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.
Can't Say What I Mean
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That it can't be shortened
To fit on a badge
I wish that I could be God
Try to deliver a soundbite
But it is the catch
I can't say what I mean
Everybody applauds her
From the lord to the hordes
And the nation is swept
By a one-to-one conversation
In adult education
I would tell her except
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
Do you know
When you go
I get all tongue tied
I'm the same
All the game
Oh and you were right
Can't say you're unattractive
But I'm out of practice
In this sort of thing
It's not like I'm talking Italian
Or I wear a medallion
And a sovereign ring
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
Do you know
When you go
I get all tongue tied
I'm the same
All the game
Oh and you were right
What a face
What a face
Can you blame me for pulling a face
What a waste
What a face
Great things can be expressed
In fifteen words or less
And bring that to your heart
Words just don't do it justice
The world and its crust
Is still drifting apart
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
I can't say what I mean
Do you know
When you go
I get all tongue tied
I'm the same
All the game
Oh and you were right
Do you know
When you go
I get all tongue tied
I'm the same
All the game
Oh and you were right
What a face
What a face
Can you blame me for pulling a face
What a waste
What a face
The lyrics to Kaiser Chiefs' "Can't Say What I Mean" are about the difficulty of communicating one's true thoughts and feelings to others. The song's protagonist wishes he could be God and deliver a soundbite that perfectly encapsulates his emotions, but he knows it's impossible. Instead, he clumsily fumbles over his words when trying to express himself, which leads to feelings of frustration and inadequacy. The lines "I can't say what I mean" serve as a refrain throughout the song, highlighting a sense of helplessness at not being able to articulate one's thoughts.
Despite his struggles with communication, the singer recognizes the importance of concise language. The lines "nothing I said's so important that it can't be shortened to fit on a badge" and "great things can be expressed in fifteen words or less" suggest that brevity and clarity can be powerful tools of expression.
The song also touches upon the importance of timing and context when expressing oneself. The lines "everybody applauds her / from the lord to the hordes / and the nation is swept by a one-to-one conversation in adult education" describe a scenario where a specific message is well-received because the conditions are just right. However, the singer knows that he will struggle to convey his own message with the same level of impact.
Overall, "Can't Say What I Mean" is a relatable commentary on the difficulty of expressing oneself in a clear and concise manner, and the frustrations that can come with feeling limited by one's own language abilities.
Line by Line Meaning
Well, nothing I said's so important
I feel like everything I say can be simplified down
That it can't be shortened
I believe every thought and idea can be condensed into a shorter message
To fit on a badge
I wish I could express my thoughts and ideas concisely enough to fit on something small like a badge
I wish that I could be God
I wish I had the power to communicate my thoughts and ideas perfectly
Try to deliver a soundbite
I attempt to express my thoughts and ideas in a short, memorable phrase
But it is the catch
However, it's challenging to accomplish this without losing the true meaning of what I'm trying to say
I can't say what I mean
I struggle to express my thoughts and ideas accurately and succinctly
Everybody applauds her
People love her and praise her for what she says and does
From the lord to the hordes
Everyone, from the most powerful to the average person, loves and admires her
And the nation is swept
The entire nation is caught up in her popularity
By a one-to-one conversation
She has a way of connecting with people on an individual level
In adult education
Even in formal educational settings, people still admire her and listen intently to what she has to say
I would tell her except
I would express my thoughts and feelings to her, but I can't seem to find the right words
Can't say you're unattractive
I can't bring myself to say that you're unattractive
But I'm out of practice
I haven't had much experience expressing my attraction to others
In this sort of thing
I'm not very good at expressing my feelings and emotions to others
It's not like I'm talking Italian
Expressing myself isn't difficult like learning a foreign language, but it's still not easy
Or I wear a medallion
I'm not a flashy or extravagant person
And a sovereign ring
I don't consider myself a king or ruler of any sort
Great things can be expressed
Profound thoughts and ideas can still be expressed in a concise manner
In fifteen words or less
It's possible to express something meaningful in only a few words
And bring that to your heart
Those few words can still have a profound emotional impact on people
Words just don't do it justice
Sometimes words can't capture the magnitude of a situation or feeling
The world and its crust
The planet and everything on it
Is still drifting apart
Despite our best efforts to connect and communicate, we're still growing increasingly distant from each other
Do you know, when you go
When you leave, I struggle even more to find the right words
I get all tongue tied, I'm the same, all the game
I get nervous and don't know how to express my true feelings, just like before
Oh and you were right
You were right about me being unable to express myself
What a face, what a face
I'm so enamored with you that I can't help but stare at your beautiful face
Can you blame me for pulling a face
You're so attractive that I can't help but have a silly expression on my face when I'm around you
What a waste, what a face
It's a shame that you're so beautiful, and yet I can't seem to express my feelings to you
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW ROBERT WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Slack
CLASSIC!!! As an American this is my heritage! God bless you all!
mr leemetford
good man and as a brit i love these guys good taste and choice in music mate
Mansize
this is blur/supergrass-ish. love it!
michavandam
They call it Britpop.
PhilippeCoutinho10
i have the new album and all the sings are ace
Lucius Jamal Greye
Any time someone mentions bouillabaisse in a song I'm one jolly SOB
Fake Train
About this song... i cant say what i mean
Owain:)
immense
Mattyrules95
woo wt a song
EOmaniachick
slasheryer great comment!