"Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a song by Arctic Monkeys originally releas… Read Full Bio ↴"Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a song by Arctic Monkeys originally released on the band's first EP "Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys" in May 2005. After being featured on the band's debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the song was released as a radio only single in the United States instead of "Leave Before the Lights Come On", which was released there at the end of October. The song was also released in the Netherlands. The song was popular on US Modern Rock radio in the Fall of 2006 and peaked just below the bottom of the US Modern Rock chart.

The song with its has been one of the band's signature tracks, with its popularity as the band's first recorded track. The song derides a fictional South Yorkshire band for taking its inspiration from the USA while never having been there, with lyrics such as "I'd love to tell you all my problem / You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham", and "He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar". The song's title, meanwhile, has made it a fan-favorite in the United States.

Fake Tales of San Francisco
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Fake tales of San Francisco
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

Overall Meaning

The song “Fake Tales of San Francisco” by the Arctic Monkeys was released in 2005 and is a witty criticism of pretentiousness and inauthenticity. The song describes a scene at a wedding disco where a band is playing and all the “weekend rock stars” are in the toilet practicing their lines. The lyrics highlight the irony of people trying to fit in with a certain image while simultaneously lost in a sea of individuals all trying to do the same thing. The lyrics go on to criticize the use of cliche lines used by these “weekend rockstars” that are anything but genuine. The song continues to describe a young girl who is fleeing the scene due to the terrible band and the lack of enjoyment she is having. In the final verse, the singer points out the hypocrisy of one character who’s trying to convince others of his knowledge of San Francisco despite the fact that he's from a small town in England, which is far from California.

Line by Line Meaning

Fake tales of San Francisco
People are spreading false stories about San Francisco

Echo through the room
These stories are being repeated by others in the room

More point to a wedding disco
The scene is like a wedding reception rather than a cool concert

Without a bride or groom
There is no real reason for people to be here

And there's a super cool band, yeah
There's a band playing at the event

With their trilbies and their glasses of white wine
The band members are dressed up and drinking fancy wine

And all the weekend rock stars are in the toilet
People pretending to be rock stars are practicing in the bathroom

Practicing their lines
They are rehearsing what they will say to be cool

I don't want to hear you
The singer doesn't want to hear the false stories anymore

(Kick me out, kick me out)
The singer asks to be kicked out to avoid hearing more stories

And as the microphone squeaks
The microphone makes a loud noise

A young girl's telephone beeps
A girl's phone rings and interrupts the concert

Yeah, she's dashing for the exit
The girl is running to leave

Oh, she's running to the streets outside
She wants to escape the boring and disappointing event

"Oh, you've saved me," she screams down the line
The girl is relieved to talk to someone and shares her disappointment

"The band were fucking wank
She thought the band was terrible

And I'm not having a nice time"
She's having a bad time at the event

Yeah, but his bird said it's amazing, though
Someone else in the room says his girlfriend thinks the event is great

So all that's left
The only thing positive is

Is the proof that love's not only blind but deaf
People can love something that is not good or enjoyable

He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar
Someone is talking about San Francisco but they're really from a not-as-cool place called Hunter's Bar

I don't quite know the distance
The singer isn't certain of the distance between the two places

But I'm sure that's far
The singer assumes it's a long way away

Yeah I'm sure it's pretty far
The singer reiterates that it's definitely far away

And yeah, I'd love to tell you all my problem
The singer wants to share their own problems

You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham
But the person they're talking to is not even from a cool place like New York, they're from a small town

So get off the bandwagon, and put down the handbook
The singer tells others to stop pretending to be cool and following trends

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
The singer emphasizes their point

Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
The singer repeats their message to drive it home

Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
The singer again urges people to stop following trends and trying to be cool

Get off the bandwagon and put down the handbook
The singer emphasizes this message one final time

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Alex Turner

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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