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/
Bigger Boys
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
With more of a wit
An easy quipp to enthrall her
And her friends think he's fit
And you just can't measure up no
You don't have a prayer
Wishing you had made the most of her
When she was there
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched your bird
And he'd probably kick your head in
Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
You're better off without her anyway
You said you wasn't sad to see her go
Yeah but I know you were though
He might be one of those boys
That's all pretty and vain
Likes to go in the sunbed
And stays out of the rain
So that he don't get his hair wet
You wouldn't want that
At least he hasn't got a Nova
Or a Burberry hat
They've got engaged
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched your bird
And he'd probably kick your head in
Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
You're better off without her anyway
You said you wasn't sad to see her go
Of course you were
Have you heard what she's been doing?
Never did it for me
He picks her up at the school gates
At twenty past three
She's been with all the boys
But never went very far
She wagged English and Science
Just to go in his car
They've got engaged
No intention of a wedding
He's pinched my bird
And he'd probably kick my head in, oh
Now the girls have grown
But I'm sure they still carry on in similar ways
Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
So I'm better off without her anyway
I said I wasn't sad to see her go
But I'm only pretending, you know
Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know
Yeah, I'm only pretending, you know
Oh I'm only pretending, you know
The lyrics of Arctic Monkeys’ song Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts explore the feelings of inadequacy and jealousy in the aftermath of a lost love. The singer laments the fact that he was unable to measure up to the girl’s new suitor, who is taller, wittier, and considered more attractive by her friends. The frustration and bitterness of the situation are palpable, as the singer regrets not having made more of an effort to hold onto the girl when he had the chance. The chorus “Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts, You’re better off without her anyway” offers a small measure of consolation, but it’s clear that the singer still feels the sting of the loss.
The second verse introduces a new layer to the singer’s feelings of inadequacy. The new suitor is described as vain and obsessed with his appearance, a stark contrast to the singer’s more modest persona. The fact that he “hasn’t got a Nova or a Burberry hat” highlights the difference in socioeconomic status between the two. The bridge of the song offers a glimpse into what has transpired since the breakup - the girl has been with “all the boys”, but still dates her new suitor. The singer’s jealousy and bitterness are compounded by the fact that she “wagged English and Science just to go in his car”.
Overall, Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts is a poignant reflection on the painful emotions that can arise from unrequited love and lost opportunities.
Line by Line Meaning
There's always somebody taller
There's always someone better than him
With more of a wit
More intelligent, more humorous
An easy quipp to enthrall her
A clever one-liner that impresses her
And her friends think he's fit
Her friends find him attractive
And you just can't measure up no
He isn't as good as the other guy
You don't have a prayer
There's no chance he can win her back
Wishing you had made the most of her
Regretting not taking advantage of their time together
When she was there
When she was around
They've got engaged
The other guy and the girl are now engaged
No intention of a wedding
They aren't actually planning to get married
He's pinched your bird
He has stolen the girl he liked
And he'd probably kick your head in
The other guy would physically harm him if he tried to interfere
Bigger Boys and Stolen Sweethearts
The other guy is bigger and better than him and has taken the girl he liked
You're better off without her anyway
He's better off without the girl who chose someone else
You said you wasn't sad to see her go
He claimed he wasn't sad about the breakup
Yeah but I know you were though
He was actually sad about it
He might be one of those boys
The other guy may be one of those self-absorbed guys
That's all pretty and vain
Obsessed with his looks
Likes to go in the sunbed
Goes to tanning salons
And stays out of the rain
Avoids getting his hair wet
You wouldn't want that
He wouldn't want to be like him
At least he hasn't got a Nova
The other guy doesn't have an old, cheap car
Or a Burberry hat
The other guy doesn't wear a cheap, tacky hat
Have you heard what she's been doing?
Asking if he knows what the girl has been up to
Never did it for me
He was never that interested in her actions/behavior
He picks her up at the school gates
The other guy picks her up from school
At twenty past three
At a specific time in the afternoon
She's been with all the boys
The girl has been with many guys
But never went very far
Their relationships never got very serious
She wagged English and Science
She skipped classes in English and Science
Just to go in his car
To spend time with the other guy in his car
He's pinched my bird
The other guy has taken the girl he liked
Now the girls have grown
The girls they knew have grown up
But I'm sure they still carry on in similar ways
The girls probably still behave the same way they did when they were younger
So I'm better off without her anyway
He's better off without a girl who would choose someone else
But I'm only pretending, you know
He's lying about not being sad
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
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.