Arctic Monkeys: 10 Hidden Song Meanings
6. Turner's Annoyance With Journalists And Music Critics
When Whatever People Say I Am... was produced, many tracks from Beneath the Boardwalk were re-recorded, the tracks the Arctic Monkeys wrote in the chaos of their youth.
This is why most of the album seems embroiled in the night life of Sheffield, with stories of riot vans, scumbags and dance floor hook-ups. "Perhaps Vampires... ", written later than the other tracks, is a deviation from this theme. The Monkeys take aim at a new addition to their lives: music critics.
And though you pretend to stand by us, I know you're certain we'll fail.
Possibly the heaviest song on the album, featuring grunge influenced chords and aggressive snare fills, "Perhaps Vampires" is an angry jab at the journalists and critics who were sucking up to them at the time. Alex Turner, ever shrewd, sees through the niceties and falseness to compose this little, hidden gem.
To this day, Arctic Monkeys appear to still have a low opinion on the world of music and pop journalism, award shows in particular. Who can forget them at the 2014 Brit Awards? And that was their least ridiculous acceptance speech to date.