By Walt Mueller
If you’re like me, many of the facts, details and dates you had to memorize during your years in high school history class are no longer available for withdrawal from the “bank” of your brain. Sadly, I’ve forgotten most of what I learned back in the old days. There are, however, some unique names from history that remain familiar. I think it’s the strange sound and ring of his name that’s kept the former Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian empire in that category for me. His name was Franz Ferdinand and history remembers him as the man whose assassination in 1914 during a visit to Sarajevo was the spark that ignited the First World War.
Over 90 years have passed since Ferdinand’s death, yet a growing number of teenagers worldwide know his name. But instead of serving them as a reference to the historical figure whose death triggered the start of an international conflict, today’s teens know Franz Ferdinand as a musical quartet from Glasgow, Scotland, that’s turning around a stale popular music scene and igniting a new music revolution marked by a sound that’s fresh, energetic and original. Franz Ferdinand’s been called “the U.K.’s coolest rock band” (Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 8/22/05) and “the most refreshing and original U.K. band today” (Mikel Jollett, Filter, Fall 2005). They’ve stated their mission as being a live band that makes “music for girls to dance to.” But they’ve accomplished far more than that by making music that’s caught the attention, ears and dancing feet of a collective youth culture audience that’s far more diverse and expansive than just the girls.
Meet the second Franz Ferdinand (FF), a band that—because of its successful debut album and critically acclaimed recent sophomore follow-up—demands our attention. Since millions of young ears are tuning in to the music of FF, we should be listening, too. Why? Their words and music are connecting to a generation looking to connect with an expression of their adolescent experience. Their music offers those of us who have long since moved beyond our adolescent years insight into the issues, struggles, values and reality of what it is to be a teenager living in today’s world. FF, their story, and their music takes us to a place that shows those who care to look, a glimpse into the heart of contemporary youth culture.
What is it about FF that’s allowed them to connect so successfully with the emerging generation? Is there an explanation for the fast-paced rise of their unique brand of music? What’s the worldview and message communicated through their musical package? Can FF help us understand anything about the questions and life issues young people wrestle with in today’s world? Can they offer us insight into the hearts, minds, motives and behaviors of children and teens? And, is there anything FF can teach us about effectively ministering to kids?
The Franz Ferdinand Story
“We are just four ordinary guys who got in a band together” (The Sun, 9/8/04) is how 33-year-old lead singer Alex Kapranos summarizes the history of Franz Ferdinand. While that’s basically the story of the quartet, there are other details that offer a helpful peek into the history of where the band came from and who they are today.
The Spring of 2002 saw the creation of Franz Ferdinand as a band. The group arrived at that point after a series of strange and coincidental encounters. As the story goes, Mick Cooke—a friend of Alex Kapranos—gave Kapranos a bass guitar and told him to “do something useful with it.” In turn, Kapranos handed the bass guitar to his friend Bob Hardy and taught him to play it. Kapranos and Hardy began playing with guitarist Paul Thompson, who previously had played drums with a group called Yummy Fur. The trio expanded to a quartet after a now legendary encounter Kapranos and Hardy had with a fellow named Nick McCarthy at a party. It seems Kapranos and Hardy had arrived together along with their own bottle of vodka. McCarthy, who the pair didn’t know at the time, was drunk and began to argue with Kapranos over the bottle. An all-out fight ensued that stopped only when Kapranos asked McCarthy, “You don’t happen to play drums do you?” A drunken Nick McCarthy—who did know how to play guitar—lied and said “Yes.” McCarthy was invited to join the band as the original drummer. Eventually, McCarthy and Thompson switched instruments, with McCarthy now playing guitar and Thompson taking over on drums.
The group’s first gig was at a private art show in the hostess’ apartment attended by 80 young women. The response was so positive that word quickly spread around the Glasgow music scene and the band began playing a relentless local schedule. They threw huge rave-like parties combining music and art in an abandoned upper-floor Glasgow art-deco warehouse they dubbed “The Chateau.” As FF played their music, the guests would dance and enjoy exotic lighting effects that illuminated the dance floor and the avant-garde art-covered walls. Eventually, these increasingly popular parties were shut down by the police. No longer able to throw parties at the warehouse, the band changed venues to an abandoned jail they also called “The Chateau.”
As word about FF spread, the band found themselves playing more widely in the U.K. music scene. By the summer of 2002, the band had recorded enough of their own music for an EP they hoped to self-release. But while on tour in London, the band stopped for a drink at a local pub, where they had a chance meeting and conversation with Swedish music producer Tore Johansson. Impressed by the band, he invited them to Sweden to record their debut album. The buzz on the band was so big that independent Domino Records signed them in the summer of 2003. In the fall of that year, FF carried through on their original plans and self-released their EP, Darts of Pleasure. Then, in the beginning of 2004, Domino released the band’s debut self-titled album. A distribution deal with Epic Records facilitated strong sales in the United States. The band further secured a spot on theU.S. music scene with a strong performance at the March 2004 South by Southwest Music Conference. In October 2005 they released their second album to rave reviews.
The band attributes much of their popularity and initial commercial success and growing U.S. fan base to their aggressive touring schedule and the fact that the Internet put their music on the map. In addition, the individual musical talents and backgrounds of each member of the band play into the group’s collective unique signature sound and rapid rise to fame.
Lead singer and guitarist Alex Kapranos is the group’s main spokesperson. Born in England, he moved to Edinburgh, Scotland, with his law professor father and housewife mother at the age of seven. After the move he found it difficult to fit in, leaving him feeling like an outsider. The other kids teased him for his funny accent and strange last name. He was pushed a year ahead in school, leaving him smaller and younger than the rest of his class. As a youngster, he decided to embrace being seen and feeling like a freak, something he does to this day. “For years, I felt miserable about being an outsider,” says Kapranos. “But then I suddenly embraced it. I saw the value of being an outsider. It was liberating. You didn’t have to worry about trying to fit in or losing your insider status. It also encouraged you to challenge and provoke the status quo” (Los Angeles Times, 10/2/2005). Perhaps it’s not surprising that Kapranos grew up embracing and spending time alone with music, particularly the Beatles. After all, his mother had given him the middle name “Paul” in homage to Paul McCartney. At age 14 Kapranos began to play the guitar in an effort to learn as many Beatles’ songs as possible. During his teen years he played in a variety of bands and learned how to record his own music. Along with his love for music, the teenage Kapranos developed an interest in theology and pursued theological and divinity studies. While he never desired to be a clergyman and he found Christians to be disappointing, he still pursued the course of study just because he was interested in the subjects. Eventually, music won out and Kapranos dropped out of theology school. By the time he reached his 20s he was booking acts and playing in bands on the local Glasgow pub circuit. Known as the determined member of FF, Kapranos holds an undergraduate degree in English and an M.A. in computer science. He’s been named as one of Esquire magazine’s best-dressed men, writes a food column for London’s Guardian newspaper, and is in a relationship with Fiery Furnace’s singer Eleanor Friedberger.
Born in England and raised in Germany, 30-year-old guitarist Nick McCarthy is a classically trained pianist and double-bass player who studied at the Munich Conservatory. Known as the band’s “positive” member, he holds an M.A. in music, and has played in a variety of orchestras and jazz ensembles. While he admits to sometimes smoking pot, McCarthy says the band tries to live a clean life when they’re touring on the road (only an occasional drink). A married man, McCarthy differentiates between his commitment to the band and his commitment to his wife: “It’s (marriage) not a commitment you make lightly. It’s a commitment for life, whereas being in this band is not necessarily a commitment for life. It’s (the band) all about the present for me: it’s about having fun, having loads of fun. I don’t mind what we’re doing, as long as I know what time it finishes and what time I can go to bed” (Guardian, 10/1/2005).
Bass guitarist Bob Hardy (age 25) is a painter who graduated from the Glasgow School of Art. Amazingly, he had never played an instrument before meeting Kapranos and receiving the now-famous bass guitar. Hardy is known as the sensitive member of the FF quartet.
Thirty-year-old drummer Paul Thompson rounds out the band’s lineup. The group’s only native Scot, Thompson learned to drum as a child, and most recently had been employed as a live model at the Glasgow School of Art. The married drummer is known to be the most humorous of the band’s four members. Thompson’s small trap set is reminiscent of the drum kits of the ‘60s used by the Beatles and other early rock bands.
The entire band has embraced Kapranos’ feelings of being an “outsider” and it has shaped both their place in the music world as trendsetters, and their rapidly growing following of listeners who identify with the label. Kapranos says of the band, “We were all always outsiders. Paul was the Glasgow kid in Edinburgh, Nick was the English guy in Bavaria, I was the half-Greek, half-English guy growing up in Scotland, and Bob was always the working class kid at a really posh school. I think if you ever find yourself in that sort of situation, you’re faced with a choice of either being defiant about it or being completely submissive about it. And if you choose defiance, it sets you up for the rest of your life. You’re more likely to do the unpredictable” (Filter, Fall 2005).
The “unpredictable” begins with their adoption of the “Franz Ferdinand” moniker. The band gives two reasons—one random and one more pointed—for naming themselves after the assassinated Archduke. On the one hand they say they were inspired when they saw a racehorse named “The Archduke” on television. They’re more direct when they say they set out to choose a name associated with an event that had an impact on the world. The quartet likes to think that one small band—like one small and seemingly insignificant act in history—will change the world. The world Franz Ferdinand wants to change is the current world of popular music—a stale world in which few bands write their own music, and pick up instruments and play them themselves. That’s what Franz Ferdinand is doing. In a world of “predictable” music, Franz Ferdinand is truly unpredictable.
That unpredictability has fared well with critics and fans alike. At the 2004 MTV Video Music Awards the band received a nomination for the MTV2 Award and took home a moonman by winning the Breakthrough Video Award. That same year they won the coveted British Mercury Prize for the U.K.’s best album, an award given for talent rather than commercial success. In 2005 Franz Ferdinand received five Brit Award nominations and took home honors for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. They also were selected to perform at the 2005 Grammys.
Franz Ferdinand’s music
Original, eclectic, trend-setting, adventurous and creative—these are a few of the adjectives that describe FF’s aural and lyrical musical elements. The band’s eclectic sound comes together in a combination the group hopes will do to listeners what electronic music does, only live and with depth. Kapranos describes the band’s hopes for their music: “The most important thing our music can do is move you primally. The whole point of music is for some human beings to provoke a reaction in other human beings, and as long as you remember that, I don’t think you can go wrong” (mtv.com). He says, “We want our music to do what music was intended to do: make you move” (rocknews.com, 8/25/2004). The band also hopes their sound brings out people’s emotions.
FF doesn’t want to be pigeon-holed genre-wise. They’ve achieved that goal with a mixed bag that combines elements including jazz, electronica, sixties pop, funk, guitar-driven rock and even disco. The FF hybrid might best be labeled as art-funk, art-punk or art-rock, but even those tags are limited. “If you’re going to create something new,” says Kapranos, “you’re going to have to take inspiration from everywhere. You can’t just draw from one narrow niche. All four of us have different personalities and each one of us adds something else into the mix … We take everything from everywhere and pour it into our own” (Independent Newspaper, 1/24/2004).
Kapranos—who shares most of the songwriting duties with McCarthy—says that in the FF songwriting process they work “to be radical in our arrangements and radical in our approach to everything that we do” (mtv.com). He says that “every song we write has to be an event. We’re intolerant of mediocrity” (Saturday Telegraph, 4/3/2004). Unlike many other fabricated music icons, FF is committed to writing and playing their music their way by maintaining creative control in an effort to keep improving on whatthey’ve already done. Kapranos says, “you can write a song anywhere. We sit on the back of the tour bus, sit in hotel rooms or backstage at venues, with an acoustic guitar, strumming some chords. And then we’ve got the basis for a song” (mtv.com).
Because the band’s influences are so many and because they are committed to making music that’s always new and fresh, listeners are always hearing bits and pieces of new influences on the boys in the band. Included are everybody from the Beatles (circa Sgt. Pepper), the B-52’s, Brian Setzer, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and David Bowie among others. Just when you think you understand them, the next song reveals that you don’t. Perhaps that’s by design as Kapranos is “annoyed by comparisons” (Sunday Times, 8/15/2004). It all combines in a sound that brings “adventurous ideas and challenging concepts to a mainstream audience through the undeniable power of catchy tunes” (Michael Krugman, Rolling Stone, 3/25/2004). Other reviewers says FF makes “ass-shakin’ music without the electronic crutch of drum machine and synthesizers” (Brian Wallace, mtv.com), “visceral rock songs with disco beats and brain-eating choruses” (Brian Hiatt, Rolling Stone, 8/22/2005), and “jerking beats, scissoring guitars, and manic vocals” (Jim Farber, NY Daily News, 10/2/2005).
The band’s lyrics, says Kapranos, are “about the extremes that we feel in life” (Los Angeles Times, 10/2/2005). Most of their songs’ subjects are drawn from people and events in their lives. Kapranos says that for him, “pop music is music that moves you without engaging the brain and then allows you to engage the brain afterwards. You dance and feel the passion, and then you can sort through the grander ideas which the music suggests” (Rolling Stone, 3/25/2004). While they don’t want to make music that needs to be analyzed too much, many of FF’s songs are somewhat cryptic and difficult to understand. But the listener should not fear. In true postmodern fashion, Kapranos says that “whatever someone takes from it is completely valid. I don’t like it when guys say, ‘Oh you don’t understand what I’m saying.’ Man, it’s got nothing to do with you anymore!” (Urb, 9/2005). “I don’t think the artist should ever dictate to the listener or the person who’s ultimately consuming what you create. It’s not up to the creator to dictate the terms upon which their creation is appreciated” (npr.org, 10/24/2005). Even though Thompson says he and the band are “simple people” trying “to make music that’s direct” (mtv.com), the music is marked by some lyrical complexity.
On the concert stage and in their music videos FF is consistently over-the-edge inventive. Their visual package is creative, fun and energetic. They dress in an artsy style that can be described as thrift-shop ‘60s retro. Because they are making music for their listeners, they even have made it a rule to maintain eye contact with their audience at all times.
Engaging the music of Franz Ferdinand is like walking through a crowded art gallery covered in new and unusual art that assaults your senses from every angle. Not only that, there are surprises around every corner.
Franz Ferdinand
(March 2004)
The band’s 38-minute debut album climbed to #3 on the charts, yielded five single releases, and has sold more than 3.5 million copies worldwide.
The album opens with “Jacqueline,” a song about a 17-year-old friend of the band. “Jacqueline is a friends of ours,” says Kapranos, “and she told me about an encounter she had with an older man. When she described it, I could see the embarrassment and rejection he suffered as he realized how she actually saw him, compared to how he thought she saw him” (rocknews.com, 8/25/2004). The song’s first verse describes the moment when Iver (the man) looks at Jacqueline and what he feels as he sees himself through her eyes: “Sometimes these eyes forget the face they’re peering from/When the face they peer upon/Well, you know that face as I do/And how in the return of the gaze/She can return you the face/That you are staring from.” What follows is a chorus that seems to be totally unrelated. Yet, it stands on its own as a philosophy of vocation reflecting current “everybody’s working for the weekend” attitudes that are so prevalent in our culture: “It’s always better on holiday/So much better on holiday/That’s why we only work when we need the money.” The song’s nihilistic and hopeless second verse speaks of a man named Gregor who is lost in drunkenness and purposelessness and inviting someone to kill him: “Gregor was down again/Said come on, kick me again/Said, I’m so drunk I don’t mind if you kill me/Come on you gutless …”
The raw and retro-sounding “Tell Her Tonight” is reminiscent of the harmonies of the ‘60s era Mamas and the Papas. About infatuation and obsession, the singer tries to talk himself into telling her about these feelings: “She only blinked her eyes, but I saw it/She only swung her hair, but I saw it/She only shook her hips, but I saw it/She only licked her lips, but I saw it/Gonna have to tell her tonight …” Timid adolescents who share this experience and its feelings will readily identify with the song’s theme.
“Take Me Out” (See lyrics on page 7.) is a single and video release that found itself in heavy rotation on MTV. The band sees the dark and doomy tune as the song that fostered their breakthrough in North America. Listeners will wonder if the song has a double meaning as the title can refer to asking for a date or asking to be murdered. The former is the most likely scenario with the language of the latter being employed for the purpose of illustration. The singer has no hope as he says, “I know I won’t be leaving here with you.” There’s a begging and desperate quality to this song as he asks for an answer but fears that the waiting might lead to “this” dying. The band released two video versions of the song. In the more mainstream MTV version a colorful and creative visual collage effect is employed, with some scenes featuring a Franz vs. anti-Franz boxing match. That said, could it be that the song is about the battle between good and evil that rages inside human beings? The MTV2 version is an animated depiction of Star Wars characters playing the members of the band while showing the transformation of the lead singer from Anakin Skywalker to the evil Darth Vader. In this version, the song lends itself to an interpretation about personal transformation.
In “The Dark of the Matinee,” the singer plans his day so he can “accidentally” bump into the girl he desires (“I time every journey to bump into you accidentally”) in the hope that he can convince her to follow him and meet him in “the dark of the matinee” that’s “mine.” In the song’s final verse, Kapranos sings of making it in the music industry and how easy it is to laugh and smile since his dream’s been realized.
The post-breakup frustrations of love are addressed in “Auf Achse”: “You see her/You can’t touch her/You hear her/You can’t hold her/You want her/You can’t have her/You want to/But she won’t let you.” He likens what she’s done to him by leaving to a crucifixion: “Now I’m nailed above you/Gushing from my side/It’s with your sins that you have killed me/Thinking of your sins I die … I’m ripped and hang forsaken/Knowing never will I rise again.” Listeners who have been surprised and hurt by a breakup will identify with the feelings FF describe in this song.
Mutual cheating and infidelity lead to “goodbyes” on “Cheating On You”: “I’m cheating on you/I’m cheating on you/I’m cheating on you/You’re cheating on me.” In this schizophrenic song the singer’s conflicted feelings lead him to go back and forth between leaving and staying: “Goodbye girl/Because I’m lonely/Goodbye girl/It isn’t over.” The song eventually ends with a final “goodbye girl.” Kids who feel the painful emotional two-way pull of a breakup will identify with feeling like and not feeling like leaving at the same time.
The single and video release “This Fire” is a musical account of experiencing anger and rage to the point of venting in destructive ways. Kids who feel angry and out of control with nowhere to turn will find an expression of their feelings in this song: “Eyes/Boring a way through me/Paralyze/Controlling completely/Now there is a fire in me/Fire that burns/Fire that burns.” The anger boils over into destruction that consumes not only what’s around him, but himself as well: “This fire is out of control/I’m going to burn this city/Burn this city/If this fire is out of control/Then I’m out of control/And I burn.” The song’s video treatment portrays the band’s members plotting together in a war room reminiscent of WWII era Nazi Germany or cold war era Communist Russia. Viewers watch as the band works to spread a global message. But what is the message? As the video winds down, the purpose and result of the crusade is stated visually with the words, “Global sex mania follows mass hypnosis phenomena.” The video ends with the successful crusaders toasting each other for their victory.
“Darts of Pleasure” (See lyrics on page 7.), the band’s debut single release, is a lusty tune about talking a girl into bed. The singer attempts to seduce a girl who’s just one in a line of his sexual conquests: “Latest contender, latest adventure.” The poisoned “darts of pleasure” are the “words of love” that lure the girl into his bed. The translation of the unusual German line sung at the song’s end reveals the phrase to be nonsensical: “I’m called super fantastic, I drink champagne with smoked salmon.”
The single release “Michael” (See lyrics on page 7.) is a homoerotic song about an encounter Kapranos witnessed between two male friends. “Michael is a friend of ours. He got it together with someone on the dance floor in a spectacular way, so we wrote about it,” says Kapranos (rocknews.com, 8/25/2004). The song has led some FF listeners to believe that the band is gay. The fact is they’re not. However, the song has led many homosexuals to embrace the band.
In “Come On Home” the singer misses and longs for a lover who is far away. Still, he embraces the pain of her absence because it motivates him to appreciate and love her more: “Although my lover lives in a place that I can’t live/I kind of find I like a life this lonely/It rips and pierces me in places I can’t see/I love the rip of nerves/The rip that wakes me.” His need for her prompts him to tell her to “come on home.” But once she’s there, he reminds her to “don’t forget to leave” so that he can once again yearn for her to return.
The album ends with “40,” a song the band says is about flinging yourself into dangerous situations. The song depicts the singer standing on the edge of a 40-foot drop. In the first verse he comes to terms with falling and experiences calm: “The coldest calm falls through the molten veins/Cooling all the blood to slush that congeals around the brain.” Forty feet “remain” in the second verse as he stands there so long that his skin is burnt by the sun and his sweat turns to salt scales. He keeps “looking down, looking down.” The songs plays well to a generation numbed by the pain of relational brokenness that’s looking to feel something. In many cases it’s the rush of adrenaline (from extreme sports and other high-risk behavior) that makes them feel alive.
The band’s debut album includes a bonus disc with five additional tracks. The first track is “This FFFire,” a faster and louder dance version of “This Fire.”
“Van Tango” is a narrative song about a man named Van Tango who works the night shift as a security guard at the opera house. He works by himself and watches “the girls go by.”
“Shopping For Blood” is one of FF’s most cryptic and confusing songs. The first person song describes someone who is “New Scottish Gentry” and very concerned with his appearance. He buys “leather for leisure and a Velcro for sport” and “It’s a first appearance and a new suit for court.”
Some of the historical facts surrounding the assassination of Franz Ferdinand are the subject of “All For You, Sophia.” The song begins, “Bang bang, Gavrilo Princip/Bang bang, shoot me Gavrilo/Bang bang, the first six are for you/Bang bang, the seventh is for me/Bang bang, Gavrilo Princip/Bang bang, Europe’s going to weep/All for you, all for you, all for you, Sophia.” Those who know their history remember Gavrilo Princip as one of the three men sent to assassinate Franz Ferdinand. Each of the men was given a revolver, two bombs and a vial of cyanide. They were instructed to kill Ferdinand as he passed by in his car. Then, they were to kill themselves. Princip fired the shots that killed Ferdinand and his wife Sophia. Princip was arrested while trying to turn his gun on himself.
The bonus disc ends with “Words So Leisured,” a song about the subject of the earlier song “Darts Of Pleasure” who is the “emotion avenger” who “knows that you will surrender.” The song describes the seduction in detail: “Yes, she’s in her black mood tonight/Watch her dye your black hair white/Rob you of your muscles, slacken all the skin that was so tight.” In true postmodern fashion, the song ends describing how the addition of intellectual reason to the seductive process kills the feelings of unbridled passion: “Ask for any reason/Ask for the one reply for the one reply/Try for reason but passion never lives/It dies with reason/Try for reason then die …” The conclusion: leave reason out of the picture and function only at the level of feelings.
You Could Have It So Much Better
(October 2005)
Recorded live in Kapranos’ house, the band’s second album finds them fulfilling their mission to expand on their creativity and make music that isn’t a simple rehashing of prior songs and sounds. They deliberately set out to write and record an album that doesn’t have the studio sound. Rather, they wanted it to sound like the four of them sitting in a room and playing music together. The band says the album’s title is “the antithesis of ‘you’ve never had it so good’” (muchmusic.com).
Right at the outset, Franz Ferdinand’s tendency to write cryptic lyrics comes through loud and clear in “The Fallen.” Although the song has several levels of meaning, Kapranos says it’s about a friend who “did a few things that caused him to be almost a social outcast—he’d fallen from grace. He’s a very enigmatic character” (Rolling Stone, 7/11/2005). The song includes numerous references to the Messiah and events in the Gospels (feeding of the 5,000, turning water into wine, etc.) as it imagines “this character coming back as Christ and what he would do if he was Christ and comparing the judgmental attitude of the people and how they would have placed the same judgment on Christ if he had come back” (Kapranos in Filter, November 2005). The band’s view of Christians and the contemporary church (hypocritical and Pharisaic) as stated in the song is worth listening to as it reflects widely held opinions: “So I’m sorry if I ever resisted/I never had a doubt that you ever existed/I only have a problem when people insist on taking their hate and placing it on your name.”
“Do You Want To” (See lyrics on page 8.) is the disc’s first single release and video. It’s a great example of how the band melds sounds such as sixties British rock, disco and punk. Kapranos took the lyrics of the homoerotic song from a drunk friend’s rantings at a Glasgow art gallery party. The video treatment captures what happened that night in the gallery. The song is filled with sexual come-ons including invitations to participate in oral and anal sex: “Do you want to go where I’d never let you before/Do you want a go of what I’d never let you before … Your famous friend, well I blew him before you.”
Franz Ferdinand sounds like the B-52’s in “This Boy,” a tune about a cocky, selfish and materialistic character who sings his shallow philosophy of life: “It’s time that I had another/I’m always wanting more if there’s another one/Give me some more/I’ll have another one/I’ll have a slice of your mother … I want a car … I see losers losing everywhere/If I lose, I could only lose the damn I gave to another … If I have one set principle then it’s to stand on you brother … I’m always better than you.” The song casts “this boy’s” lifestyle in a negative light.
“Walk Away” (See lyrics on page 8.) is the disc’s second single release. In this song, Kapranos’ voice bears an eerie resemblance to The Doors’ Jim Morrison. The song follows a romantic tragedy and breakup, with the singer celebrating their breakup and convincing himself to walk away from the relationship—even though it’s difficult—because he knows it’s the best thing to do.
“Evil And A Heathen” is a song title that captures who the singer says he and his lover are as he sings about their relational/sexual encounter on “the night of our lives.” They spend the song’s first verse talking a lot. In the chorus, he proclaims “I’m evil and a heathen like you,” and because of that, anything goes. In the second verse, he says that their encounter is redemptive and brings life: “I like how you pretend that the end will be the end/So fill your thirst/Drink a curse/To the death of death instead.”
Relational breakdown is the subject of “You’re The Reason I’m Leaving.” The song’s lyrics are foggy enough to warrant application to a lover’s breakup and/or the singer’s “leaving” his life through suicide. The singer struggles with feelings of hate toward the other: “I don’t know you/I don’t want to/You’re so awkward just like me/I have no idea that in four years/I’ll be hanging from a beam behind the door of number ten/Singing fare thee well/I am leaving/Yes, I leave it all to you/You’re the reason I’m leaving.” As the song ends, the singer admits to the other that “I’m the reason you’re leaving.”
The influence of Paul McCartney and the Beatles on Kapranos comes through clearly in “Eleanor Put Your Boots On,” a strange love song and fantasy written by Kapranos to his girlfriend. In the fantasy, Eleanor runs to Coney Island and leaps into the waters of the Gulf stream. She also climbs the Statue of Liberty and leaps into winds of the jet stream. In both instances, Kapranos says “I could be there when you land.” In the end, he tells her to put her boots back on and “run—come on over here.”
The band sings about breakups and relational confusion once again on “Well That Was Easy.” While it was easy for the singer to leave a girl named Hannah, he realizes, “how I miss you now.” When they were together he used the Codeine she had to kill the pain in her back to kill the emotional pain he felt from being together in their relationship. Now, she’s gone and the pain is the pain of missing her. The song concludes with the singer explaining his emotional confusion: “So come on kill me now because I’m leaving you/That was easy/But how I miss you.”
A soured relationship leaves the confused singer asking his former lover what she meant by the things she said in “What You Meant”: “Said we’re cold as the step cement/But I just don’t know what you meant.”
“I’m Your Villain” is inspired by a strange sexual encounter a friend described to Kapranos. “Someone I knew told me about a romantic encounter they had. She was lying naked on her back, and this guy tipped a bag of crisps on her belly and then poured a can of lager over them and started licking the soggy mess” (Sunday Herald, 9/11/2005). The song is sung by the male in the encounter who sees the female as serious and miserable. Even though she doesn’t like him he doesn’t “give a damn” if he’s her villain or not. He’s still going to satisfy his sexual hunger through her. The song ends with him bluntly singing “see you later.” The encounter is selfish, purely physical, and lacking in intimacy or commitment.
The disc’s title track is a rallying cry to apathetic youth. “You Could Have It So Much Better” is a motivational speech from FF encouraging kids to take responsibility for themselves, to get motivated and to experience a better life. Kapranos tells his young listeners, “It won’t be alright/Unless you get up/Come on and get up/Well I’m just a voice in your earpiece/Telling you NO it’s not alright/You know you could have it so much better/You could have it so much better/If you tried.”
In typical FF fashion, the love song “Fade Together” is filled with conflicting and confused emotions and expressions: “Once you have loved someone this much/You doubt it could fade despite how much you’d like it to/God how you’d like it/You’d like it to fade.” He feels the push and pull of their relationship and is confused by it: “If we get away you know we might just stay away/So stay awake/Why the hell should I stay awake?/When you’re far away/Oh God, you are so far away.” In the end he confesses “I’m starting to fade” and he invites her to “fade together” as that would make it so much easier to simply end things.
The album ends with “Outsiders,” a song that could serve as a theme song for the band and its fans. In the song’s opening lines, the band tells listeners that their fame won’t lead them to compromise: “We’ve seen some change but we’re still outsiders/If everybody’s here then hell knows we ride alone.” They say “the only difference is all I see is now all that I’ve seen.” They urge their fellow outsiders, “don’t feel so weak about being such a freak or alone.” Time will pass, “love will die and lovers fade, but you still remain there.” The song ends with the band proclaiming to remain themselves: “The only difference is what might be is NOW.”
What’s the draw?
Why have Franz Ferdinand and their music attracted and held a growing audience? There are several reasons that can serve to give us insight into the heart and soul of young people growing up in today’s youth culture.
First, Franz Ferdinand is a breath of fresh air in a popular music industry gone stagnant. In a world marked by rapid change, the world of popular music has been stuck in neutral for a long time. The last big thing was hip-hop, and it’s been the last big thing for years. Listeners have been waiting for something different and new. FF has stepped up and filled the void. FF’s Bob Hardy humbly states that “rather than it being something completely extraordinary that we’ve done, it’s more the state of … the music industry. The charts—popular music—is so drab and boring. All that Pop Idol manufactured stuff is just dross … it is karaoke” (Scottish Evening Times, 1/2004). From the way they dress to the way they play, Franz Ferdinand is like nothing seen in recent years.
Second, the band’s music is original and creative. FF is a band that’s committed to making artful music that’s always new and consistently getting better. Being signed to an independent label has allowed the quartet to maintain the creative control they wouldn’t have if they had signed with a bigger record company. The band loves the creative process of writing new music. In fact, they say that process is actually equal to or better than the experience of playing in front of a large crowd. Their commitment to creativity has caused them to connect with a growing legion of fans who value inventive originality.
Third, Franz Ferdinand brings a depth and thoughtfulness not usually seen in popular music. Their style of writing gives listeners something to think about, a trait that’s caused some to refer to the quartet as “the thinking man’s band.” Their lyrical and musical complexity has found a welcoming audience among those tired of pop music’s tried and tired formulas.
Fourth, the members of the band are genuine and real. Alex Kapranos says, “We’re four guys totally removed from the pop industry machine” (NME, 3/24/04). In a world where the emerging generations value authenticity, “plastic” performers will increasingly be out while “real” performers will be in. Franz Ferdinand has not only controlled the creative process that’s resulted in music that’s true to who they are, but they have also remained true as individuals to who they are. A growing legion of young fans have embraced them because they see Franz Ferdinand as real people, just like themselves.
Fifth, the band lives an attractive spirit of community. The emerging generations hunger for, are drawn to and value community. Franz Ferdinand’s life together both on and off the stage is marked by a tight knit, warm and trusting love. With no big egos to battle with each other, the band comes across as a group of equals who value and embrace their individual uniquenesses and complementary strengths. Their humble spirits and onstage warmth serve to “invite” listeners to join their community.
Sixth, the music is filled with emotion, moving people at their core. In a postmodern world in which feelings and emotions are important, Franz Ferdinand’s music is emotionally charged both sonically and lyrically. This is by design. “We want to make music that people can react to emotionally,” says Kapranos (Zoo Magazine, 9/24/2004). He says, “Music should be primal. It should force a subconscious reaction—you should feel it with your body. When you hear it, dancing should be as impulsive as feeling fear at the sound of a roar or getting that funny feeling down your back when someone scratches a blackboard … With the best music, you feel emotions as well as sounds—the music just brings them out” (The Independent, 1/23/2004).
Seventh, the boys in the band haven’t let their success go to their heads. They’ve made a deliberate effort to not allow their sudden fame result in big-headed rock star arrogance and lifestyles. In fact, they are somewhat shy and embarrassed by their fame. Kapranos says, “The thought of fame frightens me. I feel distinctly uncomfortable with the whole idea and believe it is very unhealthy to get ambitious in that direction. You lose sight of what you are doing and it is addictive. You see all these people who are hooked on it and can’t function or live without it. It’s weird” (The Sun, 5/26/2004). “Problems arise when you become famous and no longer believe you’re just an ordinary person” (The Times, 12/17/2004). For Franz Ferdinand, it’s not about fame and fortune. Rather, it’s about remaining true to themselves, staying humble and making good music.
Eighth, Franz Ferdinand helps the despairing to dance. Much of the band’s lyrical content is marked by confusion, pain and hurt. In most cases, the cause is relational breakdown. In today’s youth culture, these realities combine with the hunger for heaven caused by living the creation and fall without experiencing redemption, to bring despair to the surface in ways that leave the lost looking for any escape—even if it’s only temporary. By laying lyrics that reflect this reality over danceable tunes, Franz Ferdinand allows listeners who see themselves in the lyrics to lose themselves—at least temporarily—in music that moves them to move their bodies in communion with others who feel the same way. While the escape may only be temporary, those who long for it see it as better than no possibility of escape at all. Franz Ferdinand has created a musical package that plays well in a nihilistic, postmodern world.
Ninth, the band’s postmodern approach to their lyrics fosters connections in our postmodern world. The band encourages listeners to freely approach their songs looking for individualized deconstructions that personalize the song’s meaning for each individual listener. By doing so, each song “speaks to me on my terms,” rather than on the terms of the song’s writers.
Tenth, listeners can identify with the group’s lyrical themes, particularly when it comes to romance and relationships. Any observer of youth culture knows that the teenage dating, relating and break-up scene is increasingly complex. By singing about these realities and the spectrum of feelings associated with each, Franz Ferdinand builds connections with listeners by putting into words what they’re feeling.
Finally, radio and MTV airplay have thrust the band into the youth culture spotlight. Because they’ve been embraced by the outlets funneling new music to young listeners, Franz Ferdinand has earned and been given a youth culture presence that gives every kid the option to like or dislike the band. With sales and airplay figures on the rise, the band is sure to continue for some time as one of the most popular groups on today’s music landscape.
How should we respond?
How then, should parents, educators and youth workers respond to the music and message of Franz Ferdinand? Can we use their music as a tool for understanding today’s youth culture? What can they teach us about the emerging generations and our ministry response? Let me offer the following analysis and suggestions:
First, we should celebrate the band’s commitment to creativity and their strong work ethic. By constantly working to create music that’s fresh, innovative and new, Franz Ferdinand reflects the image of God (as co-creators) inherent in all humans. While it’s safe to assume FF isn’t on a conscious mission to bring honor and glory to the one true God, they do so (albeit unconsciously) by using their God-given gifts and abilities and by enlisting the creative process.
Second, the contemporary church should learn from Franz Ferdinand’s creativity. Our “creative” track record—particularly when it comes to art and music—is all to often a sad trail of “knock-off’s” (“Christian” versions and duplications of what’s been successful in the mainstream art and music industries) or low-quality originals (original art and music done poorly but typically embraced, sadly, as valuable and good not because of artistic merit but for the sole reason that it’s made by Christians). The church would do well to examine Franz Ferdinand’s commitment to originality marked by both complexity and uniqueness, and begin to enlist the same resolve, standards and practices as we engage in the creative process.
Third, celebrate the band’s commitment to community. Our selfish culture of individualism fosters a “me-first” mentality that’s far too prevalent as a worldview promoted by music and media. Franz Ferdinand’s spirit of communal cooperation is one we should both model and promote to the young people we know and love.
Fourth, celebrate their commitment to be themselves. God has made each of us unique and different. Sadly, Madison Avenue has created false standards to which we aspire. Franz Ferdinand’s commitment to be satisfied and content with their uniqueness is refreshing. “When I knew I was a freak, around 13 or 14, I embraced it,” says Kapranos. “I despised people who were desperate to be cool” (Guardian, 10/1/2005). We can use FF as a catalyst for discussion on conformity to the world’s standards versus acceptance of who we are.
Fifth, we can celebrate Franz Ferdinand’s relative commitment to “clean living.” While there are elements of the band’s lyrical package that should cause us concern, we can and must cite their conscious decision to avoid the typical rock-star excesses of alcohol, drugs and groupies as refreshing.
Sixth, understand the power, significance and place of emotions for the emerging generations. Franz Ferdinand reminds us that today’s children and teens are emotional beings who place a premium on their feelings. As we look over their shoulders at the reasons for their pursuit of good and positive feelings, we must dig deep to understand why this pursuit is so intense. Many are so numb due to the relational brokenness in their lives that they long and look to feel something. Sometimes it’s an adrenaline rush. At other times it’s the feeling of short-lived intimacy that comes during the few minutes of a random sexual encounter. Or, it might even be the experience of pain that allows them to feel alive. We must realize that each of these pursuits is at its root an attempt to satisfy their hunger for heaven. As such, we must work and pray to see their emptiness filled by the only true Redeemer who can once and for all fill their God-shaped void.
Seventh, we must embrace the self-described outcast and outsider. More and more young people are coming to terms with the fact that, like Franz Ferdinand, they lie outside the mainstream as freaks and geeks. While Franz Ferdinand does these kids a service by encouraging them to embrace their status, the band’s music does the church a service by reminding us of our need to embrace them by welcoming them and loving them as Jesus would. The church must intentionally become more aggressive at seeing the answer to the question “Who is my neighbor?” in the eyes of the young outcasts and outsiders who live in our midst.
Eighth, we must bring the light of God’s Word to bear on the particular issues and problems raised by Franz Ferdinand’s music. As a mirror, the band’s music clearly reflects the issues burning in the hearts and minds of the emerging generations. By looking in the mirror of the band’s music, followers of Christ can see where to build bridges from Christian truth into the realities of young lives. Franz Ferdinand’s music reminds us that we must teach the truth about sexuality, homosexuality, pride, lust, consumerism, materialism, marriage, dating, breakups, vocation, etc. in response to the lies so many young people believe.
Ninth, engage students and learn from them by asking them what the music means to them. In a postmodern world, each individual deconstructs musical expressions in ways that mean something to them. For many kids, music puts into words personal realities they find difficult to express themselves. If the kids you know and love are listening to and embracing Franz Ferdinand, discuss the music with them. Allow them to invite you into their world by asking them how the music of FF speaks to them and for them.
Tenth, we must teach our kids to evaluate all music and media from a distinctively Christian perspective. Franz Ferdinand offers a wonderful opportunity for lively and profitable parent/teen discussion about the power of music and the need to make wise music choices. I would encourage every parent, teen and youth worker to filter Franz Ferdinand’s music through CPYU’s How to Use Your Head to Guard Your Heart: A 3-D Guide to Making Wise Music Choices. (For more information, check out the resource center at www.cpyu.org.) It’s a great way to practice thinking Christianly about music and media as their music is full of references to the realities of life in today’s world. Together, a decision on whether or not to listen and how to listen can be made.
Finally, Franz Ferdinand challenges the church to look in the mirror. The band’s song “The Fallen” serves as an urgent and sobering reminder of our failure to represent Christ on His terms, and not our own. When we are truly honest with ourselves we must admit that the band’s criticism of our hypocrisy and Phariseeism—and the resulting stereotype of contemporary Christians—is dead-on and well-deserved. If we hope to answer the cries of the young for redemption, we must conform to the will and the way of the Redeemer as we represent Him in His world. We must stop living a dualistic separation from “the world” and start living our faith in the world. Remember, Franz Ferdinand’s reluctance to love—as reflected in much of their music—is indicative of a deep fear of being rejected … again. How are we representing Christ when we just become one more “rejecter?”
The greatest ambition of “one of the most exciting acts in the world” (Irish Times, 9/10/2005) is, as Alex Kapranos says, “to continue to be thrilled and excited by this” (Sunday Herald, 9/11/2005). The band says that if they ever feel that they’re being “dishonest, watered down, or any less intense” they will decide “to do something else” (Sunday Herald, 4/4/2004). With that resolve, it doesn’t look like Franz Ferdinand will be closing shop anytime soon. We should continue to keep our eyes and ears focused on their music as they will serve as a powerful directive force, guiding kids through adolescence, while giving those of us who love and minister to kids a guided tour of their world.
Lyrics:
Take Me Out
So if you’re lonely/You know I’m here/Waiting for you/I’m just a cross-hair/Just a shot away from you/If you leave here/You leave me broken/Shattered I lie/We’re just a cross-hair/Just a shot then we can die/I know I won’t be leaving here with you/I say don’t you know/You say you don’t know/I say take me out/I stay you don’t show/Don’t move time is slow/I say take me out/I say don’t you know/You say you don’t know/I say take me out/If I move this could die/If eyes move this could die/I want you to take me out/I know I won’t be leaving here with you/I say don’t you know/You say you don’t know/I say take me out/If I wait this could die/If I wane this could die/I want you to take me out/If I move this could die/If eyes move this could die/Come on take me out/I know I won’t be leaving here with you
Darts Of Pleasure
You are the latest contender/You are the one to remember/You are the villain who sends a line of dark fantastic passion/I know that you will surrender/I know that you will surrender/I want this fantastic passion/Will have fantastic passion
You can feel my lips undress your eyes/Undress your eyes/Undress your eyes/Words of love and words so leisured/Words are poisoned darts of pleasure/Die and so you die
You are the latest adventure/You’re an emotion avenger/You are the devil that sells a line of dark fantastic passion/I know that you will surrender/I know that you will surrender/I want this fantastic passion/Will have fantastic passion
You can feel my lips undress your eyes/Undress your eyes/Undress your eyes/Skin can feel my lips they tingle/Tense anticipation/This one is an easy one/Feel the word and melt upon it/Words of love and words so leisured/Words are poisoned darts of pleasure/Die/So I die
Ich heisse super fantastische/Ich Trinke champers mit lachsfisch
Michael
This is where I’ll be/So heavenly/So come and dance with me Michael/So sexy, you’re sexy/Come and dance with me Michael/I’m all that you see, you want to see/Come and dance with me Michael/So close now so close now/Come and dance with me/Come and dance with me/So come and dance with me
Michael you’re the boy with all the leather hips/Sticky hair, sticky hips, stubble on my sticky lips/Michael you’re the only one I’d ever want/Beautiful boys on a beautiful dance floor/Michael you’re dancing like a beautiful dance-whore/Michael waiting on a silver platter now … and nothing matters now
This is what I am/I am a man/Come and dance with me Michael/So strong now, it’s strong now/Come and dance with me Michael/It’s all that you’ll be, you’ll ever see/So come and dance with me Michael/I’m all that you’ll be, you’ll ever see/So come and dance with me Michael/So close now/You’re close now/Come and dance with me/Come and dance with me
Do You Want To
When I woke up tonight/I said I’m going to make somebody love me/now I know that it’s you/You’re lucky lucky you’re so lucky/Do you want to go where I’d never let you before/Do you want a go of what I’d never let you before/He’s a friend and he’s so proud of you/He’s a friend and I knew him before you/He’s a friend and we’re so proud of you/Your famous friend, well I blew him before you/Here we are at the Transmission party/I love your friends, they’re all so arty
Walk Away
I swapped my innocence for pride/Crushed the end within my stride/Said I’m strong now I know that I’m a leaner/I love the sound of you walking away/Mascara bleeds a blackened tear/And I am cold, yes I’m cold/But not as cold as you are
Why don’t you walk away?/No buildings will fall down/No quake will split the ground/The sun won’t swallow the sky/Statues will not cry
I cannot turn to see those eyes/As apologies may rise/I must be strong stay an unbeliever/And love the sound of you walking away/Mascara bleeds into my eye/I’m not cold, I am old—at least as old as you are
As you walk away/My headstone crumbles down/The Hollywood wind’s a howl/The Kremlin’s falling/Radio 4 is static
The stab of stiletto on a silent night/Stalin smiles Hitler laughs Churchill claps Mao Tse Tung on the back.
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