Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out”

Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” is truly an interesting song. And that’s our way of saying it uses some unique metaphors which, considering the history of Franz Ferdinand itself, have been interpreted in a couple of different ways.

For instance the title, “take me out”, is based on euphemism for, succinctly put, shooting someone dead. In other words, sometimes when a person is murdered via gunshot, it is common for people to say he’s been ‘taken out’.  But in this case, Franz Ferdinand is applying such to a romantic relationship.  And that’s where the various interpretations begin.

First Verse

So in the first verse, we can see that the singer states something like his romantic interest has him in “a crosshair”. Indeed he is “just a shot away from” her. And according to Alex Kapranos, the lead singer of Franz Ferdinand, himself, the lyrics allude to the idea of he and the addressee being caught up in a “tense”relationship. Or let’s put it this way – the guy and the girl like each other alright. But neither have the heart – so to speak – to approach the other. So many fans have understood the setting of this song to be something tantamount to a nightclub. And basically, the singer is challenging – or perhaps more specifically wishing for – the addressee to approach him, as in initiate a conversation leading to the prospect of a romantic relationship.

Franz Ferdinand

Still others (considering that appellation Franz Ferdinand is derived from a prominent politician who was assassinated in the early 20^th century) believe that all the allusions to gunplay featured throughout the song may actually be references to that incident.

So it is quite possible that the band are using a past event, an assassination even, as a loose metaphor for hesitant lovers.

But putting the probable historical aspect aside, this is clearly the case of a guy who wants a girl he likes to kick to him. Indeed putting the gun metaphors to the wayside also, based on the hook it can even be argued that the title is based on his desire for this girl to ‘take him out’, as in take him on a date.

So all in all this is a clever song to say the least. And at the end of the day, the listener is left feeling sympathetic for a dude who apparently doesn’t have the heart to step to a girl he is admiring.

Music Video

The music video to this song, which features live action mixed with computer animation, had Jonas Odell as its director.

Release Date of “Take Me Out”

Franz Ferdinand’s debut album was also entitled “Franz Ferdinand”. And “Take Me Out” was released by the Domino Recording Company as the second single from that project on 12 January 2004.

A Great Song

This song has been recognized as one of the greats by a number of reputable institutions. For instance both NME and MTV2 have named it as one of the “Greatest Indie Anthems Ever”. And Rolling Stone took things a step further, actually placing “Take Me Out” amongst the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”.

Moreover “Take Me Out” has been utilized by a number of media franchises, including the following:

• The 2008 movie “Hancock” starring Will Smith
• A couple of EA videogames (“NHL 2005” and “NFL 2005”)
• A number of music/rhythm-based videogames also, such as “Guitar Hero” (2005) and “Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2” (2007)

And in 2017 even fashion company Ralph Lauren used this track in an advert for one of its fragrances.

Cover Versions of “Take Me Out”

Accordingly a number of artists have covered or utilized “Take Me Out” throughout the years. Perhaps most notably amongst them being none other than parody musician Weird Al Yankovic.

Success on the Charts

“Take Me Out” charted in over 10 countries, including peaking at number 2 in Franz Ferdinand’s homeland of Scotland. It reached number 3 on the United Kingdom Singles Chart. On the Billboard Hot 100, it reached number 66 .

However it fared much better on Billboard’s Alternative Songs listing, peaking at number three as well scoring a number one on the UK Indie Chart. In fact in terms of the sales the United Kingdom is where “Take Me Out” fared the best, being certified Platinum by the BPI.

Who wrote “Take Me Out”?

The writers of “Take Me Out” are Franz Ferdinand band members Alex Kapranos and Nick McCarthy.

The entire band also contributed to the production of the tune, being assisted by Tore Johansson.