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.
Half the Truth
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Everything in full swing
Heads or tails
Doesn't make a difference
Beneath the glamor
There was always gonna be
Amateur dramatics
I would see (I is said like ah?)
Glasses on the table
One, two, three
Only you and me
Wearing nothing
In the lap of luxury
Sip it slowly
Not a leg to stand on
Take my money
Twist our paper
Leave the table
Bad behavior
I got my spies
Swift to every consultlate
Be my eyes
Tell me what I never see
Cos a ghost
Don't fear a lover
Nothing teeth blank ah
Get ready for the credit clubber
Secret more
Getting it together
With a big fat bowl
Of alphabet spaghetti
Watch the birdie
Looking through the mirror
Polly wanna cracker
That's not what I heard
I will not lie to you
But I defiantly only gave you half the truth
I will not lie to you
I will not lie to you
But I defiantly only gave you half the truth
I will not lie to you
Gentlemen
Turn off your recorders
I can hear them buzzing
From inside of you're tracksuits
Got to get
To California
Where this woman is
Threatening to sue me
Get right back
Back to the beginning
Where we start off single
And everything in full swing
Everyone
Around you wearing big gold hatscome on
Playing the piano now
Listen, I wont lie
So baby don't cry
The way I'm feeling right now
I'm feeling so high
I cant tell you the truth
Baby you know why
Cause everybody talks about me
I'm a known guy
I'll tell you half the truth
At least I told you half
For all the rest of it
I'll tell you if you only ask
Cause I'm a gold digga
And I should know better
The lyrics of Kaiser Chiefs’ “Half the Truth” depict a scene of hedonism and debauchery, with a girl and boy being in the lap of luxury but engaging in bad behavior. The song illustrates the duality between appearances and reality, as well as the pitfalls of fame and fortune. The lyrics make use of several metaphors and wordplays, including “twist our paper” which can be interpreted both as rolling a joint and as signing a contract, “credit clubber” which refers to someone who indulges in consumerism and “big gold hats” which suggests ostentation and pretentiousness. The singer also alludes to the media and paparazzi, mentioning his “spies” and the need to turn off their recorders. The chorus emphasizes the idea that the singer is not lying but only giving half the truth, potentially to protect himself or others from scrutiny.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl and boy
A couple, two individuals in a relationship
Everything in full swing
Things are going well or according to plan
Heads or tails, doesn't make a difference
The outcome of a situation or decision is irrelevant
Beneath the glamor
Behind the façade of appearances
There was always gonna be
It was inevitable that
Amateur dramatics
Exaggerated and melodramatic behavior
A lot of bad behavior
Misconduct or immoral actions
I would see (I is said like ah?)
I could imagine or envision
Glasses on the table
Drinks that have been served
One, two, three
Counting the number of glasses or drinks
Only you and me
No one else is present
Wearing nothing
In a state of undress or naked
In the lap of luxury
Living a life of wealth and extravagance
Sip it slowly
Drink slowly and enjoy the taste
Not a leg to stand on
No justification or defense for one's actions
Take my money
Financially invest in something or someone
Twist our paper
Engage in shady business dealings or wrap up a deal
Leave the table
Exit or discontinue an arrangement or agreement
Bad behavior
Immoral conduct or misdeeds
I got my spies
Having informants or accomplices
Swift to every consultlate
Quick to respond or gather information
Be my eyes
Keep me informed or up to date
Tell me what I never see
Give me inside information or insights
Cos a ghost
A spirit or phantom
Don't fear a lover
Don't be afraid of someone's love or affection
Nothing teeth blank ah
A meaningless or nonsensical phrase
Get ready for the credit clubber
Prepare for someone who is good at borrowing money
Secret more
Keep more information hidden or confidential
Getting it together
Getting organized or prepared
With a big fat bowl
Containing or surrounded by a large amount
Of alphabet spaghetti
Pasta in the shape of letters
Watch the birdie
Focus or pay attention to what's important
Looking through the mirror
Examining oneself or one's situation
Polly wanna cracker
A phrase associated with parrots in captivity wanting food
That's not what I heard
Disputing or contradicting what someone else has said
I will not lie to you
Being honest and truthful
But I defiantly only gave you half the truth
Admitting to withholding or hiding information
Gentlemen
Addressing a group of men in a formal or respectful way
Turn off your recorders
Stop recording or documenting something
I can hear them buzzing
Sensing or perceiving something that is not overtly visible
From inside of you're tracksuits
In reference to the clothing being worn by the group mentioned in the previous line
Got to get
Need to go or take action
To California
To a specific location, possibly for legal or personal reasons
Where this woman is
In pursuit of a female individual
Threatening to sue me
Making legal or financial demands
Get right back
Return to a previous state or condition
Back to the beginning
Starting over or going back to the start of something
Where we start off single
Returning to a state of being alone or individual
And everything in full swing
Resuming or continuing the previous state of things being successful
Everyone
Addressing a general group of people
Around you wearing big gold hatscome on
In a context of opulence or wealth with everyone present wearing lavish headgear
Playing the piano now
In the midst of either music or wealth-associated activity
Listen, I wont lie
Reiterating one's commitment to the truth
So baby don't cry
Asking for emotional restraint or composure
The way I'm feeling right now
Expressing one's current emotional state
I'm feeling so high
Feeling euphoric or successful
I cant tell you the truth
Still withholding information
Baby you know why
Assuming understanding or shared knowledge
Cause everybody talks about me
Becoming defensive or wary of the opinions of others
I'm a known guy
Being famous or infamous
I'll tell you half the truth
Acknowledging an incomplete version of the truth
At least I told you half
Emphasizing the parts already discussed
For all the rest of it
As for the unaddressed aspects
I'll tell you if you only ask
Suggesting that one is willing to reveal more if prompted
Cause I'm a gold digga
Acknowledging one's preoccupation with wealth
And I should know better
Recognizing one's own bad behavior or actions
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON, NICHOLAS JAMES DAVID HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind