Franz Ferdinand is not just the name of the famous Archduke of Austria in 1863, it is also the name of a well know British indie rock band. The group was formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2002, and it has toured all over the world ever since.
After the group recorded its first album in Sweden, and it made it to number three on the UK album charts, and number 12 in the Australian album charts. Slowly but surely, the band has become just as popular in the US.
When explaining why the group chose Franz Ferdinand as the band name, Alex Kapranos answered, “Mainly we just liked the way it sounded. We liked the alliteration. He [Archduke Franz Ferdinand] was an incredible figure as well. His life, or at least the ending of it, was the catalyst for the complete transformation of the world and that is what we want our music to be. But I don’t want to over-intellectualize the name thing. Basically a name should just sound good … like music. I like the idea that, if we become popular, maybe the words Franz Ferdinand will make people think of the band instead of the historical figure.”
The band is made up of four musicians: Alex Kapranos, Bob Hardy, Nick McCarthy and Paul Thompson. All of the members were born in England, except Thompson, who was born in Scotland. Check out the video of their first hit, Take Me Out.
Great article, Courtney! Reading about Franz Ferdinand made me want to learn more about their music beyond just their most well known song, “Take Me Out”.
I love learning about bands outside the US, thanks so much for this spotlight on a great band.
Music is such a great way to connect, whether or not the language is the same music can bring people together, much like great food
Can’t go wrong with Franz Ferdinand. Good old days of alternative rock