Did Arctic Monkeys hide song references in ‘No. 1 Party Anthem’?
No Arctic Monkeys album has ever had the same vibe. Across their discography, the scruffy lads from Sheffield have made some of the most off-the-wall garage rock of the 2000s while also dipping their toes into genres like desert rock, stoner rock, and even lounge music on their last handful of releases. As they made their way into the 2010s, Alex Turner sculpted AM as a love letter to the kind of music the band loved growing up.
If his infamous “that rock and roll” speech at the Brit Awards wasn’t an indication, Arctic Monkeys wanted to bring the genre back to stardom with tracks like ‘R U Mine’ and ‘Do I Wanna Know’. From a lyrical standpoint, all of these songs had to deal with the typical tropes of the rock and roll lifestyle, primarily centred around falling in and out of love.
Toward the midpoint of the record comes ‘No. 1 Party Anthem’, which practically combines both mission statements of the record together. Across this song, Turner is trying to coerce a lady friend using his best seductive voice while also realising that this girl holds all the cards and is playing him for a fool with his advances.
When talking about the song in the context of the record, Turner mentioned it breaking up the intense sides of the record, telling Uncut (via Songfacts): “I was trying to get away from melodies that stick on something, and it was one of the first melodies that meandered around a bit. You get that on ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and a couple of others, as well, on the melody and the bridge. It’s almost kind of conversational more than melodic. It doesn’t seem to follow a formula. You don’t really know where the next line is going to move melodically, which is exciting for me”.
In between the subtle advances throughout the song, Turner slips in some pieces of music history into the mix, namechecking Madness’ ‘House of Fun’ and Dusty Springfield’s ‘Look of Love’ in the lyrics. Considering how the night is unfolding for him, both songs illustrate the distinct moods of both Turner and his lover.
In Springfield’s soulful classic, she croons about getting this seductive look just like Turner is giving from across the room and being smitten with what he has to say. In the Madness tune, though, the chorus about coming of age and reaching the house of fun makes it clear that love might be just a game to them.
Since these song titles appear during the breakdown section, it’s unclear whether Turner is directing these lines at the girl or if these are the clearest lines to describe the situation. Seeing how the girl has been stringing him along, the tables have turned in this scenario. Rather than be the cockeyed womaniser he wants to be, chances are Turner is in the same situation Springfield was in her song, awaiting that look of love and knowing it might never be coming.
Outside of the love song association, the reference Turner makes to the ‘Shutterbug’ has the seeds of Big Boi’s hip-hop hit of the same name. Turner had mentioned hip-hop being a primary influence for AM’s sound, telling NME: “It sounds like a Dr Dre beat, but we’ve given it an Ike Turner bowl-cut and sent it galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster”. As much as the Monkeys were indebted to the rock and roll of old, these lines feel more like a tip-of-the-hat to the new rebellious side of music rising from the underground.
One of the other stand-out lyrics on this tune comes from the line “a rush of blood”, which is a reference to the Coldplay song ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’. Though Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys were worlds apart musically when they were starting out, the emotional weight behind this song does find some connective tissue in Chris Martin’s words. Since the Coldplay deep cut references snap decisions that were made based on distinct, Turner is following his instincts while also wondering if it will lead to nothing but heartbreak.
Though each of these song references comes in rapid succession in the final verse, each line paints a vivid picture of what the titular party should look like. Instead of painting a clear picture of what is going to happen at this party, Turner is calling attention to the singular objects that come with the seedy side of partying. You could fall in love or end up on the wrong side of the toilet by the end of the night.
