No.1 Party Anthem Analysis

Alani Pestano -- October 8th

In “No.1 Party Anthem” by Arctic Monkeys, the singer finds himself at a party feeling alone, despite being surrounded by people. The song has a slow melodic tune that might be perceived as a love song, but it’s more about the empty moments at parties. The story goes that even though the singer doesn’t want to continue searching for “the one,” he spots a girl who is eyeing him over. He builds up the courage to approach her and is impressed by how different she seems compared to other girls he’s met, referring to her as a ‘certified mindblower.’ Despite this, he isn’t sure if he’s going for a meaningful relationship or perhaps a quick connection. The chorus, “come on, come on, come on, before the moment’s gone,” shows his desire to make a move before he loses the opportunity. The line “the look of love, the rush of blood” describes how he felt in the moment, as if it was ‘love at first sight.’ But when her boyfriend appears and says “She’s with me,” he shrugs it off, symbolized by “the Gallic shrug,” showing he didn’t care anymore once he knew she was taken. Throughout the party, people are taking pictures and editing them with filters, which is what he means by “the shutterbugs, the Camera Plus, the black & white, and the color dodge.” The rest of the party was sorrowful for him, despite the liveliness of the party. Even though some of the lyrics sound romantic at some points, it isn’t at all, since the story is more about how he doesn’t really connect with anyone on a night out and it ends with him alone.