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.
Meanwhile Up In Heaven
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Picture yourself in a glittering silver suit
Picture yourself getting on it
Saluting the news crews, you're the new hit crew
Do you remember the numbers
Out on the door of the house where you grew up?
Do you remember the colors
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
Guided by love and a flash light
Led by consuming desire for good ideas
Lighting the clock on the passport
It's not eighteen years, but I know it's still a lot
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
Your mind is the key, it is the key that sets you free
Your mind is the key, it is the key that sets you free
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
Ready to
The lyrics of the song "Meanwhile Up In Heaven" by Kaiser Chiefs paint a vivid picture of imagination and self-reflection. The first verse starts with an invitation to picture oneself by a rocket in a glittering silver suit, which can be interpreted as a metaphorical representation of success and achievement. The line "saluting the news crews, you're the new hit crew" implies that the singer has reached the pinnacle of fame and fortune, basking in the limelight of their accomplishments. The following lines ask if the singer remembers the numbers on the door of their childhood home and the colors tied around the handles of last year's FA Cup, indicating a longing for a simpler time and nostalgia for the past.
The chorus of the song reinforces the idea that up in Heaven, the singer's soulmates and well-wishers are eagerly waiting for their arrival. The line "and if you believe it, you would see that I'm you, ready to" creates an interesting paradox, blurring the line between the self and the other, hinting at the fact that we are not solely individuals but rather parts of a collective consciousness. The second verse of the song talks about being guided by love and a flashlight, driven by the desire for good ideas, and lighting the clock on the passport, alluding to the feeling of being lost and searching for direction.
Overall, the song "Meanwhile Up In Heaven" by Kaiser Chiefs is a thought-provoking number that takes the listener on a journey of self-discovery and introspection, encouraging them to look within and find their true purpose in life.
Line by Line Meaning
Picture yourself by a rocket
Imagine yourself standing next to a rocket
Picture yourself in a glittering silver suit
Imagine yourself wearing a shiny silver suit
Picture yourself getting on it
Imagine yourself getting on the rocket
Saluting the news crews, you're the new hit crew
You're waving to the camera crew, feeling like a new sensation
Do you remember the numbers
Do you recall the numbers on your childhood home?
Out on the door of the house where you grew up?
On the outside of the door of the place where you were raised?
Do you remember the colors
Do you remember the colors of the ribbons
Tied round the handles of last year's FA Cup
That were tied around the handles of last year's Football Association Cup
Meanwhile up in Heaven, they're waiting for you
Meanwhile, in heaven, they're waiting for you
And if you believe it, you would see that I'm you
And if you believe it, you would realize that I'm a part of you
Ready to
Ready to join you in heaven
Guided by love and a flash light
Led by love and a flashlight
Led by consuming desire for good ideas
Motivated by a strong desire for great ideas
Lighting the clock on the passport
Illuminating the clock on the passport
It's not eighteen years, but I know it's still a lot
It hasn't been eighteen years, but it still feels like a long time
Your mind is the key, it is the key that sets you free
Your mind is the key to freedom
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: RICHARD WILKINSON, ANDREW WHITE, RICKY WILSON, SIMON RIX, NICK BAINES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Emerson Simões
Meanwhile, Up In Heaven
Kaiser Chiefs
Picture yourself by a rocket
Picture yourself in a glittering silver suit
Picture yourself getting on it
Saluting the news crews, you're the new recruit
Do you remember the numbers
Hung on the door of the house where you grew up?
Do you remember the colors
Tied round the handles of last year's FA Cup?
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Are ready to
Guided by love and a flashlight
Led by consuming desire for a good idea
The light in the clock on the dashboard
Has not worked in years but I know that it's still there
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Are ready to
Your mind is the key, it is the key that sets you free
Oh, your mind is the key, it is the key that sets you free
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Meanwhile, up in Heaven
They're waiting for you
They're waiting for you
And if you believe them, you will see that when you
Are ready to
Stephen Brockie
I can't believe how brilliant this album is!
Jhon Mario Bueno
Un video un tanto extraño, pero no deja de dar la magia que estos genios tienen, gran canción, gran video de la mejor banda de indie rock de todo el planeta!!! Los Amo Kaiser Chiefs!! Por favor vengan a Colombia!!! Yo sería el hombre más feliz del mundo con tenerlos acá en mi país!!!
Matheus Velloso
I like how this video talks with the Coming Home video. Both seem like a vision of a dream, and that door stands there, where It shouldn't, as a gate to enter those visions. Just love it!
Hayles
Matheus Velloso it has nothing to do with coming home apart from the door
KaiserChiefsVEVO
All aboard!! Is everyone enjoying the new album?
Sorensen
💜💙💜💙💜💙💜👁👁🇩🇰
Jo ,
@Екатерина Кулагина This was written for Nick H dad as he died one yr after an Altzimers diagnosis.
Hayles
If you look at the top i have said why the song was written.
Mr Pupp
KaiserChiefsVEVO im too late for it but still i have to say you guys have outdone yourself with education education education and war. its sad how it couldent get attention it deserves
ShanRose
Yesss!