You Could Have It So Much Better

You Could Have It So Much Better is the second album by Glasgow indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released 3 October 2005 in the United Kingdom (see 2005 in British music).

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

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)

Track listing

"The Fallen" – 3:42 ()
"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 ()
"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

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")
"Do You Want To" (Live at Princes Street Gardens Edinburgh, iTunes only exclusive) – 3:42

Music sample

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

External link

You Could Have It So Much Better e-card

Franz Ferdinand albums | 2005 albums | Epic Records albums

You Could Have It So Much Better | You Could Have It So Much Better... With Franz Ferdinand | You Could Have It So Much Better | You Could Have It So Much Better