Arctic Monkeys’ AM
The Arctic Monkeys is a famous English band from the United Kingdom. In recent years, they have skyrocketed in popularity, with millions of people listening to their songs. They gained their first boost of popularity with their 2007 album “Favorite Worst Nightmare”, which is part of the band's rock era but has one song that would show their later ways. That being “505”, which would give us a glimpse of the band's change in genre, which would be fully realized in their now most popular album to date: AM (Which just stands for the band's initials). This album would blend the guitar and drum-heavy parts of their older rock work, blending pop lyrics and smoother melodies. So, with that being said let me take you into the Arctic Monkeys’ musical masterpiece.
Do I Wanna Know?
This is the first song on the album and sets the mood for the entire album. As every song has something to do with love, this one focuses on an obsessive lover who is scared about their relationship. This is shown in the song's title; it's the lover asking himself if he wants to know the truth. If his lover is even interested in him. “Do I wanna know? If this feeling flows both ways… It’s sad to go; I was sorta hopin’ that you’d stay”. This verse not only shows us how paranoid or nervous the lover is feeling in this situation but also gives us how desperate they are willing to get. This is shown in the chorus, “Crawlin’ back to you. Even thought of callin’ when you had a few? ‘Cause I always do… Maybe I’m too busy bein’ yours’ to fall for someone new”. This person is so nervous about losing their partner that they are crawling on their knees and can only think about them. This song gives us a glimpse into the later parts of the album and is simply perfect on its own.
Arabella
This is the fourth song and carries a more upbeat mood compared to the last one. It’s about a “Space-Aged Lover named Arabella”. And it starts off quick, with a brief intro to Arabell herself. “Arabella’s got some interstellar-gator skin boots”. The first line shows us that Arabella is not of this world. It continues into the chorus, where we get the perspective of Arabella’s partner. “My days end best when the sunset gets itself behind that little lady sittin’ on the passenger side…The horizon tries, but it’s not as kind on the eyes”. The partner obviously loves Arabella, where they would go as far as putting them above the horizon in beauty. Something that is quite hard to beat. Later in the song, the partner would continue their perspective: “Wraps her lips, ‘round a Mexican Coke. Makes you wish that you were the bottle…”. Again, the partner is comparing Arabella to something great—Mexican Coke—which some believe is better because it is made with cane sugar, having a sweeter and more refreshing taste.
Snap Out of It
This is the album's tenth song and returns to the mood set up “Do I Wanna Know”. But instead of being about an obsessive lover nervous about losing their partner, it's about a lover telling their partner that she needs to snap out of her new relationship. At first glance, this might seem to be about another obsessive lover; however, instead, it's about an already-ended relationship where the two people haven’t even talked to each other in a while. “What’s been happenin’ in your world? What have you been up to?”. So, with this, we learn that it's been long enough for them to lose contact. “I heard that you fell in love, or near enough… I gotta tell you the truth”. The partner says that even if she’s fallen in love with someone else, he still has to try to get her back, which is shown in the ever-so-catchy chorus. “I wanna grab both of your shoulders and shake, Snap out of it, baby, snap out of it. I got a feeling that I’ve left you too late…”. The lover tries their best to convince their previous partner to snap out of this new relationship. Even going as far as saying they are hypnotized: “Under a spell, you’re hypnotized. Darling, how could you be so blind?”. So, instead of an obsessive over we have a clinging one.
With all of that said, this album is truly something else. It’s not only a masterpiece of sound and melodies but also shows us a band's turning point—something that doesn’t always happen great. So, I cannot stress enough that you should go listen to this album. If not, go back to their previous works. No matter where, there will be something you will enjoy.
