L.S.F. (song)


"L.S.F." is the second single released by the British rock group Kasabian. It was the band's first UK Top 10 hit, peaking at No. 10 and staying in the Top 75 for five weeks. The song also charted in the United States, peaking at No. 32 on Billboard's Alternative Songs chart.
The song was originally released in October 2003 in the video game FIFA Football 2004, but the single was released in August 2004.
In May 2007, NME magazine placed "LSF" at number 37 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever.
The drums on this track are played by Daniel Ralph Martin, who also played drums on "Cutt Off", as permanent drummer Ian Matthews did not join until midway through the album's recording sessions. Lead guitarist Christopher Karloff fills in as the drummer in the UK music video, directed by W.I.Z. and featuring Russian actress Dinara Drukarova. The US music video, directed by Australian production company AV Club, features all five members at the time and is their only video to do so besides "Processed Beats".

Background

According to The Telegraph, the song is "articulating a mood of fear and paranoia surrounding terrorism and the Iraq war, with its chorus couplet of 'We got our backs to the wall / Watch out, they're gonna kill us all.'"
In 2006, bassist Chris Edwards said, "The first LP had military imagery because we were writing it as shit was happening abroad with the army. You’d go down the shops and see ‘THE TROOPS ARE ON FIRE’ in the paper and Serge wrote the lyrics and took influence from this. We weren’t for it or against. We just wrote about what was going on."
About this song, guitarist Serge Pizzorno said,

Reception

The Austin Chronicle said, "Both 'L.S.F. ' and the sweeping 'U Boat' feel stadium-ready, with massive backswells of low-end punch overlaid with Tom Meighan's monotonic snarl and Sergio Pizzorno's swirling guitars and electronics."

Track listing

Maxi CD

  • PARADISE14
  1. L.S.F. - 3:19
  2. Lab Twat - 3:17
  3. Doctor Zapp - 3:32
  4. L.S.F. — 3:14
  5. CD-Rom with L.S.F video

Mini CD

  • PARADISE13
  1. L.S.F. - 3:19
  2. L.S.F. - 3:14

Japan CD

  • BVCP-29045
  1. L.S.F. - 3:21
  2. Lab Twat - 3:20
  3. Doctor Zapp - 3:34
  4. L.S.F. — 3:13
  5. Club Foot - 4:12
  6. CD-Rom with L.S.F video

10" vinyl

  • PARADISE15
  1. L.S.F. - 3:14
  2. Club Foot - 4:14
  3. L.S.F. - 7:06

Personnel

  • Tom Meighan – lead vocals
  • Sergio Pizzorno – backing vocals, guitar, synths
  • Christopher Karloff – lead guitar, synths, omnichord
  • Chris Edwards – bass guitar
  • Daniel Ralph Martin – drums
  • Damian Taylor – programming

Covers