Every Arctic Monkeys Single Ranked Worst To Best
1. When The Sun Goes Down
One of the songs that started it all for the Arctic Monkeys, When the Sun Goes Down shot straight to number 1 in the charts and helped to redefine the music of an entire generation. It stood out from every other song on the band’s classic debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not because it is one of the best songs they’ve ever made.
Surrounded by an album full of songs written like the very best of British poetry, When the Sun Goes Down featured Turner's story writing at its strongest as he lyricised on many levels and became the frontman of a generation.
The band play the song with a goading attack, starting with a downbeat introduction to the characters of a prostitute and her scumbag client before crashing in relentlessly. When Alex Turner directs his scorn towards you, you’re screwed. Nothing ruins quite like that lyrical prowess.
When the Sun Goes Down was a song dedicated to the working class, the North, the kids who want to scream and dance, the dreamers who want to escape. Perhaps almost 15 years later this song is overplayed, but it will never really get old. Just like Pulp’s Common People or Manic Street Preachers’ A Design For Life, When the Sun Goes Down is infinite