The band has released seven studio albums: Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006), Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007), Humbug (2009), Suck It and See (2011), AM (2013), Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018) and The Car (2022) (the first six of which debuted at #1 on the UK Albums Chart.
Each of the band's first five singles "I Bet You Look Good On the Dancefloor", "When the Sun Goes Down", "Leave Before The Lights Come On", "Brianstorm" and "Fluorescent Adolescent" hit the UK Top Five, but their sixth single, "Teddy Picker", only went Top 20 and their seventh single, "Crying Lightning" peaked at #12.
The band's rise to success started in late 2004/early 2005 when demo songs that had been handed out in CD form at gigs found their way onto the internet. These demos rapidly spread among message boards and friends leading to a growing fan base for the band, and were collected on the unofficial Beneath the Boardwalk, which the band recognizes on their website. The band owe much of their success to viral buzz via the Internet, and have eschewed typical 'commercial' channels, including refusing to appear on the UK's (now discontinued) Top Of The Pops music program, which was often seen as a gateway to success.
The band's debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, held the record for the largest first week sales of a debut album in the UK (in its first week, it sold more than the rest of the Top 20 albums combined). The album sold over 360,000 copies in its first week, but lost the title in November 2007 to Leona Lewis's album Spirit.
On 19th June 2006 the band officially announced that founding member and bassist Andy Nicholson had left the band after missing the American leg of their tour due to 'fatigue' and the other band members couldn't stand the constant 'missing his girlfriend syndrome' so they told him to sling his hook. Former Dodgems bassist Nick O'Malley was initially brought in as a stand-in, and played the band's remaining summer commitments. He was then announced as Nicholson's permanent replacement.
The single "Leave Before The Lights Come On" came out on August 14th, but only reached Number 4 on the UK charts, denying the band a third consecutive number 1 single.
Their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not won the 2006 Mercury Prize, was chosen as the best album of year 2006 by Q Magazine, and received a slew of other accolades.
Their second album Favourite Worst Nightmare was released on April 23rd 2007. It was preceded by "Brianstorm", the first single from the album, which was released a week before. Like its predecessor, "Favourite Worst Nightmare" sold more than the rest of the Top 20 combined, and - due to an error on iTunes - every song on the record appeared on the UK Top 200 Singles the next week.
When asked about Favourite Worst Nightmare Turner commented, "We haven't changed that much. It's still about making contact with girls or not making contact with girls".
The band began to write and record demos for the third album in January 2008, Turner said "We had tunes that we'd already been playing on tour so we recorded them. That’s six [songs]. We’re going to take it easy and start practicing over the summer and doing new stuff."
The band premiered new material from the unreleased album during their January 2009 tour of New Zealand, playing small venues in Wellington and Auckland ahead of the Big Day Out festival. Their first show in more than a year was on January 13, 2009 at Wellington's Town Hall. In both cities, the new songs played were "Crying Lightning", "Go-Kart", "Dangerous Animals" and "Pretty Visitors." The full setlist from the Auckland gig is available online. Also played was a cover of the Nick Cave song "Red Right Hand." During their last tour, the band had played new songs "Put Me In A Terror Pocket", "Sandtrap," and "The Fire and The Thud" live.
Lead singer/songwriter Alex Turner started a two-man project with the singer from the Rascals, Miles Kane.
The band is called 'The Last Shadow Puppets'
The Arctic Monkeys band released their album Humbug in August of 2009, preceded by the single "Crying Lightning"
They released their fourth studio album, Suck It And See, on June 6th, 2011.
They released their fifth studio album, AM, on September 9th, 2013.
They released their sixth studio album, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, with no preceding single releases, on May 11th, 2018.
They released their seventh studio album, The Car, on October 21st, 2022, preceded by the singles "There'd Better Be a Mirrorball", "Body Paint" and "I Ain't Quite Where I Think I Am".
http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/
./505
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
In my imagination, you're waitin' lyin' on your side
With your hands between your thighs
Stop and wait a sec
When you look at me like that, my darlin', what did you expect?
I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck
Not shy of a spark
The knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark
Frightened by the bite, though it's no harsher than the bark
The middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start
I'm going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
In my imagination, you're waitin' lyin' on your side
With your hands between your thighs
But I crumble completely when you cry
It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye
I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise
Take my hands off of your eyes too soon
I'm going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
In my imagination, you're waitin' lyin' on your side
With your hands between your thighs and a smile
Arctic Monkey's "505" is a song about longing and nostalgia. The lyrics describe the singer's desire to return to a place and time where he was happy and in love. The title of the song "505" is actually a reference to a hotel room number where the singer and his lover had stayed before, and now he is wanting to go back there for a reunion.
The song's opening line, "I'm going back to 505," repeats itself throughout the song, indicating the singer's obsession with this one singular moment. He describes the distance between him and his lover, but declares that he doesn't mind traveling long hours to be reunited with her. His vivid imagination fuels his longing and makes him see her lying on the bed with her hands between her thighs, waiting for him.
The line "Stop and wait a sec when you look at me like that", suggests that the singer feels the intensity of his lover's gaze and realizes that she has a hold on him. The knife, the bark, and the bite imagery points to the difficulties that the singer faces in his relationship. Although being with his lover is often a frenzy, he wouldn't want it any other way because the relationship helps him escape from his mundane life.
In the end, the singer admits to being weak for his lover, saying that he crumbles completely when she cries. He doesn't want to ruin any surprises, yet his love for her often causes him to get over-excited and blurts out things too soon. Evidently, the song reflects a complicated relationship full of ups and downs, but nonetheless, the singer still wants to go back to that moment of pure happiness.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm going back to 505
The singer is returning to a place or moment in their past.
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive
The distance or time it takes to reach this place is not important to the singer.
In my imagination, you're waitin' lyin' on your side
The singer is picturing someone they care about resting comfortably.
With your hands between your thighs
The artist finds the person they are imagining attractive.
Stop and wait a sec
The artist is addressing someone and asking them to pause and listen.
When you look at me like that, my darlin', what did you expect?
The singer is curious about the meaning behind a specific gaze.
I'd probably still adore you with your hands around my neck
Despite the danger or risk involved, the singer still loves the person holding them tightly.
Or I did last time I checked
The artist is not sure if their feelings have changed since the last time they checked.
Not shy of a spark
The artist is not afraid of taking risks or being spontaneous.
The knife twists at the thought that I should fall short of the mark
The artist is afraid of disappointing those around them.
Frightened by the bite, though it's no harsher than the bark
The singer is scared by the potential consequences of their actions, even if they are not as bad as they seem.
The middle of adventure, such a perfect place to start
The artist believes that taking risks and going on adventures is a great way to start something new.
But I crumble completely when you cry
The singer is emotional when they see the person they care about upset.
It seems like once again you've had to greet me with goodbye
The singer has experienced this kind of separation before and it upsets them.
I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise
The singer struggles to keep a secret or surprise from the person they care about.
Take my hands off of your eyes too soon
The artist regrets revealing something too quickly or ruining the suspense.
With your hands between your thighs and a smile
The artist imagines the person they care about is happy and enjoying themselves.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alex Turner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
pax
on 505
yo this is sick
robin
on When the Sun Goes Down
DAMNNN THEY ARE GOOD GOOD
robin
on Old Yellow Bricks
damn looking at these comments remind me that there is so many things to understand about the lyrics
Birgit Eierhoff
on Do I Wanna Know
The sound goes into the blood. :)
Jeannie Smith
on Do I Wanna Know
I like it.