"'Actually, I was looking through my old voice memos on my iPhone this morning, and I found a demo for “Do I Wanna Know?” that I’ve done, and it’s got the lyrics from “No. 1 Party Anthem” on it.'"
“No. 1 Party Anthem” is a bit of an outlier on this album, since it’s a ballad on an album of more upbeat tracks. Did you worry about how it was going to fit on this album?"
"'A little bit. I knew we wanted to have a couple of them types of tunes on there. You’ve got that, and you’ve got “Mad Sounds,” which comes after it, but it’s got a little bit of something else in there. There are others that are in major key on the record, but what connects it to the rest of them is the subject matter and the melody. I was trying to get away from melodies that stick on something, and it was one of the first melodies that meandered around a bit. You get that on “Do I Wanna Know?” and a couple others, as well, on the melody and the bridge. It’s almost kind of conversational more than melodic. It doesn’t seem to follow a formula. You don’t really know where the next line is going to move melodically, which is exciting for me.'"
—Alex Turner, Under the Radar
No. 1 Party Anthem
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
So you're on the prowl wonderin' whether
She left already or not
Leather jacket, collar popped like antenna
Never knowin' when to stop
Sunglasses indoors, par for the course
Lights in the floors and sweat on the walls
Cages and poles
Call off the search for your soul
Or put it on hold again
She's havin' a sly indoor smoke
She calls the folks who run this her oldest friends
Sippin' her drink and laughin' at imaginary jokes
As all the signals are sent, her eyes invite you to approach
And it seems as though those lumps in your throat
That you just swallowed have got you goin'
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Number one party anthem
She's a certified mind blower
Knowin' full well that I don't
May suggest there's somewhere from which I might know her
Just to get the ball to roll
Drunken monologues, confused because
It's not like I'm fallin' in love
I just want you to do me no good
And you look like you could
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Number one party anthem
Come on, come on, come on
Before the moment's gone
Number one party anthem
Yeah, yeah
The look of love, the rush of blood
The, 'She's-with-me's, the Gallic shrug
The shutterbugs, the Camera Plus
The black and white and the color dodge
The good time girls, the cubicles
The house of fun, the number one
Party anthem, oh
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Come on, come on, come on
Before the moment's gone
Number one party anthem
Number one party anthem
Number one party anthem
Yeah, yeah
The opening lines of Arctic Monkeys' song "No. 1 Party Anthem" paint a vivid picture of the scene that is about to unfold: a man on the prowl at a party, looking for a woman who may or may not have already left. He is dressed in a leather jacket with the collar popped, sunglasses on despite being indoors, and seemingly unaware of when to stop his search. Meanwhile, the party is in full swing, with lights on the floors, sweat on the walls, and cages and poles scattered around. The lyrics suggest that the man is not looking for love, but rather a good time, as he encounters a woman who is smoking indoors and sipping a drink. Despite not falling in love, he is still intrigued by her and invites her to be his "number one party anthem" for the night.
The song continues on this theme of fleeting encounters and momentary pleasures. The singer is more interested in the rush of blood and the thrill of the party than in any lasting connection. Even as he encounters other people at the party, he is focused on this one woman who has caught his eye. The lyrics contrast the wild party scene with moments of introspection, suggesting that the singer is caught between two worlds: one of carefree fun and one of more serious relationships. Ultimately, however, the song remains firmly in the realm of the party anthem, punctuated by its insistent chorus and lively instrumentation.
Line by Line Meaning
So you're on the prowl wonderin' whether
You're out to find someone and wondering if she's still around
She left already or not
You're unsure if the person you're looking for is still at the party
Leather jacket, collar popped like antenna
You're dressed in a cool leather jacket with the collar turned up like an antenna
Never knowin' when to stop
You have a tendency to keep going even when you should stop
Sunglasses indoors, par for the course
Wearing sunglasses indoors is typical behavior for you
Lights in the floors and sweat on the walls
The party is wild and the floors are lit up with lights, while the walls are sweaty from dancing
Cages and poles
The party has cages and poles for people to dance on
Call off the search for your soul
Stop trying to find meaning or purpose in life
Or put it on hold again
Maybe you can forget about it for a while, again
She's havin' a sly indoor smoke
The person you're looking for is smoking indoors in secret
She calls the folks who run this her oldest friends
The person you're looking for is well acquainted with the people running the party
Sippin' her drink and laughin' at imaginary jokes
The person you're looking for is drinking and laughing, maybe pretending to understand jokes
As all the signals are sent, her eyes invite you to approach
Despite pretending to be busy, the person you're looking for seems to invite you to come closer with her eyes
And it seems as though those lumps in your throat
You feel nervous and tongue-tied
That you just swallowed have got you goin'
Your nerves make you feel like you're losing control
She's a certified mind blower
The person you're looking for is someone irresistible and captivating
Knowin' full well that I don't
You're aware that you don't know the person well
May suggest there's somewhere from which I might know her
You're suggesting that maybe you know the person from somewhere
Just to get the ball to roll
You're making conversation just to get things started
Drunken monologues, confused because
You're talking a lot but not making sense because you're drunk
It's not like I'm fallin' in love
You're not interested in love, just having fun
I just want you to do me no good
You're not looking for a meaningful relationship, just a physical one
And you look like you could
The person you're looking at seems like a good fit for what you want
The look of love, the rush of blood
You feel like you're falling in love, getting excited
The, 'She's-with-me's, the Gallic shrug
You're annoyed by guys claiming to be with the person you're looking for; you're also amused by her French shrug
The shutterbugs, the Camera Plus
People at the party are taking photos with their phones
The black and white and the color dodge
Photos are taken in black and white or with a filter
The good time girls, the cubicles
Girls who are there to have a good time, not settle down; also, bathroom stalls
The house of fun, the number one
The party is the best, the number one choice for fun
Party anthem, oh
The song is the perfect party anthem
Come on, come on, come on
You're inviting someone to come join you
Before the moment's gone
Before it's too late
Number one party anthem
This song is the best party tune
Yeah, yeah
An expression of agreement and enthusiasm
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.