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.
Little Shocks
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm happy? with what I've got
On the second floor
I pass a ruffian on the stairs
What the driver saw
Ah through the letter box of number four
I don't have much
It will be deafening when I do
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
Bless my heart
And everything will be explained
In the diaries
Especially the latter part
I'll be a somebody
I found an empty glass today at home
Give me ability
Turn up the pedal away from his hand
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day? but I can't
I wish I could have just a little bit more
Just a little bit more of your time
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could have just a little bit more, just a little bit more of your time
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
In "Little Shocks," the Kaiser Chiefs sing about the limitations of their ability to give their loved ones undivided attention. The song starts with the singer claiming that they are content with what they have and don't ask for much. However, they encounter a "ruffian" on the stairs and peer into the letterbox of number four, suggesting that they are somewhat nosy and curious. The chorus repeats the desire to give undivided attention, but the singer acknowledges that it simply is not possible. Throughout the song, there is a sense of restlessness, as though the singer wants to achieve something or live up to some potential ("I'll be a somebody," "Give me ability"), which could suggest that their inability to give attention might be due to a focus on personal goals.
The song title, "Little Shocks," could refer to the small things that distract the singer from being fully present with their loved ones or achieving their goals. The line "I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo" carries a sense of motion, suggesting that the singer is always moving forward, but that also ties into the idea of imagination, as though the shocks or distractions are coming from within rather than from external factors. The reference to diaries and an empty glass at home suggest that there is some introspection happening, and that the singer is trying to understand themselves better, perhaps as a way of addressing their shortcomings in relationships.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't want much
I am content with what I have
I'm happy? with what I've got
I am satisfied with my current situation
On the second floor
I am on the second level of a building
I pass a ruffian on the stairs
I encounter a rough-looking person on the staircase
What the driver saw
Referring to something that caught the attention of someone outside
Ah through the letter box of number four
Looking through the letterbox of a specific numbered door
I don't have much
I possess very little
It will be deafening when I do
The sound will be extremely loud when I acquire what I need/want
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I will experience many small surprises that energize me
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I desire to focus solely on you, but it is not possible
Bless my heart
Expressing a request for good fortune
And everything will be explained
All things will become clear and understandable
In the diaries
In the personal journals or records
Especially the latter part
Particularly the second half of the written material
I'll be a somebody
I will become a notable figure in society
I found an empty glass today at home
I discovered a glass with nothing in it while in my residence
Give me ability
Provide me with the capability
Turn up the pedal away from his hand
Adjust the foot control away from someone else's reach
I wish I could have just a little bit more
I desire a slightly greater amount
Just a little bit more of your time
Only a small portion more of someone's attention
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Henry Crz
I don't want much
I'm happy? with what I've got
On the second floor
I pass a ruffian on the stairs
What the driver saw
Ah through the letter box of number four
I don't have much
It will be deafening when I do
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
Bless my heart
And everything will be explained
In the diaries
Especially the latter part
I'll be a somebody
I found an empty glass today at home
Give me ability
Turn up the pedal away from his hand
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day? but I can't
I wish I could have just a little bit more
Just a little bit more of your time
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
And all these little shocks I'll be riding my imaginary dynamo
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
I wish I could have just a little bit more, just a little bit more of your time
I wish I could give you undivided attention every minute of the day but I can't
dani
An underrated album and an awesome song
Adam .Croft
It’s a shame cus I honest think they really ‘found’ themselves with this album.
TheCapitalLetter
Why is it after all these years I am still madly in love with Ricky?
becky humphreys
hes handsome and perfect <3
Midnight Witch
TheCapitalLetter beause he's such a cutie 😚😚😚😚😚
superdracoid
Kaiser chiefs underrated no i wouldn't say that they are forgotten as most people know their songs but dont know who wrote them but i wouldn't say they're underatted at all
Mailey
Best song they ever made, what a sound and it's a pity that the band are soooo pg13 these days
Johnny Caper
More you listen to this song, more you like it and understand meaning of it!
Castle
I used to think this was one of their weaker tracks, but now I really like it. There's a lot of ambition and the changing sound and complexity are cool.
Miguel P
What a great band. I REALLY wish I could have to their show in Lisbon... 8 Persons can't feel the energy that this guys send while playing. AWESOME SONG!