Take Me Out

Franz Ferdinand’s “Take Me Out” (2004) is an explosive indie rock hit known for its dramatic mid-song tempo shift and killer guitar riff. It starts at a jaunty pace and then, like a trapdoor opening, drops into a slower, danceable stomp that nods as much to disco as to post-punk. Alex Kapranos’s sly vocals about the uncertainties of dating (“I know I won’t be leaving here with you”) add to the song’s charm. “Take Me Out” broke the band internationally (Top 3 in the UK, a rock radio smash in the US) and remains a definitive track of the 2000s, guaranteed to get crowds jumping from indie clubs to festivals.