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/
12 Fake Tales Of San Francisco
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
And there's a super cool band, yeah
With their trilbies and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet
Practicing their lines
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
I don't want to hear your
Fake tales of San Francisco
Echo through the air
And there's a few bored faces at the back
All wishing they weren't there
And as the microphone squeaks
A young girl's telephone beeps
Yeah, she's dashing for the exit
Oh, she's running to the streets outside
"Oh, you've saved me," she screams down the line
"The band were fucking wank
And I'm not having a nice time"
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you, no
(Kick me out, kick me out)
Yeah, but his bird said it's amazing, though
So all that's left
Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
I don't quite know the distance
But I'm sure that's far
Yeah I'm sure it's pretty far
And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
The Arctic Monkeys' "Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a satirical take on the music industry and the culture surrounding it. The song paints a picture of a pretentious, overhyped band playing at a wedding disco. The singer is unimpressed with the performance, and sees through the facade of the musicians' trilbys and white wine. The song highlights the inauthenticity of these weekend rockstars, who are more interested in practicing their lines in the toilets than genuinely connecting with their audience.
The chorus, "I don't want to hear your fake tales of San Francisco," is a direct commentary on the tendency of musicians to romanticize certain cities or musical movements in order to appear more legitimate or edgy. The song suggests that this kind of cultural appropriation and posturing only serves to further distance the band from their audience.
The final verse, in which the singer sarcastically suggests that the bandwagon books should be put down, is a clear indictment of the music industry's tendency to produce formulaic, marketable music that lacks any real artistic or intellectual content. The song positions itself as a counter to this kind of commercialization and commodification of music, urging listeners to seek out authenticity rather than falling for the hype.
Line by Line Meaning
Fake Tales of San Francisco, Echo through the room, More point to a wedding disco, Without a bride or groom
The song is criticizing the fake stories and experiences that people adopt to seem cool and trendy. The image of a wedding disco without a bride or groom implies that people are aimlessly following certain trends and do not have a clear sense of direction.
There's a super cool band yeah, With their trilbys and their glasses of white wine, And all the weekend rockstars are in the toilets, Practicing their lines
The band and their audience are depicted as wannabe musicians and rockstars who care more about the appearance and image rather than the music itself. This highlights the idea of people faking it to fit into a trendy scene.
I don't want to hear you, (Kick me out, kick me out), I don't want to hear, you know, (Kick me out, kick me out), I don't want to hear you, (Kick me out, kick me out), I don't want to hear you, I don't want to hear your
The repetition of 'kick me out' suggests that the singer wants to distance themselves from the fake tales and people. The singer is not interested in listening to the lies and fake stories that these people are telling.
Fake Tales of San Francisco, Echo through the air, And there's a few bored faces at the back, All wishing they weren't there
The repetition of the opening line signifies that people are still discussing the fake tales, but now, there are a few people at the back who are bored and frustrated with the situation. They might have realized that they don't belong in this scene and are starting to question it.
And as the microphone squeaks, A young girl's telephone beeps, Yeah she's dashing for the exit, Oh she's running to the streets outside, 'Oh you've saved me,' she screams down the line, 'The band were fucking wank, And I'm not having a nice time'
The young girl in this verse represents someone who got caught up in the fake tale and decided to leave the scene because she realized it wasn't worth her time or energy. She confesses over the phone that the band was terrible and that she wasn't enjoying herself.
Yeah but his bird said it's amazing, though, So all that's left, Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
The line 'his bird said it's amazing' implies that people are blindly following others' opinions, even if they don't really believe in them. This highlights how people tend to follow trends or people they're interested in without really thinking for themselves, thus being blind and deaf to their own intellect and beliefs.
He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar, I don't quite know the distance, But I'm sure that's far, Yeah, I'm sure it's pretty far
The singer is making fun of people who pretend to be from San Francisco, a trendy and cool city, but are actually from a completely different place. He doesn't know the exact distance between San Francisco and Hunter's Bar but implies that they are far away, suggesting that the person is pretending to be cooler than they actually are.
And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem, You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham, So get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook, Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The artist is directly addressing someone and essentially telling them to stop pretending to be from a certain place or following certain trends just to seem cool. By saying 'get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook,' he is asking people to stop following trends blindly and start thinking for themselves.
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook, Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook, Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook, Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
The repetition of this line serves as a chorus and emphasizes the main message of the song - stop pretending and start being yourself. The artist wants people to stop following trends and faking their experiences just to seem cool.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alex Turner
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Beatriz
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Echo through the room
More point to a wedding disco
Without a bride or groom
There's a super cool band yeah
With their trilbys and their glasses of white wine
And all the weekend rockstars are in the toilets
Practicing their lines
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear, you know
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear you
I don't want to hear your
Fake Tales of San Francisco
Echo through the air
And there's a few bored faces at the back
All wishing they weren't there
And as the microphone squeaks
A young girl's telephone beeps
Yeah she's dashing for the exit
Oh she's running to the streets outside
"Oh you've saved me, " she screams down the line
"The band were fucking wank
And I'm not having a nice time"
I don't want to hear you
(Kick me out, kick me out)
I don't want to hear, you know
(Kick me out, kick me out)
Yeah but his bird said it's amazing, though
So all that's left
Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
I don't quite know the distance
But I'm sure that's far
Yeah I'm sure it's pretty far
And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
GAVINJ 145
That "love's not only blind but deaf" line is genius
Isabella Balsom
Alex is a genius
Prisca Zeni
Mdrrrrrrr i'm dead
ahenderson1989
alex turner is a genius. who else could come up with lyrics such as "so all thats left, is the proof that loves not only blind but deaf" and "all the weekend rockstars in the toilets practicing their 'lines'". he is a true modern day poet that just happens to also play guitar and head probably the greatest band of their generation. amazing
Ben Townsend
Very underrated track on the album. Id place it above dancefloor.
Ben Townsend
I did name half the album but it just shows how good it is
Ben Townsend
@Sugar honestly view from the afternoon doesn't hit different like some of the others do. It's a good song but I don't like it as much for whatever reason. Id say my favourites are ACR, Mardy bum, FTOSF, FTRTTR, dancing shoes, when the sun goes down.
Sugar
Best track imo, maybe the view from the afternoon is better tho
jkubed95
I tried listening to the Monkeys several times in the past 7 years or so. I could never really get into them. I respected the music and them as musicians, but it never really "clicked," you know? A few months ago on a whim I listened to a song off of AM and loved it. Listened to the whole album and loved all of it with a passion. It was on repeat for weeks. I then decided I needed to check out all of their work and I love all of that even more. They're currently my favorite band and I cannot understand how I didn't find all of their music kickass before.
Jimboringo
Honestly, they’re all my favourite