You’ve no doubt heard the name Arctic Monkeys. The British band has performed on “Saturday Night Live,” headlined Central Park SummerStage and played countless sold-out NYC shows. But until the song “Do I Wanna Know?” — off their fifth album, “AM” — they had never reached No. 1. The track is sitting pretty atop Billboard’s Alternative Songs chart — an honor made even sweeter because this is the first album the Monkeys have recorded since moving to America (specifically, LA) in 2012.
The lyrics
“Do I Wanna Know?” is essentially about a late-night booty call — “sitting up late at night with a glass of whiskey and pondering whether it’s a good idea to make that call,” says Alex Turner.
The sound
Turner credits the song’s sexy riff to the supernatural. “While recording, we bought a vintage guitar,” he says. “Sometimes in old equipment, it seems as though there are already … songs in it. Like a ghost!”
The reaction
“Do I Wanna Know?” has been a slow burn — it came out in June 2013 and crept up the chart. Turner admits to being surprised at the success, saying of the song, “It’s pretty meandering and unconventional.”