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/
What If You Were Right The First Time
Arctic Monkeys Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Do you wonder where she is this afternoon?
And does it get on your nerves, make it slightly perturbed
That there's things that you don't know about her
And even the places that she's never been with you
Seem awful empty without her
You can look into those eyes
What if you were right the first time?
You can look into those eyes
Down no telephone line
What if you were right the first time?
Betwixt and between the fantasy dream and the fear
Do you wonder where she is this afternoon?
And with the needle in groove, is there all to prove
And tell me are your feet still tapping?
I know there's a first for a trip over the water
What is the worst that could happen?
You can look into those eyes
Down no telephone line
What if you were right the first time?
"What If You Were Right The First Time" is a song by the Arctic Monkeys from their album Suck It and See. The lyrics explore the feelings of uncertainty and doubt that can arise in a relationship. The use of the phrase "betwixt and between" immediately creates a sense of indecision and conflict. The singer is wondering where their partner is and if there are things about her that they don't know. The places that she's never been with him seem empty without her, highlighting the importance of her presence in his life.
The chorus repeats the line "What if you were right the first time?" The song suggests that maybe the singer's initial gut reaction to the relationship was the correct one. Perhaps they had a strong connection and sense of intuition at the beginning, but doubt and insecurity have crept in. The repeated line raises the question: what if we should trust our instincts and initial reactions more often?
The song's second verse continues with more uncertainty and questioning. The line "with the needle in groove, is there all to prove" suggests a sense of pressure and anxiety. The final line asks what is the worst that could happen, implying that taking a risk and trying something new might not be so bad after all.
Overall, "What If You Were Right The First Time" is a contemplative and introspective song about the doubts and insecurities that can arise in relationships. It suggests that maybe we should trust our instincts and take risks, even if we're not sure of the outcome.
Line by Line Meaning
Betwixt and between the fantasy dream and the fear
Do you feel stuck between your imagination and your worries?
Do you wonder where she is this afternoon?
Are you thinking about where she might be right now?
And does it get on your nerves, make it slightly perturbed
That there's things that you don't know about her
Are you bothered by the fact that there are things you don't know about her?
And even the places that she's never been with you
Seem awful empty without her
Do you miss her even at the places she has never been with you?
You can look into those eyes
Down no telephone line
What if you were right the first time?
Did you ever meet her face to face and wonder if your instincts were right about her?
And with the needle in groove, is there all to prove
And tell me are your feet still tapping?
Are you still hopeful despite uncertainty? Are you still excited?
I know there's a first for a trip over the water
What is the worst that could happen?
Are you willing to take a risk for her? What's the worst that could happen?
Lyrics © EMI Music Publishing, 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.