Prize. They covered the Marvin Gaye classic, Heard it Through the Grapevine for the War Child album Help! A Day in the Life, giving a whole new slant on the song.
A DVD, entitled Enjoyment, was released in November 2005. The basis of the DVD is a (semi-false) documentary about the band narrated by Bill Nighy. It also includes all the promo videos, live performances and more.
An internet-only (so far) music video for their song Sink that Ship has been released in September 2005. The video appears on Electronic Arts' website as a promotional tool for their game Burnout Revenge but is completely unbranded.
Wilson auctioned off his red tambourine to radio show Xfm in late 2005 to raise money for the homeless charity Shelter. The winning bid was £375.00.
On February 5th, The Kaiser Chiefs Released their next single, Ruby, which was a major success reaching #1 in the singles charts.
The Kaiser Chiefs released their new album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob on February 23, 2007 in The Netherlands and Belgium, February 26, 2007 in the United Kingdom and on March 27, 2007 in North America. A double disc edition is also available, the second disc being a DVD.
It is known that three of the band members went to a school near Highroyd, Leeds. Also, Nick (drummer) announced during a gig in Newcastle Upon Tyne that his dad went to a school called St. Cuthberts in Newcastle. Other famous people from that school include Ant & Dec and Sting.
The band released their third album, Off With Their Heads, on October 20, 2008. It contains the hit single Never Miss a Beat.
Songfacts states that the band's fourth album, The Future Is Medieval was released through the band's website on June 3, 2011. In effect the world's first bespoke album, fans are able to create their own version of the record by choosing their favorite 10 tracks from the selection of 20 on offer. One-minute excerpts allow them to make their selections and each song is represented by an object.
After creating their own album, people can then share their version of the record with other fans, and earn £1 each time it is purchased by someone else.
5th album "Education, Education, Education and War!" was released on 31st March 2014 on Fiction Records, featuring the UK Top 40 single, 'Coming Home', and was their first UK number one album since 2007's 'Yours Truly, Angry Mob'.
Also on the Fiction label, their 6th album, Stay Together, was released on the 7th October 2016, with a notable shift towards dance-pop, hitting #4 on the UK Albums Chart.
In 2019, they moved to Polydor, and released 'Duck' on 26th July, featuring the singles 'Record Collection' and 'People Know How To Love One Another'. It peaked at #3 on the UK Albums Chart.
Performances
Kaiser Chiefs' first big festival show was at the dual-site Reading and Leeds Festival on 27 August 2004 and in the following year, on 16 May 2005, they appeared at the Pinkpop Festival in Landgraaf, The Netherlands. After that, things went fast. They were the opening act at the Philadelphia Live 8 concert on July 2nd 2005, one of only two British acts in the lineup (Def Leppard being the other). They performed I Predict a Riot, Everyday I Love You Less and Less and Oh My God. They played Reading and Leeds in 2006 before Franz Ferdinand and were extremely popular.
June 2005 saw them headline at the May Ball at Queens' College, Cambridge, supported by Anada, before an acclaimed appearance at a rain-soaked Glastonbury festival during the same month, whilst August's appearance at the V Festival featured a very enthusiastic set despite Ricky Wilson having his leg in plaster. Also more recently they embarked on their own headline UK Tour, supported by Maximo Park and The Cribs. Their first US tour (with The Cribs) ran through the summer of 2005, and they followed it by playing a few shows on the Foozer tour. This was followed up by opening for Foo Fighters during their Australian tour in December 2005. They also played to Jools Holland and his audience on December 31, 2005.
Their song Ruby, from the album Yours Truly, Angry Mob was featured as a bonus song in Guitar Hero III, and I Predict a Riot from Employment was eventually released as downloadable content for the game.
Kaiser Chiefs are set to return to the European festival scene this summer, having been booked for Switzerland's Gurten Festival.
06 Oh My God
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Too much time spent dragging the past up
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
Settling down in your early twenties
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
[Chorus]
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory
The only thing growing is our history
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
Come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
[Chorus: x2]
The Kaiser Chiefs’ “Oh My God” is a song about feeling disconnected from one's personal history, roots and past. The song starts with the idea that time is an endless resource and the most beautiful thing you can ever spend. However, the singer of the song is struggling to make sense of his life as he works in a place where his personal identity is replaced by his name tag. There is a sense of plateauing in his existence like that of plate tectonic, moving but going nowhere.
The theme of displacement and disconnection continues as the song progresses, with the line “All I wanted to be / Was a million miles from here / Somewhere more familiar” indicating a desire to be someone different or somewhere else. The singer feels weighed down by his past mistakes, spent too much time dragging up the past or not having support when he messed up. The idea of settling down at an early age being more harmful than good as it sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist paints a bleak picture of life.
The chorus is a repetition of the phrase “Oh my God, I can't believe it / I've never been this far away from home” portraying a sense of disorientation and bewilderment about where the singer is, both physically and emotionally. The ending of the song suggests hope for the future, with the idea of coming back stronger than a powered-up Pacman. Overall, the song seems to be an exploration of what it means for one to be disconnected from their past, roots and personal history.
Line by Line Meaning
Time on your side it'll never end
Having enough time can feel never-ending
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
Time is precious and beautiful
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
Feeling stuck in a mundane job
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
Growing apart like shifting land masses
It don't matter to me
I am indifferent
All I wanted to be
My ideal aspiration was
Was a million miles from here
To be far away
Somewhere more familiar
Somewhere I belong
Too much time spent dragging the past up
Spending too much time dwelling on the past
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
I didn't realize you weren't paying attention when I made a mistake
Settling down in your early twenties
Choosing to lead a stable life at a young age
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
Taking more than necessary, like an unlicensed dentist
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory
Ruins illuminated for grandeur or honor
The only thing growing is our history
The only thing that progresses is our past
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
I won't give up despite being knocked down
Come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman
I will return, stronger and better
[Chorus]
Refrain
Oh my God I can't believe it
Exclamation of shock
I've never been this far away from home
I've never been so far from my place of origin
[Chorus: x2]
Refrain repeated twice
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES SPAULDING GLADFELTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yesayaramasetiawan2886
Time on your side that will never end
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Too much time spent dragging the past up
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
Settling down in your early twenties
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Great rulers make for greater glory
The only thing growing is our history
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
I'll come back stronger than a powered up Pac-Man
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
@dannyfastweb6275
Time on your side, it'll never end,
the most beautiful thing you can ever spend;
but you work in a shirt with your name tag on it,
drifting apart like a plate tectonic.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Too much time spent dragging the past up,
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up;
settling down in your early twenties,
sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Oh my God, I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory,
the only thing growing is our history;
knock me down, I'll get right back up again,
I'll come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
Oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
@lucygwynne7408
I've literally just come home from seeing them live and they were bloody worth going partially deaf
@christie3361
wanna see them
@lizzisonyoutube7189
Lucy Gwynne I'm on the toilet now, taking a dump, and I can hear them play behind my house at Pinkpop xD Good music to take a shit to. :D
@Maymonmen
lmL
@mattm8765
Saw them in 2009 when they supported U2. Great live band. 2 gigs for the price of 2. Would see them again
@thesleekgreek
Classic 2000's era British band. Really pioneered that era, so original and instantly recognisable. I feel old now, 30 years old I remember being 11 or something banging this CD out in my bedroom. Nostalgic!
@Dangerousbros1
I used to listen to this song while doing my homework in school, here I am writing my dissertation to it graduating from university this year.
@barbarafonseca3488
same
@jaz.s2k2
congrats! 🥳🎉
@danielfriki4000
Same