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.
My Life
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Sometimes you wanna get away from the horizon
In your eyes
I've fallen off the bottom of your timeline
I know you've found a better way of spending your life
Well it's your life
Now it feels like this is my life
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I woke up in my clothes before the sunrise
I walk along the sand with my shoes in my hand to the daylight
And I realize
The fishermen are heading out to ocean
The cafe owner turns on the urn, flips the sign round to open
And it goes on
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come in our eyes
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
In Kaiser Chiefs' song "My Life," the lyrics focus on the idea of taking control of one's life and being content with what they have. In the first verse, the singer talks about wanting to escape from their life and the horizon in their eyes, possibly indicating that they are unhappy with their current situation. The second verse reflects that the singer has fallen off the bottom of someone's timeline and believes that they have found a better way to spend their life. However, in the chorus, the singer expresses that they never wanted or needed what the other person has, and they feel like their life is exactly where it should be.
The bridge reflects a moment of reflection, where the singer wakes up before sunrise and walks along the sand with their shoes in hand. They realize that life goes on, with fishermen heading out to sea and the cafe owner opening for the day. In the final chorus, the singer recognizes that they have had a hell of a time and a colorful life, with another one to come.
Overall, the song is about acceptance of one's life, not comparing oneself to others and being content with the present moment.
Line by Line Meaning
Sometimes you wanna get away from your life
Occasionally, you want to escape from your current lifestyle.
Sometimes you wanna get away from the horizon
In your eyes
At times, you want to move away from the vision you have for your future.
I've fallen off the bottom of your timeline
I'm no longer a part of your future plans.
I know you've found a better way of spending your life
Well it's your life
I understand that you've discovered a more fulfilling path for yourself, and that's okay because it's your decision.
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I never desired or required this lifestyle, but it seems to be the one I'm living now.
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can tackle any difficulties and go without partying, because this is the only life I have.
I woke up in my clothes before the sunrise
I walk along the sand with my shoes in my hand to the daylight
And I realize
I woke up early and immediately went outside, getting sand on my shoes, and I began to understand something important.
The fishermen are heading out to ocean
The cafe owner turns on the urn, flips the sign round to open
And it goes on
The fishermen start their work, and the coffee shop owner prepares to open for business, signaling the start of another day.
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come in our eyes
We lived a life full of excitement and joy, as viewed from our perspective, and we can also see a promising future ahead.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, REACH MUSIC PUBLISHING
Written by: Andrew Robert White, Benjamin Heyward Allen, Charles Richard Wilson, James Rix, Marcus Killian, Nicholas Baines
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
angel cordova
Sometimes you wanna get away from your life
Sometimes you wanna get away from the horizon in your eyes
I've fallen off the bottom of your timeline
I know you've found a better way of spending your life
Well, it's your life
I never want it
I didn't need it
Now it feels like
This is my life
I can work it out
I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I woke up in my clothes before the sunrise
I walk along the sand with my shoes in my hand to the daylight
And I realise
The fishermen are heading out to ocean
The café owner turns on the urn
Flips the sign round to open
And it goes on
I never want it
I didn't need it
Now it feels like
This is my life
I can work it out
I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come in our eyes
I never want it
I didn't need it
Now it feels like
This is my life
I can work it out
I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
Dharana Makwana.
Sometimes you wanna get away from your life
Sometimes you wanna get away from the horizon
In your eyes
I've fallen off the bottom of your timeline
I know you've found a better way of spending your life
Well it's your life
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I woke up in my clothes before the sunrise
I walk along the sand with my shoes in my hand to the daylight
And I realize
The fishermen are heading out to ocean
The cafe owner turns on the urn, flips the sign round to open
And it goes on
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I never want it, I didn't need it
Now it feels like this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come in our eyes
You can tell we had a hell of a life
You can tell we had one hell of a time
You can see we had a colorful one from our eyes
You can tell there is another to come
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
I can work it out, I can live without the night
This is my life, this is my life
Kaiser Chiefs
This is My Life, This is My Life...
Corrales Aviña Ingrid celeste
You have to come at Monterrey please, you're amazing guys!!
Sorry if you don't understand me, i don't speak much English but i love your songs
shushetumare
PORQUE ESTE VIDEO TIENE TAN POCAS REPRODUCCIONES???
Vicious shishigami
Hola my name is joan , se un poquito hablar en. Ingles , yo quiero saber mucho sobre la banda kaiser chiefs ,me encataron todas sus cancione , espero que me respondan.
juliette1190
@Kaiser Chiefs why did i wait this long to catch up with this album? It's amazing! That shirt though..
Spirit Archer
i loved you lot is Wolverhampton
Anastasia B
such an underrated band :( their music is amazing
HabboPoop88
The most underestimated band of the 21st century by far
fretui medak
the sound of a band shouldn't bother you, that happens when it exhausts the listener, but Kaiser never go through these unnecessary troubles because their sound is fresh, overwhelming and energetic, they cheer up in a simple way and you immediately get used to that particular or pretty unique style whose features are fun and joy! No other word might describe what these guys aim for, they don't look for recognition but they just want to be themselves and to show up with enthusiasm and creativity; right being innovative you can plague the audience and you can reach the fans without bragging, no harassment and no sadness around.
Dan Venables
I can't believe this doesn't have at least twice the views. One of their great forgotten tracks?