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.
Things Change
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
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Separate this
Life is all, life is always tales of lost and living
I could almost feel the breath that you were almost giving
I could see the silence in the way that you were talking
I could leave the signs and sirens if I could ignore it
Saturday night, lose a lot of money
Sunday night, think about Friday
All my life, things change
Things change
Things change
Life is separated
Things change
Things change
Almost every day
In almost every way
Sights and sound of love is all that's left of modern living
Search for signs of life down alleyways of hidden cities
Friday night, lose a bit of sympathy
Saturday night, lose a lot of money
Sunday night, think about Friday
All my life, things change
Things change
Sights and sounds of modern living
I just can't do without the sights and sounds of modern living
Things change
Things change
Things change
Sights and sounds of modern living
Sights and sounds I just can't do without
Things change
Almost every day
In almost every way
Sights and sounds of modern living
I just can't do without the sights and sounds of modern living
I told the doctor, "Separate us"
He warned us, "Both may not survive"
Things change
In "Things Change" by Kaiser Chiefs, the lyrics explore the theme of change and the impact it has on life. The opening lines, "Separate me from, Separate this," suggest a desire to detach oneself from a situation or aspect of life that may be causing distress or dissatisfaction.
The lyrics go on to describe life as a series of stories about loss and perseverance. The line "Life is all, life is always tales of lost and living" implies that life is a continuous cycle of experiencing both victories and defeats. The following lines, "I could almost feel the breath that you were almost giving, I could see the silence in the way that you were talking," possibly allude to a relationship where the connection and communication are becoming strained or less meaningful. The chorus repeats the phrase "Things change," emphasizing the inevitability of change in life.
The song's verses also touch upon the routine of the week, highlighting the loss of freedom and money on weekends. The lines "Friday night, lose a little liberty, Saturday night, lose a lot of money, Sunday night, think about Friday" suggest a pattern of indulgence, regret, and anticipation. This routine reflects the transient nature of life and how things are constantly shifting.
Overall, "Things Change" portrays change as a constant force in life, affecting relationships, emotions, and daily routines. The lyrics capture the bittersweet nature of change, acknowledging its inevitability while also hinting at the desire for stability and continuity.
Line by Line Meaning
Separate me from
I desire to be separated from something or someone.
Separate this
I want to separate a specific thing or situation.
Life is all, life is always tales of lost and living
Life consists of stories about both the things we've lost and the things we've experienced.
I could almost feel the breath that you were almost giving
I could sense the intensity of your emotions and the potential actions you were considering.
I could see the silence in the way that you were talking
I could perceive the unspoken thoughts and emotions behind your words.
I could leave the signs and sirens if I could ignore it
If it were possible, I would gladly avoid the indications and warnings that surround me.
Friday night, lose a little liberty
On Friday nights, I sacrifice a small amount of freedom.
Saturday night, lose a lot of money
On Saturday nights, I spend a significant amount of money.
Sunday night, think about Friday
On Sunday nights, I reflect on the previous Friday.
All my life, things change
Throughout my entire life, there is constant change.
Things change
Elements and circumstances are constantly evolving.
Life is separated
Existence is filled with instances of being apart or detached.
Almost every day
Nearly every day, without fail.
In almost every way
In nearly all aspects or manners.
Sights and sound of love is all that's left of modern living
The only remnants of contemporary life are the visual and auditory experiences associated with love.
Search for signs of life down alleyways of hidden cities
I explore concealed urban areas in hopes of discovering indications of vitality.
Lose a bit of sympathy
Experience a diminishing level of compassion or understanding.
Sights and sounds of modern living
The visual and auditory components that define contemporary existence.
I just can't do without the sights and sounds of modern living
I cannot imagine my life without the sensory experiences associated with the present era.
Things change
Circumstances and conditions undergo transformations.
Things change
Elements and circumstances are constantly evolving.
Sights and sounds of modern living
The visual and auditory components that define contemporary existence.
Sights and sounds I just can't do without
I am utterly reliant on the sensory experiences associated with the present era.
Things change
Circumstances and conditions undergo transformations.
Almost every day
Nearly every day, without fail.
In almost every way
In nearly all aspects or manners.
I told the doctor, "Separate us"
I informed the doctor that we should be kept apart.
He warned us, "Both may not survive"
He cautioned that there is a possibility neither of us would survive the separation.
Things change
Circumstances and conditions undergo transformations.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: STEVEN JOHN WILSON, TIMOTHY JOHN BOWNASS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind