Do I Wanna Know?
"Do I Wanna Know?" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Arctic Monkeys | ||||
from the album AM | ||||
B-side | "2013" | |||
Released | 19 June 2013 | |||
Format | ||||
Recorded |
| |||
Genre | Indie rock, stoner rock, blues rock | |||
Length | 4:33 | |||
Label | Domino | |||
Writer(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Ross Orton | |||
Arctic Monkeys singles chronology | ||||
|
"Do I Wanna Know?" is a song recorded by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys for their fifth studio album AM (2013). The song was released as a single on 18 June 2013 together with an accompanying music video, and afterwards became available for digital download via iTunes.[1][2] A 7" vinyl edition of the single was released on 22 July 2013, with a B-side titled "2013".[3]
The song was first played live on 22 May 2013 in Ventura, California, at the first concert of the Arctic Monkeys' AM Tour. Throughout the tour, "Do I Wanna Know?" was being played as the opening number.[1]
"Do I Wanna Know?" has peaked at number 11 in the UK Singles Chart, charted in several other countries, and was the first Arctic Monkeys song to have ever entered the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States, peaking at number 70 in March 2014. In December 2014, the song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rock Performance category.[4]
Composition
Musically, "Do I Wanna Know?" is an indie rock[5] song with elements of psychedelic music and strong elements of stoner rock and blues rock.[6][7] In terms of both lyrical content and aesthetic style, the song picks up from where the band's 2012 single "R U Mine?" left off. The guitar riffs are strikingly similar, but the song is more downtempo. The track continues the hard-edged, rocking sound of their previous album Suck It and See.[8] In concert, singer and guitarist Alex Turner uses a Vox 12-string electric guitar.[9]
Structurally, the song follows a common pop music "verse-pre-chorus-chorus" form up until its second chorus; from that point on, it follows what Hit Songs Deconstructed calls "a more unorthodox flow" ending in a "pre-chorus/chorus hybrid section". Falsetto backing vocals form an interplay with those of Turner throughout the song. Moreover, the title encapsulates the entire premise of the story, the narrator wondering whether he wants to remain in doubt or know if his feelings are unrequited or mutual.[10] "Do I Wanna Know?" is in the key of G minor.[11]
Music video
The music video for "Do I Wanna Know?", directed by David Wilson with animation agency Blinkink,[12] was first released onto YouTube on 18 June 2013. As of November 2016, it has been viewed over 360 million times.[13] The video begins with a black background and simple visuals of white sound waves (similar to the AM cover art) that vibrate in synchronization, first with the percussion and lead guitar, then with the lead singer, Alex Turner. As the band enters with the chorus, colored sound waves illustrate new voices. Simple sound waves then give way to fast-moving, representational line-drawing animations that morph between a variety of female, race car, race car engine, and road racing images. At one point, the undulating white line becomes the "trucker's Mudflap girl", seen in the single's cover art. The line drawings are interrupted several times with flashes of full-color animation, several that recall the surrealistic style of Robert Crumb. The increasingly complex video creates, by turns, a somewhat jarring and psychedelic experience, in a style not unlike the Gary Gutierrez animations that were featured in The Grateful Dead Movie (1977). The video ends with the familiar white line becoming two crossed checkered flags, which join together in a single line with the "AM" initials.[14]
Commercial performance
Despite a midweek on air on sale release, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 11,[15] making it the band's highest charting single since "Fluorescent Adolescent" in 2007. This was subsequently outperformed by the next single "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", which debuted at number 8. As of 9 November 2013, "Do I Wanna Know?" has spent 32 weeks in the UK Top 100, this being the longest run of any Arctic Monkeys single, to date.[16] The single was awarded a Platinum certification by the BPI on 7 February 2015, indicating shipments in excess of 600,000 units; it is the first Arctic Monkeys single to do so.
The song has had moderate success worldwide, charting in countries such as Australia, France, Belgium, Ireland and Israel. In January 2014, the song reached number 1 on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart,[17] the group's first #1 single in the United States and their first appearance on that chart since "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" peaked at number 7 in 2006.[18] On 28 March, the track became the 30th song to have occupied the Billboard Alternative Chart top spot for 10 weeks or more. As of the 25 October 2014 issue of Billboard, it has logged 58 weeks on the Alternative Songs list, making it the second-longest running song on the chart. It also became the band's first single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 70 in March 2014.[19] On 26 January 2014, the song reached #4 on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2013.
In popular culture
"Do I Wanna Know?" was used in a 2013 Bacardi commercial.[20] In September 2014, the song was used in the pilot episode of ABC's TV series Forever,[21][22] and the fifth episode of Israeli series Ish Hashuv Meod[21], and was used in the final episode of the second series of the BBC series Peaky Blinders.[23]
The song was covered by artists such as MS MR, Sam Smith, Chvrches, Hozier, and Christina Grimmie.[24][25][26][27]
Track listing
Digital download | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Do I Wanna Know?" | 4:33 |
7" Single | ||
---|---|---|
No. | Title | Length |
1. | "Do I Wanna Know?" | 4:33 |
2. | "2013" | 2:26 |
Personnel
|
|
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications
Region | Certification | Certified units/Sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[53] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Italy (FIMI)[54] | Gold | 15,000* |
United Kingdom (BPI)[55] | Platinum | 600,000 |
United States (RIAA)[56] | Platinum | 1,000,000^ |
*sales figures based on certification alone |
Release history
Region | Date | Format | Label |
---|---|---|---|
United Kingdom[57][58] | 19 June 2013 | Digital download | Domino Recording Company |
22 July 2013 | 7" vinyl | ||
United States[59] | 10 September 2013 | Modern rock radio | |
References
- 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys release new single 'Do I Wanna Know?' - listen". NME. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? A...". 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Do I Wanna Know?". arcticmonkeys.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
- ↑ Grebey, James (5 December 2014). "Grammys 2015 Nominees: Sam Smith, HAIM, Iggy Azalea, and More". Spin. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
- ↑ "The Top 100 Indie Love Songs of All Time". Radio X. Global Radio. Retrieved 12 August 2016.
- ↑ Barry Lenser (9 October 2013). "The Top Ten Arctic Monkeys Songs". PopMatters. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
A moody stoner-rock cocktail of midnight lust and slow-burning sonics.
- ↑ Chris DeVille (15 September 2014). "Hozier – "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover)". Stereogum. SpinMedia. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
but Hozier drains it of its blues-rock swagger and converts it into an emotional folk-pop ballad
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys' new single 'Do I Wanna Know' gets (mostly) good reaction". Gigwise. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Alex Turner's Vox Starstream XII". equipboard.com. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ↑ "Do I Wanna Know? Deconstructed". Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ↑ "Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys @ Song Key Finder".
- ↑ "Music Video: The fantastic animated video for the new single by Arctic Monkeys!". It's Nice That. 19 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (Official Video)". YouTube. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know? (Official Video)". YouTube. 18 June 2013. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
- ↑ "2013 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive". 29 June 2013. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
- ↑ http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/arctic%20monkeys/
- 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Alternative Songs for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys: Charts and Awards". Allmusic. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
- 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ↑ Brownsell, Alex (18 November 2013). "Bacardi celebrates 'untameable' spirit with global marketing campaign". marketingmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- 1 2 "Arctic Monkeys". IMDb. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
- ↑ "Forever (2014) Music - Season 1: "Pilot"". TuneFind. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ "Hear the top 7 songs from the Peaky Blinders' series two soundtrack". birminghammail.co.uk. 7 November 2014.
- ↑ "MS MR cover Arctic Monkeys' 'Do I Wanna Know?' – watch". NME. 22 August 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ Lobenfeld, Claire (24 October 2013). "Sam Smith – "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover)". Stereogum. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ "Chvrches - Do I Wanna Know? (Arctic Monkeys cover)". ABC Online. 14 February 2014. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ↑ Deville, Chris (15 September 2014). "Hozier - "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover)". Stereogum. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
- ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Ultratop.be – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Canadian Hot 100 for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Canada Rock for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
- ↑ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Digital Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201434 into search. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ↑ "Lescharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Chart Track: Week 36, 2013". Irish Singles Chart.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know? Media Forest". Israeli Airplay Chart. Media Forest.
- ↑ "Dutchcharts.nl – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-06-29". Scottish Singles Top 40.
- ↑ "SNS IFPI" (in Slovak). Hitparáda – Singles Digital Top 100 Oficiálna. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: insert 201435 into search. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
- ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-06-29" UK Singles Chart. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Archive Chart: 2013-06-29" UK Indie Chart. Retrieved 29 November 2013.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Adult Alternative Songs for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Hot Rock Songs for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 12 February 2014.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Mainstream Rock Songs for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 17 April 2014.
- ↑ "Arctic Monkeys – Chart history" Billboard Rock Airplay for Arctic Monkeys. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2013". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Adult Alternative Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Alternative Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Hot Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Mainstream Rock Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2014". Billboard. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
- ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2013 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ↑ "Italian single certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved 9 January 2015. Select Online in the field Sezione. Enter Arctic Monkeys in the field Filtra. The certification will load automatically
- ↑ "British single certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 5 July 2014. Enter Do I Wanna Know in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Platinum in the field By Award. Click Search
- ↑ "American single certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved 9 April 2015. If necessary, click Advanced, then click Format, then select Single, then click SEARCH
- ↑ "Do I Wanna Know?: Arctic Monkeys". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ↑ "Do I Wanna Know?". ArcticMonkeys.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2014.
- ↑ "Alternative > Future Releases". All Access Music Group. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 17 June 2014.