Michael Chapman and the 1970 Yorkshire album that shaped Arctic Monkeys hit ‘Do I Wanna Know?’
In 2013, there was one riff that reverberated around every corner of the globe and made this one Sheffield band the biggest in the world. ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ was that song for the Arctic Monkeys, the one that made them global and cemented their legacy in the pantheon of rock and roll.
It was wholly conceivable that the famous riff existed inside the walls of that 12-string Vox guitar, long before the band prized it out, as Alex Turner explained. It felt like an ancient relic slowly emerging from the darkness to resurrect rock and roll in this desperate modern era and christen its lucky band as the appropriate royalty for the new age.
But it still needed the finishing touches around it. Matt Helders’ drenched drum beat that harkened in an era of 2000s hip-hop, Nick O’Malley’s prowling bass line that sent this sultry number forward into narrative darkness and a willing support player in Jamie Cook. But none of these was quite as crucial as Turner’s own lyrics, which by 2013 were viewed as some of the most fascinating in music.
With one specific subject in mind, he crooned over the elusive anxiety of unrequited lust. It was vulnerable and confident in equal measures, setting the stall out for an album that would follow suit. While this was unlike anything Monkeys fans had come to expect from the band, there was a specific reference in mind that helped them get there and make this newfound environment feel a little more familiar.
“I guess it comes from a lot of sitting up late at night listening to Michael Chapman’s Fully Qualified Survivor,” said Turner, explaining the reference points for the lyrics, “I became very fond of that a couple of years ago. There’s a mood on that album which I guess I also wanted to perhaps, the feeling I got from listening to and from spending time with that record is something I perhaps wanted to embed in some of the songs on this album.”
When so many critics were citing Los Angeles as the major player in Arctic Monkeys’ commercial smash AM, Turner proved that the real hero was a fellow Yorkshireman. A man who crafted his artistry just a short drive from Arctic Monkeys’ hometown and who proved that the musical performance of longing isn’t exclusive to the rolling hills of Hollywood.
Ultimately, it’s a juxtaposition that has served as the backbone for much of Arctic Monkeys’ success. While Chapman influenced the lyrics, the composition was clearly inspired by the sultry glamour of Los Angeles and, more specifically, its deep hip hop grooves and the seediness of its late-night bars.
But on their journey to global stardom, they never neglected their hometown or its colloquialisms. Although many like to throw mud at Turner’s faux American accent, the subtle hints of Englishness and more specifically, Yorkshire, still remain in the music, and the local artists who helped build that are never far away from their points of influence.
