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.
Na Na Na Na Na
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Oh! It does not move me
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
It does not shift me
It's not the kind of thing that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
It does not move me
It's not the kind of thing that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
She does not listen
She's too wrapped up with all of her things
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
This does not get to me
'Cause she's not the kind of girl that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Oh! She does not move me
She's not the kind of girl that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah (oh!)
Oh, it does not move me
It's not the kind of thing that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
(Oh) it does not move me
(It does not move me)
It does not get me going at all
It does not shift me
(It does not shift me)
It's not the kind of thing that I like
Oh, it does not move me
It's not the kind of thing that I like
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah
Na na na na nah (oh!)
The lyrics of Kaiser Chiefs' "Na Na Na Na Naa" express a clear dissatisfaction with something or someone. Throughout the song, the singer repeats the title's iconic "na na na" phrase, punctuating his resentment towards a woman who doesn't listen to him and doesn't have the qualities he looks for. He starts by stating that this thing, which is unspecified, doesn't move or excite him. The same goes for the girl he sings about—she's not the kind of person he likes, and her interests are unappealing to him.
The song's simplicity makes it intriguing. Although the lyrics may be interpreted in various ways, in the end, the singer just doesn't like what he's seeing. The chorus's catchy rhythm, emphasized by the iconic "na na na" chant, creates an infectious tune that can't be disregarded.
Despite being comprised of just a few repeated phrases, "Na Na Na Na Naa" carries a powerful message. It's a rousing song about not being appreciated and, for that reason, is famous for being sung by fans of the Leeds United football/soccer team.
Line by Line Meaning
One, two, one, two, three, four
The song begins with a standard count-in to set the tempo.
Na na na na nah
The repeated phrase symbolizes the monotony of the subject matter.
Oh! It does not move me
The singer is expressing their lack of interest or emotional response to something.
It does not get me going at all
The subject does not inspire or excite the artist.
It does not shift me
This thing being referred to does not affect or make a difference to the artist.
It's not the kind of thing that I like
The singer simply doesn't enjoy the thing being discussed.
She does not listen
The singer is frustrated with someone who does not pay attention or respond to them.
She's too wrapped up with all of her things
The person being talked about is preoccupied with their own interests and does not have time for the artist.
This does not get to me
The situation being described does not have an impact or effect on the artist.
'Cause she's not the kind of girl that I like
The artist is explaining that they do not have a romantic interest in this person.
Oh! She does not move me
The singer reiterates that they are not emotionally invested in the subject of the song.
(Oh) it does not move me
A final reminder of the artist's disinterest.
It does not get me going at all
The subject being discussed is not inspiring or motivating in any way.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: NICHOLAS HODGSON, ANDREW ROBERT WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, NICHOLAS BAINES, JAMES RIX
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
wily salta
Love this song !!
MsSardonicus
Still one of my favourite songs. :D
lakhanikamil
amazing song....love it
ella
i love this song. i felt like shit, but now i feel a little better
Mateus branco
i love how they count to 10 in 20 seconds
placatonia
Me gusta!!!!!
Tom Grunshaw
This an awesome vid! Great job!
Katherine Almonacid
I loveee this song so much!!!
Sam Ramsdale
Hell recent comment wow didn’t expect that hahha
Katherine Almonacid
@Sam Ramsdale Hahaha this song puts me in a good mood. It has a great energy, don't you think?