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/
Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Stron but ...
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
What is he doing?
What on earth's the plan, has he got one?
You better give me some pointers
Since you are the big rocket launcher
And I'm just the shotgun
Well, I ain't got no dollar signs in my eyes
That might be a surprise but it's true
And I don't want your advice or your praise
Or to move in the ways you do
And I never will
'Cause all you people are vampires
And all your stories are stale
And though you pretend to stand by us
I know you're certain we'll fail
Well, I've seen your eyes as they fix on me
Full of confusion
Your snarl is just so condescending
Try to explain that we're on to a win
If the fee we got in
Near recoups what we're spending
He said, "I can't believe that you drove all that way
Well, how much did they pay ya? How much did they pay ya?
You'd have been better to stay round our way"
Thinking 'bout things but not actually doing the things
'Cause all you people are vampires
And all your stories are stale
And though you pretend to stand by us
I know you're certain we'll fail
'Cause all you people are vampires
And all your stories are stale
And though you pretend to stand by us
I know you're certain we'll fail
All you people are vampires
Arctic Monkeys has a habit of taking on authority with cutting wit and sarcasm, and "Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But..." is no exception. The lyrics take aim at exploitative music industry types, with lead singer Alex Turner derisively referring to them as "vampires." In the first verse, he addresses their condescending attitudes, mocking their attempts to offer guidance and mentorship. Turner asserts that he doesn't need their advice or praise.
The second verse sees Turner calling out the industry's obsession with profit, as he recounts an exchange with a promoter who questions the band's decision to play a gig far away from home. Turner dismisses his insinuation that they should have stayed put for a bigger paycheck, instead calling them out for not actively pursuing their dreams.
Throughout the song, Turner emphasizes his distrust of the "vampires," making it clear that he and his bandmates are not interested in playing by their rules or seeking their approval. Ultimately, he sees them as parasites who feed off of the creative output of musicians like himself.
Line by Line Meaning
I've seen your eyes as they fix on me
I have noticed you looking at me
What is he doing?
What is this person's intention?
What on earth's the plan, has he got one?
Does this person have a plan?
You better give me some pointers
You should give me some advice
Since you are the big rocket launcher
Since you are important and influential
And I'm just the shotgun
And I am just a small player
Well, I ain't got no dollar signs in my eyes
Money is not my main motivation
That might be a surprise but it's true
This may be unexpected, but it is the truth
Said, I'm not like you
I am different from you
And I don't want your advice or your praise
I do not want your input or approval
Or to move in the ways you do
Or to follow your path
And I never will
And I will not change my mind
'Cause all you people are vampires
You are all draining and untrustworthy
And all your stories are stale
Your ideas and stories are unoriginal
And though you pretend to stand by us
Even if you claim to support us
I know you're certain we'll fail
I know you expect us to fail
Full of confusion
You are confused
Your snarl is just so condescending
Your sneer is very disrespectful
Try to explain that we're on to a win
I am trying to convince you that we will be successful
If the fee we got in
If the payment we received
Near recoups what we're spending
Almost covers our expenses
He said, "I can't believe that you drove all that way
He exclaimed that he couldn't believe we travelled so far
Well, how much did they pay ya? How much did they pay ya?
How much money did they give you?
You'd have been better to stay round our way"
You should have stayed closer to us
Thinking 'bout things but not actually doing the things
Only thinking about possibilities, but not taking action
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.