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.
Oh
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Too much time spent dragging the past up
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
Settling down in your early twenties
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
[Chorus]
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my God I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory
The only thing growing is our history
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
Come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman
It don't matter to me
All I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
[Chorus: x2]
The Kaiser Chiefs' hit song "Oh My God" features insightful lyrics that provide a glimpse into the mind of someone who's grappling with the idea of moving away from home and starting anew. The lines "Time on your side it'll never end / The most beautiful thing you can ever spend" suggests that time is something that's both precious and fleeting. The person in question is working a job where they wear a shirt with a name tag, indicating that perhaps they're in a dead-end job with no growth prospects.
The person feels they're drifting apart from their past and perhaps from people they used to know. The line "Drifting apart like a plate tectonic" is a great analogy for this feeling because it implies that sometimes, when things change in life, we don't necessarily notice it until the effects become drastic. The person is also lamenting that they spend too much time dwelling on the past and not paying attention to the present.
The chorus of the song features a sense of disbelief and awe at how far away from home the person feels. They may be experiencing homesickness or a sense of longing for familiarity. Overall, the lyrics of "Oh My God" offer an honest and relatable portrayal of what it's like to leave home and find one's way in the world.
Line by Line Meaning
Time on your side it'll never end
You have so much time in this world to do all the things you want.
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
Your time is the most valuable and beautiful thing you possess.
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
You're stuck in a job where you wear a uniform, with your name tag, like you're not your own person.
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
Your relationship is slowly falling apart, like the movement of tectonic plates.
It don't matter to me
It's not important to me.
All I wanted to be
All I dreamed of was to become something else.
Was a million miles from here
I yearned to be a million miles away from my present reality.
Somewhere more familiar
Somewhere I could feel more at home.
Too much time spent dragging the past up
You're spending too much time looking back at things that have already happened.
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
I didn't notice you not paying attention to me when I made a mistake.
Settling down in your early twenties
You're settling for a traditional life at a young age.
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
This life sucks away more of your vitality than a backstreet dentist taking blood from you.
Oh my God I can't believe it
I'm in shock that it has come to this.
I've never been this far away from home
I've never felt so far removed from my familiar surroundings.
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory
The destroyed structures are shining bright to showcase something greater.
The only thing growing is our history
The only thing that's progressing is our past.
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
I'm resilient, even if you try to knock me down, I'll rise back up.
Come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman
I'll return stronger than ever before, like a powered-up Pacman.
[Chorus]
The song's refrain.
[Chorus: x2]
The song's refrain repeated twice.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHARLES SPAULDING GLADFELTER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yesayaramasetiawan2886
Time on your side that will never end
The most beautiful thing you can ever spend
But you work in a shirt with your name tag on it
Drifting apart like a plate tectonic
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Too much time spent dragging the past up
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up
Settling down in your early twenties
Sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Great rulers make for greater glory
The only thing growing is our history
Knock me down I'll get right back up again
I'll come back stronger than a powered up Pac-Man
It don't matter to me
Cause all I wanted to be
Was a million miles from here
Somewhere more familiar
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
Oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
And oh my god I can't believe it
I've never been this far away from home
@dannyfastweb6275
Time on your side, it'll never end,
the most beautiful thing you can ever spend;
but you work in a shirt with your name tag on it,
drifting apart like a plate tectonic.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Too much time spent dragging the past up,
I didn't see you not looking when I messed up;
settling down in your early twenties,
sucked more blood than a backstreet dentist.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Oh my God, I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
Bright ruins lit for a greater glory,
the only thing growing is our history;
knock me down, I'll get right back up again,
I'll come back stronger than a powered-up Pacman.
It don't matter to me,
'cause all I wanted to be,
was a million miles from here,
somewhere more familiar.
Oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
Oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
And oh my God I can't believe it!
I've never been this far away from home!
@lucygwynne7408
I've literally just come home from seeing them live and they were bloody worth going partially deaf
@christie3361
wanna see them
@lizzisonyoutube7189
Lucy Gwynne I'm on the toilet now, taking a dump, and I can hear them play behind my house at Pinkpop xD Good music to take a shit to. :D
@Maymonmen
lmL
@mattm8765
Saw them in 2009 when they supported U2. Great live band. 2 gigs for the price of 2. Would see them again
@thesleekgreek
Classic 2000's era British band. Really pioneered that era, so original and instantly recognisable. I feel old now, 30 years old I remember being 11 or something banging this CD out in my bedroom. Nostalgic!
@Dangerousbros1
I used to listen to this song while doing my homework in school, here I am writing my dissertation to it graduating from university this year.
@barbarafonseca3488
same
@jaz.s2k2
congrats! 🥳🎉
@danielfriki4000
Same