Franz Ferdinand
Album: Franz Ferdinand
Song: Take Me Out
Reviewed by: Krystal Burns
The Band
These four Glasgow based boys set out with a vision to make post-punk music sing able and more importantly, danceable. The group includes Alex Kapranos (vocals and guitar), Nick McCarthy (guitar, vocals, and keys), Bob Hardy (bass), and Paul Thomson (drums and vocals). Equipped with their art/literature/music backgrounds, they began recording in 2001 an abandoned warehouse they named the Chateau. After the cops busted one of their art parties, they relocated their base to a more suitable location. Their EP, Darts of Pleasure, was released in the fall of 2003, followed by a second single, Take Me Out, early in 2004.
The Music
The group’s self titled release Franz Ferdinand is best summarized in one word, and not a word I use lightly. Groovy. It has a sound all it’s own, totally incomparable to any other albums on or off the charts. It’s weird. It’s unpredictable. And it’s almost addictive. It sort of grows on you. You’ll hear the hooklines playing through your mind long after you’ve turned it off, and despite attempts to distract yourself with anything else, the catchy phrases run circles around your head relentlessly. The lyrics are poetic, metaphorical, and, of course, vague. Wrapped up in the songs is quite a bit of history, British slang, and irony, which the Brits are famous for.
The Song
Since January when the single “Take Me Out” was first released, the UK has been raving about their homegrown boys. The song seems to be about a romantic, or at least wanna-be romantic relationship in a very fragile and rocky place. It opens with “So if you’re lonely/ You know I’m here waiting for you/ I’m just a crosshair/ I’m just a shot away from you/ And if you leave here/ You leave me broken, shattered I lie…” And later “If I move, this could die/ Eyes move this could die/ I want you to take me out.”
The song could be referring to a relationship so close that one person could easily destroy the other. Or it could also be about the emotional stress of an intense relationship. The catchy dialogue is fun to sing along to, but difficult to get a lot of meaning out of:
I say don’t you know
You say you don’t know
I say take me out
I say you don’t show
Don’t move, time is slow
I say take me out
There’s a powerful dark side of the song that is woven into each line. Franz Ferdinand uses language associated with guns and killing as a metaphor throughout. The word die is repeated seven times. The singer asks to be taken out another seven times. Phrases like “I’m just a shot then we can die” and “I’m just a crosshair” put the chorus, “I say take me out” into context. The violent undertones are disturbing, metaphorical or not. The song ultimately reflects thoughts of death and hopelessness.
When any friendship or romantic or even parental relationship falls apart, it’s often extremely painful. It is hard to see any relationship that you have invested time, energy, and emotions in come to an end. It’s okay to feel sad, and it’s natural to mourn the loss. But at the same time, it’s when we are feeling hopeless that we especially need to hold on to God’s truth. The Bible tells us that if we know the truth, it will set us free. (John 8:32) And one of those important truths is that we are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and loved by him (John 3:16). Once we understand how precious and valuable we are to God and we find our worth in him, we aren’t as easily overwhelmed by the circumstances around us.
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new morning;
Great is your faithfulness
- Lamentations 3:21-23
>We don’t need to feel hopeless, because our hope is in Christ Jesus our Savior (I Corinthians 15:19). And we don’t need to think that dying is better than life, because we have a new life through Christ (John 14:6). You are loved by God more than your mind can imagine, don’t despair—literally or metaphorically!
So What Do You Think?
1. Who was Franz Ferdinand? (Hint: his assassination triggered World
War I)
2. Weird music is good to a point, but will this group’s success
live long?
3. Do you think the song really means by “I say take me out”?
4. What do you usually do when you feel depressed?
5. What are some healthy ways you can cope with the disappointments of
every day life? (see 2 Corinthians 4:8-12, Psalm 103 and 139)