Hits to the Head

Hits to the Head
Greatest hits album by Franz Ferdinand
Released	11 March 2022
Recorded	June 2003 – 2021
Studio	Gula (Malmö) Govan Town Hall (Govan) Mr. Dan's Studio (London) Black Pudding (Glasgow) Sausage (London) Club Ralph (London) Motorbass (Paris) RAK (London)
Genre	Indie rock post-punk revival dance-punk
Length	69:20
Label	Domino
Producer	Franz Ferdinand Rich Costey Alex Kapranos Tore Johansson Dan Carey Julian Corrie Stuart Price Todd Terje Philippe Zdar Joe Goddard Alexis Taylor
Franz Ferdinand chronology
Always Ascending (2018) Hits to the Head (2022) The Human Fear (2025)

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	77/100[1]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Clash	9/10[3]
PopMatters	6/10[4]
Under the Radar	7/10[5]

Hits to the Head is a greatest hits album by Scottish indie rock band Franz Ferdinand, released on 11 March 2022 through the Domino Recording Company.

Overview

The album was announced on 2 November 2021, coinciding with the release of the single "Billy Goodbye".[6]

Of the decision to release a greatest hits album, lead singer Alex Kapranos compared the selection process of tracks for it to "writing a set-list for a festival", while further adding: "I have friends who believe you're somehow not a "real" fan if you own a best of rather than a discography. I disagree. I think of my parents' record collection as a kid. I loved their compilation LPs. I am so grateful that they had Changes or Rolled Gold. Those LPs were my entrance point. My introduction."[7]

Content

The album includes the band's singles with the exception of the album track "Outsiders". The versions available on the compilation are for the most part single versions and edits, except two exclusive edits, "Walk Away" and "The Fallen", and "Glimpse of Love" which is presented with the album version.

On vinyl issues of the album, each side presents an "Era" of the band. The first side (Tracks 1-5) covers their debut album, second side (6-10) covers their sophomore album, etc.[8]

Track listing

Hits to the Head track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Darts of Pleasure" (Franz Ferdinand, 2004)	Alex Kapranos Nick McCarthy	Tore Johansson	3:00
2.	"Take Me Out" (Franz Ferdinand, 2004)	Kapranos McCarthy	Johansson	3:59
3.	"The Dark of the Matinée" (Franz Ferdinand, 2004)	Bob Hardy Kapranos McCarthy	Johansson	4:05
4.	"Michael" (Franz Ferdinand, 2004)	Kapranos McCarthy	Johansson	3:23
5.	"This Fire" (single version; original album version from Franz Ferdinand, 2004)	Kapranos McCarthy	Rich Costey	3:34
6.	"Do You Want To" (You Could Have It So Much Better, 2005)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Paul Thomson	Costey Franz Ferdinand	3:36
7.	"Walk Away" (HTTH edit; You Could Have It So Much Better, 2005)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Thomson	Costey Franz Ferdinand	3:28
8.	"The Fallen" (HTTH edit; You Could Have It So Much Better, 2005)	Kapranos McCarthy	Costey Franz Ferdinand	2:57
9.	"Outsiders" (You Could Have It So Much Better, 2005)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Thomson	Costey Franz Ferdinand	3:37
10.	"Lucid Dreams" (non-album single; 2008)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Thomson	Dan Carey Franz Ferdinand	3:44
11.	"Ulysses" (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, 2009)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Thomson	Carey Franz Ferdinand	3:10
12.	"No You Girls" (Tonight: Franz Ferdinand, 2009)	Kapranos McCarthy Hardy Thomson	Carey Franz Ferdinand	3:22
13.	"Right Action" (Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, 2013)	Kapranos McCarthy	Joe Goddard Alexis Taylor	2:56
14.	"Evil Eye" (Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, 2013)	Kapranos McCarthy	Kapranos Todd Terje	2:46
15.	"Love Illumination" (Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, 2013)	Kapranos McCarthy	Kapranos	3:45
16.	"Stand on the Horizon" (Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action, 2013)	Kapranos McCarthy	Kapranos Terje	4:25
17.	"Always Ascending" (Always Ascending, 2018)	Julian Corrie Hardy Kapranos Thomson	Philippe Zdar	3:50
18.	"Glimpse of Love" (Always Ascending, 2018)	Corrie Hardy Kapranos Thomson	Zdar	3:13
19.	"Curious" (newly recorded)	Kapranos	Julian Corrie Kapranos Stuart Price	2:49
20.	"Billy Goodbye" (newly recorded)	Kapranos	Corrie Kapranos Price	3:41
Total length:				69:20

Charts

Chart performance for Hits to the Head

Chart (2022)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[9]	78
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[10]	15
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[11]	22
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[12]	5
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[13]	31
French Albums (SNEP)[14]	55
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[15]	9
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[16]	45
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[17]	10
Scottish Albums (OCC)[18]	4
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[19]	16
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[20]	15
UK Albums (OCC)[21]	7
US Top Album Sales (Billboard)[22]	42

References

1. "Hits to the Head by Franz Ferdinand". Metacritic. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
2. "Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head Album Reviews, Songs & More | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
3. Smith, Mat (16 March 2022). "Franz Ferdinand – Hits To The Head". Clash. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
4. Garratt, John (11 March 2022). "Franz Ferdinand: Hits to the Head (Album Review)". PopMatters. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
5. Berlyant, Matthew (7 June 2022). "Franz Ferdinand: Hits to the Head (Domino)". Under the Radar. Retrieved 11 February 2023.
6. Trendell, Andrew (2 November 2021). "Franz Ferdinand talk new single 'Billy Goodbye', their greatest hits and new line-up". NME. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
7. Minsker, Evan (2 November 2021). "Franz Ferdinand Share Video for New Song "Billy Goodbye"". Pitchfork. Retrieved 5 February 2023.
8. https://www.discogs.com/release/22466626-Franz-Ferdinand-Hits-To-The-Head?srsltid=AfmBOorJ0evYDKxlLJbKLuOScyHqyJWKN9V4j32YgBD0EAuQLlwQ1Mj1
9. "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 21 March 2022". The ARIA Report. No. 1672. Australian Recording Industry Association. 21 March 2022. p. 6.
10. "Austriancharts.at – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
11. "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
12. "Ultratop.be – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
13. "Dutchcharts.nl – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
14. "Lescharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
15. "Offiziellecharts.de – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
16. "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2022-03-21/p/5" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
17. "Portuguesecharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
18. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
19. "Spanishcharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
20. "Swisscharts.com – Franz Ferdinand – Hits to the Head". Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
21. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
22. "Franz Ferdinand Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved 8 February 2023.