You Could Have It So Much Better
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| You Could Have It So Much Better | ||
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| Studio album by Franz Ferdinand | ||
| Released | 3 October 2005 | |
| Recorded | Scotland and New York City, Spring 2005 | |
| Genre | Indie, Alternative | |
| Length | 41:21 | |
| Label | Domino | |
| Producer(s) | Franz Ferdinand, Rich Costey | |
| Professional reviews | ||
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| Franz Ferdinand chronology | ||
| Franz Ferdinand (2004) |
You Could Have It So Much Better (2005) |
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You Could Have It So Much Better is the second album by British indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released 3 October 2005 in the United Kingdom (see 2005 in British music).
Contents |
[edit] Repetition of the title
Initially it was reported that the album would simply be self-titled like the debut album, 2004's Franz Ferdinand. Singer Alex Kapranos explained, "The whole point is that the album doesn’t have a title. We decided quite a while ago that we didn’t want to give any of the albums titles, they were just going to be called 'Franz Ferdinand'."
He added, "The albums are going to be identified by their colour schemes rather than a title. The contrast of different colours creates a different mood. We experimented with different combinations of colours and this one stuck. At one level they looked good together, and they capture the mood of this record quite well."
However, on 1 August it was revealed that the band had changed their minds and decided to give the album a name. At first they revealed that the title Outsiders was optioned before the current title was decided upon.
As drummer Paul Thomson explained, "I was thinking something similar, but that 'You Could Have It So Much Better' would have been even greater. We talked about how we liked that idea a lot and that it was a real shame that the album wasn't going to have a title. Then we started laughing when we realised that the album hadn't been manufactured yet and we could change it after all." The title was also initially reported as the lengthy You Could Have It So Much Better... With Franz Ferdinand. Official fansite news article
[edit] Chart success
The album was the first chart topping album for both the band and their label, Domino Records, in the UK. In the weeks after being released, the album fell first to 5, then 9, 15, and 24, before resting at #40 in the charts. On 25 December 2005, the album had risen to #37 in the charts. A week later, on 1 January 2006, the album had risen again to #24 in the official UK album charts, but fell two spots to #26 the following week before rising again to #23 on 15 January. A week later, the album had fallen again to #26. On 29 January the album had fallen a further six spots to #32. The album fell out of the top 40 altogether the week of 5 February.
The album has reached Gold Status in the United States (sales 500,000 - 1/26/2006)
[edit] Track listing
All tracks written by Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy, with vocals provided by Alex Kapranos except where noted.
- "The Fallen" – 3:42 (Listen )
- "Do You Want To" – 3:38
- "This Boy" – 2:21
- "Walk Away" – 3:36
- "Evil and a Heathen" – 2:05
- "You're the Reason I'm Leaving" – 2:47
- "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" – 2:49 (Listen )
- "Well That Was Easy" – 3:02
- "What You Meant" – 3:24
- "I'm Your Villain" – 4:03
- "You Could Have It So Much Better" – 2:41
- "Fade Together" – 3:03
- "Outsiders" – 4:02
[edit] Bonus tracks
- "Your Diary" – 3:08 (Japan release, also a B-side on the British CD single for "Do You Want To")
- "Fabulously Lazy" – 2:55 (Japan release, also a B-side on the British Maxi-CD single for "Do You Want To")
- Lead vocals performed by Nick McCarthy.
- "Do You Want To" (Live at Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh, iTunes only exclusive) – 3:42
[edit] Music sample
- "The Fallen" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- From You Could Have It So Much Better (2005)
- Problems playing the files? See media help.
[edit] Release details
| Country | Date | Label | Format | Catalog | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | 28 September 2005 | Sony Music Japan | CD | EICP-555 | |
| 7 December 2005 | CD | EICP-575 | Japanese reissue | ||
| 1 February 2006 | 2CD | EICP-595/596 | Japanese edition with bonus disc You Could Have It So Much Better & Better | ||
| United Kingdom | 3 October 2005 | Domino | LP | WIGLP161 | |
| CD | WIGCD161 | ||||
| CD/DVD | WIGCD161X | ||||
| United States | 4 October 2005 | Domino / Epic Records | LP | E94800 | |
| CD | EK94800 | ||||
| DualDisc | EN97725 | Contains the material featured on the UK CD/DVD edition |
[edit] Miscellanea
- The song You're the Reason I'm Leaving is believed to be a dual-meaning track, partly about the rivalry between UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and chancellor Gordon Brown. The song contains the lyric: I'd no idea that in four years I'd 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". "Number ten" here refers to 10 Downing Street, the address of the UK Prime Minister. Four years is the typical length of an administration in the UK government.
[edit] External link
| Franz Ferdinand |
| Alex Kapranos | Robert Hardy | Nicholas McCarthy | Paul Thomson |
| Discography |
|---|
| Albums and extended plays: Darts of Pleasure | Franz Ferdinand | You Could Have It So Much Better |
| Singles: "Darts of Pleasure" | "Take Me Out" | "The Dark of the Matinée" | "Michael" | "This Fire" | "Do You Want To" | "Walk Away" | "The Fallen" / "L. Wells" | "Eleanor Put Your Boots On" | "Jeremy Fraser" |
| DVDs: Franz Ferdinand |
| Related articles |
| Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria | Domino Records | Tore Johansson | Rich Costey |
