Keane's 'Hopes and Fears': A track-by-track breakdown of the modern indie classic

Keane established themselves as ones to watch in the alternative/pop sphere with the release of their debut album 'Hopes and Fears' in 2004. The record contains indie anthems like 'Somewhere Only We Know', 'Everybody's Changing' and 'Bedshaped'.

Having debuted at Number 1 and receiving a 10x Platinum certification from the BPI — i.e over 3 million UK sales — it's no wonder that 'Hopes and Fears' continues to delight, inspire, comfort and entertain fans at 22-years-old. Let's take a look at each track...

1) 'Somewhere Only We Know'

Arguably one of the most well-recognised and beloved songs off the album, 'Somewhere Only We Know' was released as a single in February 2004 as the first single from 'Hopes and Fears'. It peaked at Number 3 in the UK charts, and in May 2024 was certified 3x Platinum by the BPI — meaning that its had over 1.8 million sales in the UK alone.

Lily Allen's cover for the John Lewis Christmas advert in 2013 gave the track a new lease of life, reaching the top of the UK charts, but the original remains a fan-favourite.

Keyboardist and composer Tim Rice-Oxley told Billboard in 2004 that he'd been inspired by David Bowie's 'Heroes', and wanted to write something that you could "drive along to a really rocking beat," adding it was one of the first recorded tracks for the album.

Tim later told The Mirror that the "somewhere" he was referring to in the song wasn't necessarily a specific place: "It's about being able to draw strength from a place or experience you've shared with someone. I think it's an idea a lot of people can relate to."

He and Tom Chaplin discussed the "enduring" nature of the track with Absolute Radio's Tim Burgess in May 2024, with Tom explaining that he'd been caught off guard by the "soaring second chorus moment".

"It took me by surprise," he admitted, continuing: "I think it was just that extra bit of magic that I hadn't really heard in one of our songs before. I guess that clearly was the same for lots of other people because it's definitely endured, hasn't it?"

2) 'Bend and Break'

'Bend and Break' was the fifth single to be released from the album, in July 2005. It didn't make it into the UK chart but went to Number 20 in the US Alternative Songs chart and has received more than 12 million views on YouTube to date.

The song is about getting through a dark state of mind, with lyrics like: 'If only I don't bend and break / I'll meet you on the other side / I'll meet you in the light / If only I don't suffocate / I'll meet you in the morning when you wait.'

When asked about the song on a message board, main songwriter Tim Rice-Oxley said: 'I've always loved the mornings. The day is new and full of possibilities. The song reminds me of when I was young and in the mornings I'd phone Tom or Richard or other friends and we'd make plans to meet up in town or play football or whatever. I still feel the same way. For example I always write songs best early in the morning.'

3) 'We Might as Well Be Strangers'

Not released, but still a hugely popular track on the 'Hopes and Fears' album, 'We Might as Well be Strangers' has had 2.7 million views on YouTube.

Tim said during Keane documentary, Strangers: "We Might As Well Be Strangers is definitely one of my favourites songs I've written because it's so unbelievably depressing. I feel that it builds up and it just sort of explodes, it's like it smoulders along for a while and then there's a big cry of frustration, and then it just hangs its head, and then goes back to the 'for all I know of you now' bit. It's a very sad song."

The emotional track includes the lyrics: 'I don't know your face no more / Or feel the touch that I adore / I don't know your face no more / It's just a place I'm looking for / We might as well be strangers in another town / We might as well be living in a different world.'

4) 'Everybody's Changing'

The second single released from the album 'Everybody's Changing' was another huge hit, which went to Number 4 in the UK when it was released on 3rd May 2004 — and has since been certified Platinum. The track was so popular, it was used in a number of TV shows, including One Tree Hill, In Plain Sight and Scrubs.

In a post on Instagram in April 2024, Keane said: "Everybody’s Changing is basically a song about trying to deal with old friendships and relationships shifting, and you yourself changing, as you go through your twenties. It’s a very transitional time in life, trying to find your place and your story as an adult."

The lyrics include: 'So little time / Try to understand that I'm / Trying to make a move just to stay in the game / I try to stay awake and remember my name / But Everybody's Changing, and I don't feel the same.'

5) 'Your Eyes Open'

'Your Eyes Open' wasn't released as a single, but it hasn't stopped the track gaining more than 2.3 million views on YouTube. The catchy tune is complemented by the lyrics:

'Well, it's a lonely road that you have chosen / Morning comes, and you don't want to know me anymore / And it's a long time since your heart was frozen / Morning comes, and you don't want to know me anymore / For a moment your eyes open and you know / All the things I ever wanted you to know / I don't know you, and I don't want to / 'Til the moment your eyes open and you know.'

Tim said during the Strangers documentary: "It is just a conflict I guess, it is a paradox thing where you can be completely mad about someone and sort of desperately want them to feel the same way about you, and yet they don't."

6) 'She Has No Time'

An unreleased track, but one that's a real crowd-pleaser none the less, 'She Has No Time' is about a woman who no longer makes time for somebody she previously 'couldn't breathe without'. At a gig in 2004, Tom revealed: 'Tim wrote this song, about a girl who broke my heart after giving me one of the best weekends of my life and then never phoning me again.'

The lyrics include: 'She says she has no time for you now / She says she has no time / Think about the lonely people / And think about the day she found you / Or lie to yourself / And see it all dissolve around you / She says she has no time for you now / She says she has no time.'

'She Has No Time' makes a regular appearance at festivals — with the crowd always keen to sing along.

7) 'Can't Stop Now'

Upbeat and catchy 'Can't Stop Now' is a great track on the 'Hopes and Fears' album. Not released as a single, but still a fan-favourite, the song is about snapping out of a mood.

Tim said during Keane documentary, Strangers: 'Can't Stop Now is about the feeling that you've been standing still sort of moping after someone, and suddenly snapping out of it and feeling that you've a lot of catching up to do, and you can't really hang around. At almost any expense you need to get out and start doing things.'

The lyrics include: 'Though I know I said I'd wait around 'til you need me / I have to go / I hate to let you down / But I can't stop now / I've got troubles of my own/ 'Cause I'm short on time / I'm lonely, and I'm too tired to talk.'

8) 'Sunshine'

One of the album's most underrated tracks 'Sunshine' ironically has quite a dark sound to it. The lyrics include: 'I hold you in cupped hands / And shield you from a storm / Where only some dumb idiot / Would let you go / But if I'm one thing / Then that's the one thing / I should know / Can anybody find their home.'

At a gig in Cologne, Lead singer Tom Chaplin said the song's about looking after the things you love. While Tim Rice-Oxley said during an interview with Undercover: "It was the only song on the album written on the guitar. It was written in France, it's probably got a bit of the French atmosphere in it. We wrote it out in the garden in France, and then rushed in and recorded it."

Although it wasn't released as a single, fans seem to love it, calling it one of the album's 'gems'.

9) 'This Is the Last Time'

The fourth single to be released from 'Hopes and Fears', 'This Is The Last Time' was released in November 2004 and went on to become one of Keane's most successful songs, spending six weeks in the charts and becoming certified Silver.

Tim Rice-Oxley said the song is about leaving somebody because the spark is no longer there, but wanting to be kind about it. He said on a message board: 'Whenever I hear the song I feel it's a snapshot of the moment of two people saying their goodbyes. I can actually see them stood facing each other. What a rotten moment that is eh.'

The lyrics include: 'This is the last time / That I will show my face / One last tender lie and / Then I'm out of this place / Tread it into the carpet / Or hide it under the stairs / You say that some things never die / Well, I tried, and I tried.'

10) 'On a Day Like Today'

'On a Day Like Today' wasn't released from the album, but it's been well received, bagging 1.3 million views on YouTube. Tom Chaplin is reported to have said during a concert that this track's about being in a low place, when everything you do makes things worse.

The lyrics include: 'On a day like today / I looked at you, and I / Saw something in the way / You stared into the sky / I saw you / Were sick and tired of my wrong turns, if you only knew / The way I feel, I'd really love / To tell you, but I / Could never seem to say / The things I needed to / On a day like today / No other words would do.'

11) 'Untitled 1'

Described by fans as 'hypnotic and mysterious', unreleased track 'Untitled 1' has haunting lyrics like: 'A house on fire / A wall of stone / A door that once was opened / An empty face, and empty bones / Who ate your heart? / You're cold inside / You're not the one I hoped for / I'll see you on the other side.'

The track has had more than 987k views on YouTube, but has never been played live. When asked about this during a Q&A on their website, Tim Rice-Oxley said: 'We've never played it, I'm not sure why. Certain songs just work better on record.'

12) 'Bedshaped'

Released as the third single from the 'Hopes and Fears' album in August 2004, 'Bedshaped' was another hugely popular Keane track. It went in to the UK singles chart at Number 10 and has since been certified Silver.

The song plays on the term bedshaped — which is what is said to happen to your body when you've spent too long in bed. Tim said: 'Bedshaped is about feeling that you've been left behind by an old friend or lover. And about hoping that you'll be reunited one day.

'It's quite a sad image of someone stuck there, stuck in a bed, until they become completely useless and start to lose their humanity. But just that idea of crumbling and being really frail and decrepid is something that eventually happens to everyone. That, I guess was the basis for the song in a way. So whatever happens when you're younger, even if you go off in search of glamour and ambitious and exciting things; once you get to your really old age, you've got all that side of life that just disappears.'

The single also had this particularly memorable animated music video to accompany it...

What awards did Keane win for 'Hopes and Fears'?

The group took home the BRIT Award for Best British Album in 2005, as well as a nomination for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. The record has also been certified 9x Platinum in the UK by the BPI, translating to over 2.7 million sales - and was the UK's second best-selling album of 2004, just coming up short to Scissor Sisters' self-titled album. It did spend a total of five weeks atop the UK charts.

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