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.
Retirement
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If I'd only invented them such as the wheel
The washing machine and the tumble dryer
On these inventions
Surely I could retire
I want to retire, no longer required
I want to get by without the man on my back
I must go out on a high
And tell nobody why
There are many things that I know I could do
If I'd only had wanted to such as create
The perfect tone that everyone would admire
On this creation
Surely I could retire
I want to retire, no longer required
I want to get by without the man on my back
A tear in my eye with a heart full of pride
I must go out on a high
And not to answer to why
I want to retire
Inform the suppliers
I'll leave the party in style
I'm not to be carried out
Without a cloud in the sky
I've got my fingers in pies
A golden watch in my side
Will measure my free time
Now my place in history is surely assured
I will be remembered here forever more
A brand new product in place and a potential buyer
Upon this next transaction surely I could retire
I want to retire, no longer required
I want to get by without the man on my back
A tear in my eye with a heart full of pride
I must go out on a high
And not to answer to why
I want to retire
Inform the suppliers
I'll leave the party in style
I'm not to be carried out
Without a cloud in the sky
I've got my fingers in pies
A golden watch in my side
Will measure my free time
In Kaiser Chiefs's song, "Retirement," the singer expresses a desire to retire from the man on his back - to be free from the constraints and pressures of daily life. He lists the inventors of the wheel, washing machine, and tumble dryer as individuals who have achieved greatness and earned the privilege of retiring. He also mentions his own potential to create something noteworthy, saying that if he could create the perfect tone, he could retire as well. Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the importance of leaving on a high note and without any explanation - he wants to retire on his own terms.
The lyrics can be interpreted as commentary on the societal pressures to constantly achieve and be productive. The singer recognizes that there are accomplishments that would warrant retirement, but also acknowledges the difficulty in achieving them. Additionally, the mention of the perfect tone speaks to the desire for artistic expression and the freedom to pursue one's passions.
Overall, "Retirement" emphasizes the desire for autonomy and the ability to retire on one's own terms rather than following societal norms or expectations. It encourages pursuing personal goals and aspirations, and not being afraid to step away from the pressures of everyday life.
Line by Line Meaning
There are many things that I would be proud of
The singer feels that there are many things that he could be proud of.
If I'd only invented them such as the wheel
The singer regrets not having invented things like the wheel.
The washing machine and the tumble dryer
The singer recognizes the importance of inventions like the washing machine and tumble dryer.
On these inventions
The singer believes that his knowledge of these inventions makes him a valuable and knowledgeable person.
Surely I could retire
Because of his knowledge and expertise, the singer thinks he could retire successfully.
I want to retire, no longer required
The singer wants to retire because he no longer feels the need to prove himself.
I want to get by without the man on my back
The singer wants to live his life on his own terms without any pressure from outside forces.
A tear in my eye with a heart full of pride
The singer is emotional about his decision to retire, but he feels proud of his accomplishments.
I must go out on a high
The singer wants to leave the business world while he is still successful.
And tell nobody why
The singer is not going to give any reasons for his retirement.
There are many things that I know I could do
The singer knows that he is capable of doing many things.
If I'd only had wanted to such as create
The singer regrets not putting in the effort to create things.
The perfect tone that everyone would admire
The singer recognizes the importance of creating something that everyone would appreciate.
On this creation
The singer believes that if he could create something perfect, he would have no reason to continue working.
Surely I could retire
If the singer were to create something perfect, he believes he could retire.
Inform the suppliers
The singer wants everyone involved in his work to be aware of his retirement plans.
I'll leave the party in style
The singer wants to retire in a memorable way.
I'm not to be carried out
The singer wants to be able to retire on his own terms.
Without a cloud in the sky
The singer wants the retirement to be a clear and happy moment.
I've got my fingers in pies
The singer is involved in several different businesses or ventures.
A golden watch in my side
The singer wants to make sure he has a way to measure his free time and relaxation.
Will measure my free time
The golden watch will be a symbol of the singer's newfound free time.
Now my place in history is surely assured
The singer feels that his contributions to society have secured him a place in history.
I will be remembered here forever more
The singer is confident that his legacy will endure even after he is gone.
A brand new product in place and a potential buyer
The singer has a new business deal in the works that could lead to his retirement.
Upon this next transaction surely I could retire
If the transaction is successful, the singer believes he could retire.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW ROBERT WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind