10 Greatest Arctic Monkeys Songs
7. The View From The Afternoon
This is the song that kicked it off. The opener to their debut album 'Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not' is still one of the hardest hitting and loudest songs in their entire discography. The album is sometimes referred to as a loose concept album following the lives of Northerners on a typical night out. Viewing the song through this lens makes for a much more rewarding experience.
This is all the thoughts and hopes of a person just before a typical night out. 'Anticipation has the habit to set you up, For disappointment in evening entertainment, but tonight there'll be some love'. The narrator knows that him anticipating some entertainment (a euphemism for sex) will lead to disappointment, but his optimism remains nonetheless. Tonight will be the night for him.
The song is so simple and descriptive in nature and it has to be this way to remain as relatable as it is. It's a song about the most normal thing for young people in England. Getting ready to go out on the booze. The simplicity in of itself makes it poetic.
Listening to this once again once you've got to the end of the night by the end of the album is all the more rewarding.