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.
You Want History
Kaiser Chiefs Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And worked out you?d done everything that you said,
That you knew therefore you'd got to be saved,
The lord of the bored and a slave to her (wage?)
[Chorus]
It's a mystery
Oh, it's a mystery
Oh its a mystery
So last night you got up and out of this room,
The ceiling is peeling and covered in gloom,
Jaguar shoes is the best you deserve
Decision, a lesson you ought not to learn.
[Chorus]
Today as you shake off the drunken degree,
All that is left is the faint memory,
The downing,the drugs,all the nights on the tiles,
It?s hard to remember but totally worthwhile.
[Chorus]
It's a waste of money
You have to admit
And its a waste of money
You have to have it?
It's a waste of freedom
You have to resist
If you're wanting history
You've got it
It's a waste of money
You have to admit
And its a waste of money
You have to have it?
It's a waste of freedom
You have to resist
If you're wanting history
You've missed it
[Repeat: x2]
Don't stop moving
You mustn't stop moving
You can't stop moving
You must join in
Oh bit
The song "You Want History" by Kaiser Chiefs revolves around the concept of wanting to make a mark in history while being bogged down by the monotony of daily life. The lyrics suggest that the singer is torn between the desire to be remembered and the weight of societal obligations. The first verse talks about how the person has done everything they set out to do, yet they realize that they are not doing enough to make a significant impact on the world. The chorus emphasizes the mysterious nature of history and how difficult it is to make a mark in it. The second verse suggests that the singer has decided to break free from their routine and go out to experience life to the fullest. They visit Jaguar Shoes, which is a bar in Shoreditch, London. The line "Decision, a lesson you ought not to learn" suggests that the singer knows that indulging in vices might not be the best thing to do, but they still do it anyway. The final verse talks about how the memories of the wild nights they spent are hazy, but they are still worth it.
The lyrics are a commentary on the societal pressure of achieving something significant in life while also enjoying it. The song suggests that one must strike a balance between experiencing life to the fullest and making an impact in the world. The chorus also implies that history is a mystery and cannot be controlled, and it is best to enjoy life in the present moment rather than trying to be remembered in history.
Line by Line Meaning
Yesterday you lay awake on your bed,
Yesterday, you couldn't sleep and were reflecting on everything you've accomplished and promised to do.
And worked out you'd done everything that you said,
You acknowledged that you were able to fulfill every responsibility you took on.
That you knew therefore you'd got to be saved,
You felt a sense of security and assurance that you'll be able to overcome any challenges you may face.
The lord of the bored and a slave to her (wage?)
Despite feeling a sense of accomplishment, you acknowledge that you are still confined to daily routines and responsibilities related to work.
It's a mystery
The following events and emotions may seem inexplicable or confusing.
Oh, it's a mystery
There may be no clear explanation for the following events and emotions.
You want some history
You crave for some experiences that will leave behind a lasting impact.
Oh its a mystery
The upcoming experiences and emotions are still unclear.
So last night you got up and out of this room,
The previous night, you decided to break free from your current surroundings and explore new experiences.
The ceiling is peeling and covered in gloom,
The environment around you is dingy and uninviting.
Jaguar shoes is the best you deserve
You have a high regard for Jaguar Shoes and believe it to be the best and premium choice.
Decision, a lesson you ought not to learn.
Whatever decision you make, it may not necessarily lead to the desired outcome or consequences.
Today as you shake off the drunken degree,
After a night of drinking, you wake up feeling hungover and disoriented.
All that is left is the faint memory,
You can barely remember what happened the night before.
The downing, the drugs, all the nights on the tiles,
You engaged in drinking and taking drugs and spent endless nights partying or socializing.
It's hard to remember, but totally worthwhile.
Despite having a fuzzy memory, you feel that the experiences were worth it.
It's a waste of money, You have to admit
You realize that spending too much money on materialistic things or entertainment is impractical.
And its a waste of money, You have to have it?
Despite realizing that spending too much money is impractical, there is still a desire to indulge in materialistic things.
It's a waste of freedom, You have to resist
Excessive indulgence in materialistic things can restrict one's freedom and compromise their ability to lead a fulfilling life.
If you're wanting history, You've got it
If you're searching for experiences that have a lasting impact, you've already had them through past events and memories.
If you're wanting history, You've missed it
If you're always searching for new experiences, you may have missed out on appreciating and reflecting on past events and memories.
Don't stop moving, You mustn't stop moving
Keep moving forward, don't let yourself stagnate.
You can't stop moving, You must join in
Don't hold yourself back, engage in everything life has to offer.
Oh bit
An expression of sound, without a clear meaning.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ANDREW WHITE, CHARLES RICHARD WILSON, JAMES RIX, NICHOLAS BAINES, NICHOLAS HODGSON
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jerome Lange
One of the most HISTORICALLY Underrated Feel Good Tunages.....EVER !!!!!
Koen van der rijt
the last part is so good
MalleStarlet
I LOVE THIS SONG! <3
MissAtomicLau
Looove this song so much! It´s has been on my mind for the whole day!
Clarissa Souza Santiago
😘I love this song and these guys too!!!
Michael Thompson
I'm no Leeds fan, but they are legends :) I really respect Leeds United (+their people because they have talent like this!)
fortheloveoftunes
What a fine song indeed!
curiosity121
Love of my life!!!!!!! The song, and Rick of course))
frjdoasisplus
Amazing band
Ikiflow
As a girl, I can vouch that if the girls start moving, the boys will join in.