"Fake Tales of San Francisco" | ||||
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Promotional single by Arctic Monkeys | ||||
from the album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not | ||||
Released | 2005 | |||
Length | 2:57 | |||
Label | Domino | |||
Composer(s) |
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Lyricist(s) | Alex Turner | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Abbiss | |||
Arctic Monkeys singles chronology | ||||
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Music video | ||||
"Fake Tales of San Francisco" on YouTube |
"Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys originally released on the band's first EP, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys , in May 2005. [2] After being featured on the band's debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not , the song was released as a radio-only single [3] in the United States instead of "Leave Before the Lights Come On", which was released there at the end of October.
The lyrical meaning of "Fake Tales of San Francisco" narrates the beginning of the band, their gigs in Sheffield local bars and their comparison to other bands. Alex Turner's lyrics express how bands tried to be like other bands, hence the lyric "get off the bandwagon". The lyrics expressed how bands portrayed this "fake" image of who they were and what they wanted their audience to perceive them as. In Fake Tales of San Francisco Alex's lyrics sound much older than an 18-year-old, the lyrics display a much wiser and sadder tone. There is a dry sorrow feel to the lyrics, especially when love is compared to be blind and deaf as well. Turner revamps a known phrase and gives it a new meaning. The lyrics also portray that a band should reconnect to its roots and should not create a fake idea of what the band is made to be. [4] [5] [6]
The music video for the song is the same as when it was previously released on Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys . Directed by a friend of the band, Mark Bull, the video features a compilation of footage of some of the band's earliest performances at various gigs and was given airplay in the UK on MTV Two in 2005. Although he has now left the band, the video includes several shots of former bassist Andy Nicholson. The music video was directed and released by Domino Recording Co. In the video it demonstrates the Arctic Monkeys at the start of their career. The video displays some flashback to old gigs. It shows the band in local smaller bars corresponding to the lyrics of the song.
Chart (2006) | Peak position |
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Canada Rock ( Billboard ) [7] | 43 |
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
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United Kingdom (BPI) [8] | Gold | 400,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |
Arctic Monkeys are an English rock band formed in Sheffield in 2002. The group consists of lead singer Alex Turner, drummer Matt Helders, guitarist Jamie Cook and bassist Nick O'Malley; bassist and co-founder Andy Nicholson left the band in 2006.
Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys is the debut single/EP by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 30 May 2005 by Bang Bang Recordings.
"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys released on 17 October 2005, through Domino Recording Company. The song was the band's debut single and the first from their debut studio album, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not (2006). Written by frontman Alex Turner and produced by Jim Abbiss, "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" is a garage rock, indie rock, and post-punk song. It debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart on 23 October 2005, and remains one of the band's best-known songs in the UK.
Alexander David Turner is an English musician. He is the front man and lead singer-songwriter of the rock band Arctic Monkeys. Turner is known for his lyricism ranging from kitchen sink realism to surrealist wordplay, which has been praised by music critics and the public. All but one of Turner's studio albums have topped the UK Albums Chart. He has won seven Brit Awards, an Ivor Novello Award, and a Mercury Prize among other accolades.
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Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut studio album by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006 in the United Kingdom and on 21 February 2006 in the United States by Domino Recording Company. Preceded by the chart-topping singles "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" and "When the Sun Goes Down", the album also contains re-recorded versions of both tracks from the band's debut extended play (EP), Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys (2005). It is the only Arctic Monkeys album to feature bassist Andy Nicholson, as he left the band shortly after the album's release.
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Submarine is the debut solo EP by English musician and Arctic Monkeys lead vocalist Alex Turner, released on 14 March 2011 by Domino Recording Company. It was written by Turner in 2009, on an acoustic guitar, at his New York City home. It was produced in London by frequent collaborator James Ford, alongside guest musician Bill Ryder-Jones, and string arranger Owen Pallett. The EP consists of six original songs that act as the soundtrack of Richard Ayoade's debut feature film, Submarine (2010), based on the novel by Joe Dunthorne. The artwork is a resized version of the film's poster, which depicts lead actor Craig Roberts.
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