Ruby (Kaiser Chiefs song)

"Ruby" is a song by English indie rock band Kaiser Chiefs. It was released in the United States on 29 January 2007 and in the United Kingdom on 5 February as the lead single from their second studio album, Yours Truly, Angry Mob (2007). It became the band's first British number-one single on 25 February 2007 and ended 2007 as the year's 10th-biggest-selling single in the UK, with total sales of 313,765.^[3] As of September 2016, it has sold over 600,000 copies in the UK as stated by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). In the US, it charted at number seven the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart, becoming the band's highest-charting hit in the US. "Ruby" was voted number 13 on the Triple J Hottest 100 of 2007, Australia's largest annual music poll.^[4]

"Ruby"
Single by Kaiser Chiefs
from the album Yours Truly, Angry Mob
B-side	"Admire You" "From the Neck Down"
Released	29 January 2007
Genre	Power pop[1] indie rock[2]
Length	3:23
Label	B-Unique Polydor
Songwriter(s)	Ricky Wilson Andrew White Simon Rix Nick Baines Nick Hodgson
Producer(s)	Stephen Street
Kaiser Chiefs singles chronology
"Modern Way" (2005) "Ruby" (2007) "Everything Is Average Nowadays" (2007)
Music video
"Ruby" on YouTube

A video single of the song was released in the US at Best Buy stores on 13 March 2007, two weeks before the album was released there, and featured a live version of "Everything Is Average Nowadays" and the B-side "Admire You" (released on the UK 7-inch version).^[5]

Content

Speaking about the song lead singer Ricky Wilson said that Ruby "is super cool, totally unapproachable" and that "there was a girl like that at school".^[6] Andrew White said, "[I]t's not really about anyone" and "if you know someone called Ruby, it's about them".^[7] In a 2022 TikTok video, Nick Hodgson revealed that Ruby was his family pet, a black Labrador.^[8][9] He also revealed that the song was originally written on a piano.

Music video

The promo for "Ruby" was directed by Swedish production company Stylewar, who also produced the 2005 video for "I Predict a Riot", and features the band performing in a desert landscape whilst a CGI metropolis-like miniature city builds around them. The video was scheduled to be shown on Channel 4 at 11:35 p.m. on 15 January 2007 but was pulled from the schedules for unknown reasons. The video finally premiered on the official Kaiser Chiefs website four days later.

Track listings

UK 7-inch ruby-red vinyl single (BUN119-7)[10] A. "Ruby" B. "Admire You" UK and Irish CD single; digital download (BUN 119CD)[11][12] "Ruby" – 3:24 "From the Neck Down" – 2:29 Best Buy video single (UNIR 21804-2)[5] "Everything Is Average Nowadays" (live) "Admire You" "Ruby" (video)

European CD single (1724059)[13] "Ruby" "From the Neck Down" "Admire You" "Ruby" (video)

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2007) Peak position Australian Digital Tracks (ARIA)[14] 35 Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[15] 14 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[16] 5 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[17] 28 Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[18] 79 Canada Rock (Billboard)[19] 26 CIS Airplay (TopHit)[20] 124 Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[21] 1 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[22] 1 Germany (GfK)[23] 11 Hungary (Editors' Choice Top 40)[24] 31 Ireland (IRMA)[25] 5 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[26] 7 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[27] 7 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[28] 29 Norway (VG-lista)[29] 16 Russia Airplay (TopHit)[20] 178 Scotland (OCC)[30] 1 Slovakia (Rádio Top 100)[31] 15 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[32] 13 Turkey (Billboard Türkiye)[33] 18 UK Singles (OCC)[34] 1 Ukraine Airplay (TopHit)[20] 120 US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[35] 7 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[36] 14

Year-end charts Chart (2007) Position Austria (Ö3 Austria Top 40)[37] 45 Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[38] 10 Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[39] 25 Germany (Official German Charts)[40] 46 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[41] 26 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[42] 51 Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[43] 28 UK Singles (OCC)[44] 10 Chart (2008) Position UK Singles (OCC)[45] 189

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
Brazil (Pro-Música Brasil)[46]	Gold	30,000‡
Denmark (IFPI Danmark)[47]	Gold	7,500^
United Kingdom (BPI)[48]	2× Platinum	1,200,000‡
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. ‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	29 January 2007	Modern rock radio	Universal Motown	[49]
United Kingdom	5 February 2007	Digital download	B-Unique Polydor	[citation needed]
	19 February 2007	7-inch vinyl CD		[50]
United States	22 May 2007	Contemporary hit radio	Universal Motown	[51]

Notable cover versions

As part of the BBC Electric Proms the song was performed by the Ukulele Orchestra of Great Britain.^[52] On 19 January 2011, Italian band Elio e le Storie Tese played a cover version of the song at the nationwide TV-show Parla con Me, with lyrics changed into a satiric reference to the Rubygate sex scandal, which then Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi had just been involved with.^{[53][better source needed]}