Arctic Monkeys “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” hit #1 in the UK

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor Arctic Monkeys

Writer(s): Alex Turner (see lyrics here) Released: October 17, 2005 First Charted: October 9, 2005 Peak: 7 AR, 12 UK, 18 AU, 6 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 0.4 US, 1.8 UK Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 146.0 video, 539.69 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: The early 2000s saw a garage revival led by American groups the Strokes and the White Stripes. Eager to have their own entry in the genre, the UK went all in on embracing the Sheffield-based Arctic Monkeys in 2005. Just a few years earlier, members Alex Turner and Jamie Cook got guitars for Christmas and, with help from bassist Andy Nicholson and drummer Matt Helders, started playing songs by the White Stripes and the Vines. They were “well on the way to joining their idols in the big leagues, thanks largely to the promise shown in a set of demos the band made available for free on the internet.” TB Thanks to that and their reputation for live performances, they’d built a strong fan base before ever releasing a record. It set the group up to be “the most talked about British band in years” TB when “I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor” debuted at #1 on the UK charts. Alison Howe, a talent booker, said it “felt like a moment that a generation would remember for the rest of their lives.” WK The Monkeys recorded the song with producer Alan Smyth first before trying again with James Ford and Rich Costey. They finally landed on a winning version with producer Jim Abbiss. WK The song features “jagged guitar chords and Turner’s stream-of-consciousness-style vocal about ‘dancing to electro-pop like a robot from 1984.’” TB British music magazine NME said it was “the perfect encapsulation of what it is to be young, pissed, lusty, angry, and skint in modern day Britain.” WK Stylistically, “Dancefloor” is somewhere “between the early-21st-century vogue for scratchy new wave and the confident swagger of 1990s favorites Oasis.” TB Music writer Tom Ewing even said the rise of the band “gave the impression that a return to the Britpop boom was upon us.” WK Their debut album, Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, became the fastest-selling debut of all time in the UK. when it sold more than 365,000 copies in its first week. SF Resources: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Arctic Monkeys SF Songfacts DT Dave Thompson (2011). 1000 Songs That Rock Your World. Krause Publications: Iola, WI. Page 281. TB Thunder Bay Press (2006). Singles: Six Decades of Hot Hits & Classic Cuts. Outline Press Ltd.: San Diego, CA. Page 315. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 9/28/2023.