Do I Wanna Know? Explained

Do I Wanna Know?
Cover:Arctic Monkeys - Do I Wanna Know.png
Type:single
Artist:Arctic Monkeys
Album:AM
B-Side:2013
Studio:
Genre:
Label:Domino
Composer:
Lyricist:Alex Turner
Producer:
Prev Title:R U Mine?
Prev Year:2012
Next Title:Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?
Next Year:2013

"Do I Wanna Know?" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys, with lyrics written by frontman Alex Turner. It was released on 19 June 2013 by Domino Recording Company as the second single from their fifth studio album, AM (2013). It received a digital download release through iTunes as well as an accompanying music video. Before its release as a single, the song was premiered by the band live in May 2013 on the AM Tour, where it was often played as the opening number. It is an indie rock, psychedelic rock, stoner rock, blues rock and alternative rock song, and is built around a stomping guitar riff.

"Do I Wanna Know?" 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 and also serving as their "big breakthrough moment" in the US. The song was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015. In December 2019, the song was ranked number three on Guitar Worlds list of the 20 best guitar riffs of the decade. The song has accumulated about two billion streams on Spotify and ranks in the 100 most-streamed songs in the streaming platform's history, and its music video has earned 1.6 billion views on YouTube.

Composition

"Do I Wanna Know?" is performed in the key of G minor.[1] Musically, it has been described as an indie rock,[2] psychedelic rock,[3] stoner rock,[4] blues rock[5] and alternative rock song.[6] The song has a similar aesthetic style and lyrical content to their 2012 song "R U Mine?"; it is more downtempo while having similar guitar riffs. PopMatters describes it as "a cleaner, slower-burning 'R U Mine?'", while also finding its "stomping" style to be a "steadier take" on the music found on Humbug (2009).[7] The song also contains the edgier sound found on their previous album Suck It and See (2011).[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 are also blended with those of Turner's 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]

Release and reception

"Do I Wanna Know?" was first played live on 22 May 2013 in Ventura, California at the first concert of the band's AM Tour. Throughout the tour, the song was being played as the opening number. It was then released as AMs second single on 19 June 2013, appearing in digital download formats through iTunes. It was accompanied by a music video released on YouTube.[11] [12] The single was released with no promotion, allowing fans to purchase it through iTunes immediately.[13] [14] A 7-inch vinyl edition of the single was released on 22 July 2013, with a B-side titled "2013".[15] On AM, "Do I Wanna Know?" appears as the opening track.[16]

Rolling Stone ranked "Do I Wanna Know?" as the tenth best song of 2013, calling it "the highlight of the U.K. crew's soul-rock overhaul album AM".[17] The song was nominated for Best Rock Performance at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in 2015,[18] losing to "Lazaretto" by Jack White.[19] In December 2019, the song was ranked number three on Guitar Worlds list of the 20 best guitar riffs of the decade.[20] NME later ranked the song as the fifth best song of the 2010s decade.[21] Music critic Steven Hyden said of the song "If "Seven Nation Army" is the most famous rock song of the last 20 years, then "Do I Wanna Know?" has to be the second most famous".[22]

Commercial performance

Despite a midweek on air on sale release, the song entered the UK Singles Chart at number 11,[23] making it the band's highest-charting single since "Fluorescent Adolescent" in 2007. It was outperformed by the next single "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", which debuted at number eight. "Do I Wanna Know?" has spent 65 weeks in the UK top 100, this being the longest run of any Arctic Monkeys single, to date.[24] The single was awarded a platinum certification by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) on 7 February 2015, indicating shipments in excess of 600,000 units; it is the first Arctic Monkeys single to do so. As of, it is certified quintuple-platinum in the UK.

The song had moderate success worldwide, charting in countries such as Australia, France, Belgium, Ireland and Israel. In January 2014, the song reached number one on the Billboard Alternative Songs chart, the group's first number one single in the United States and their first appearance on that chart since "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" peaked at number seven in 2006.[25] On 28 March, the track became the 30th song to have occupied the Billboard Alternative Songs chart top spot for 10 weeks or more. As of the 25 October 2014 issue of Billboard, it logged 58 weeks on the Alternative Songs list, making it the second-longest running song on the chart at the time. It also became the band's first single to appear on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at number 70 in March 2014. On 26 January 2014, the song reached number four on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2013, and, on 14 March 2020, reached number three on Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2010s.

In late 2023, for the 35th anniversary of Alternative Songs (which by then had been renamed to Alternative Airplay), Billboard ranked "Do I Wanna Know?" as the 18th-most successful song in the chart's history.[26] [27]

Music video

The music video for "Do I Wanna Know?", directed by David Wilson with animation agency Blinkink,[28] was first released onto YouTube on 18 June 2013. As of June 2020, it has been viewed over one billion times,[29] becoming one of only 12 rock videos to achieve this feat.[30] The video begins with a black background and simple visuals of white sound waves (similar to the AM cover art) that vibrate in synchronisation, first with the percussion and lead guitar, then with the lead singer, Alex Turner. As the band enters with the chorus, coloured 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.

In popular culture

"Do I Wanna Know?" was used in a 2013 Bacardi commercial.[31] In September 2014, the song was used in the pilot episode of ABC's TV series Forever,[32] and the fifth episode of Israeli series Ish Hashuv Meod. An instrumental version of the song is used in the second season finale of the BBC series Peaky Blinders.[33] The song was also present in Ubisoft's 2014 game, The Crew as one of the songs in the in-game radio.

The song has been covered by artists such as MS MR, Sam Smith, Chvrches, Hozier, Dua Lipa, and Christina Grimmie.[34] [35] [36] [37] [38]

Personnel

Adapted from the CD single liner notes.[39]

Arctic Monkeys
Additional personnel

Charts

Weekly charts

2016 weekly chart performance!Chart (2016)!Peak
position
2021–2023 weekly chart performance!Chart (2021–2023)!Peak
position
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[41] 80

Year-end charts

2013 year-end chart performance! Chart (2013)! Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[42] 55
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[43] 52
2014 year-end chart performance! Chart (2014)! Position
US Adult Alternative Songs (Billboard)[44] 41
US Alternative Songs (Billboard)[45] 1
US Hot Rock Songs (Billboard)[46] 20
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[47] 46
US Rock Airplay (Billboard)[48] 1
Chart (2018)! scope="col"
Position
Portugal (AFP)[49] 151
Chart (2021)! scope="col"
Position
Portugal (AFP)[50] 91
Chart (2022)! scope="col"
Position
Global Excl. US (Billboard)[51] 153
Lithuania (AGATA)[52] 63
UK Singles (OCC)[53] 86
Chart (2023)! scope="col"
Position
Poland (Polish Streaming Top 100)[54] 85
UK Singles (OCC)[55] 72

Decade-end charts

Chart (2010–2019)! scope="col"
Position
UK Singles (Official Charts Company)[56] 93

Release history

Region! scope="col"
DateFormatLabelRef.
United Kingdom19 June 2013Digital downloadDomino[57] [58]
22 July 20137" vinyl
United States10 September 2013Modern rock radio[59]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Do I Wanna Know by Arctic Monkeys @ Song Key Finder. 12 December 2014. 31 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205042/http://www.songkeyfinder.com/songs/2831/Arctic+Monkeys+Do+I+Wanna+Know. live.
  2. Web site: The Top 100 Indie Love Songs of All Time. Radio X. Global Radio. 12 August 2016. 31 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205049/https://www.radiox.co.uk/features/x-lists/best-indie-rock-love-songs-of-all-time/. live.
  3. Web site: Cameron. Keith. 9 September 2013. Arctic Monkeys – AM. https://web.archive.org/web/20180727181022/https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/6412/arctic-monkeys-am. 27 July 2018. 24 March 2021. Mojo. Superficially, Do I Wanna Know? harks back to the spectral psych-rock the Monkeys essayed so successfully on Humbug.
  4. Web site: Lenser. Barry. 9 October 2013. The Top Ten Arctic Monkeys Songs. 9 October 2015. PopMatters. A moody stoner-rock cocktail of midnight lust and slow-burning sonics..
  5. Web site: Hozier – "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover). Chris. DeVille. 15 September 2014. Stereogum. SpinMedia. 9 October 2015. but Hozier drains it of its blues-rock swagger and converts it into an emotional folk-pop ballad.
  6. Web site: 30 Alternative Rock Songs That Defined the 2010s. . Nattress . Katrina. November 22, 2019. May 10, 2022.
  7. Web site: Lenser . Barry . Arctic Monkeys – "Do I Wanna Know?" (video) . PopMatters . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231223945/https://www.popmatters.com/173019-do-i-wanna-know-the-arctic-monkeys-2495745082.html . 31 December 2020 . 28 June 2013.
  8. Web site: Arctic Monkeys' new single 'Do I Wanna Know' gets (mostly) good reaction . 19 June 2013 . 19 June 2013 . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205047/https://www.gigwise.com/news/82351/arctic-monkeys-new-single-do-i-wanna-know-gets-mostly-good-reaction . live .
  9. Web site: Alex Turner's Vox Starstream XII . Equipboard.com . 31 January 2016 . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205052/https://equipboard.com/pros/alex-turner-arctic-monkeys/vox-starstream-xii . live .
  10. Web site: Do I Wanna Know? Deconstructed . 20 December 2014.
  11. Arctic Monkeys release new single 'Do I Wanna Know?' – listen . 19 June 2013 . 19 June 2013 . . 26 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130626073843/http://www.nme.com/news/arctic-monkeys/70928 . live .
  12. Web site: Arctic Monkeys release new single 'Do I Wanna Know?' – listen . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231224645/https://www.uncut.co.uk/news/arctic-monkeys-release-new-single-do-i-wanna-know-listen-21742/ . 31 December 2020 . 19 June 2013.
  13. Web site: Cragg . Michael . Arctic Monkeys – Do I Wanna Know?: New music . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201019203009/https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2013/jun/19/arctic-monkeys-do-i-wanna-know . 19 October 2020 . 19 June 2013.
  14. Web site: Minsker . Evan . New Arctic Monkeys: "Do I Wanna Know?" . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160916172415/https://pitchfork.com/news/51224-new-arctic-monkeys-do-i-wanna-know/ . 16 September 2016 . 19 June 2013.
  15. Web site: Do I Wanna Know?. arcticmonkeys.com. 10 July 2013. 17 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130712043618/http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/news.php?id=593. 12 July 2013. dead.
  16. Web site: AM – Arctic Monkeys . Stephen Thomas . Erlewine . Stephen Thomas Erlewine . . 16 November 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131114115822/http://www.allmusic.com/album/am-mw0002557264 . 14 November 2013 . live.
  17. 100 Best Songs of 2013 . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200812101552/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-songs-of-2013-38994/arctic-monkeys-do-i-wanna-know-220356/ . 12 August 2020 . 4 December 2013.
  18. Web site: Grammys 2015 Nominees: Sam Smith, HAIM, Iggy Azalea, and More . . James . Grebey . 5 December 2014 . 5 December 2014 . 24 September 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150924141720/http://www.spin.com/articles/grammys-2015-nominees-beyonce-sam-smith-iggy-azalea/ . live .
  19. Grammys 2015: And the Winners Are ... . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200922085239/https://www.billboard.com/articles/events/grammys-2015/6465551/grammys-2015-winners-57th-annual . 22 September 2020 . 8 February 2015.
  20. Web site: The 20 best guitar riffs of the decade . Horsley . Jonathan . 12 December 2019 . Guitar World . 16 December 2019 . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205042/https://www.guitarworld.com/news/the-20-best-guitar-riffs-of-the-decade . live .
  21. Web site: The Best Songs Of The Decade: The 2010s . . 1 January 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201124012749/https://www.nme.com/features/nmes-greatest-songs-of-the-decade-the-2010s-2583527 . 24 November 2020 . 4 December 2019.
  22. Web site: The Best Albums Of 2013, Ranked (10 Years Later). . 21 June 2023 . 25 August 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230622054837/https://uproxx.com/indie/best-albums-of-2013-ranked-10-years-later/. 22 June 2023.
  23. Web site: 2013 Top 40 Official UK Singles Archive. . 29 June 2013. 14 July 2013. 9 August 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180809073442/http://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20130623/7501/. live.
  24. Web site: Arctic Monkeys | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company . . 20 February 2020 . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205047/https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/17120/arctic-monkeys/ . live .
  25. Web site: Arctic Monkeys: Charts and Awards. AllMusic. 11 September 2013. 31 December 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205050/https://www.allmusic.com/search/artists/arctic+monkeys. live.
  26. Alternative Airplay Chart's 35th Anniversary: Foo Fighters Remain No. 1 Act, 'Monsters' New Top Song. Rutherford. Kevin. Billboard. September 7, 2023. November 10, 2023.
  27. https://web.archive.org/web/20231006001750/https://www.billboard.com/charts/greatest-alternative-songs/. Greatest of All Time Alternative Songs. October 6, 2023. November 10, 2023. live. Billboard.
  28. Web site: Music Video: The fantastic animated video for the new single by Arctic Monkeys! . It's Nice That . 19 June 2013 . 19 June 2013 . 24 June 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130624024929/http://www.itsnicethat.com/articles/arctic-monkeys-1 . live .
  29. Web site: Skinner . Tom . Arctic Monkeys reach one billion YouTube hits for 'Do I Wanna Know?' video . NME . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201026162153/https://www.nme.com/news/music/arctic-monkeys-reach-one-billion-youtube-hits-for-do-i-wanna-know-video-2690222 . 26 October 2020 . 17 June 2020.
  30. Web site: Schatz . Lake . Arctic Monkeys' "Do I Wanna Know?" Video Surpasses One Billion Views on YouTube . . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201030083104/https://consequenceofsound.net/2020/06/arctic-monkeys-do-i-wanna-know-one-billion-views-video/ . 30 October 2020 . 17 June 2020.
  31. Web site: Bacardi celebrates 'untameable' spirit with global marketing campaign . Brownsell . Alex . marketingmagazine.co.uk . 18 November 2013 . 26 September 2014.
  32. Web site: Forever (2014) Music – Season 1: "Pilot" . TuneFind . 26 September 2014 . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205140/https://www.tunefind.com/show/forever/season-1/19816 . live .
  33. Web site: Hear the top 7 songs from the Peaky Blinders' series two soundtrack . birminghammail.co.uk . 7 November 2014 . 31 January 2016 . 31 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201231205103/https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/hear-top-7-songs-peaky-8066439 . live .
  34. Dua Lipa Delivers a Chilling Acoustic Performance of Arctic Monkeys' 'Do I Wanna Know?' on BBC Radio 1 Live. Billboard. 6 March 2018. 20 May 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180520084553/https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/pop/8099785/dua-lipa-do-i-wanna-know-live-lounge-cover-arctic-monkeys. live.
  35. Web site: MS MR cover Arctic Monkeys' 'Do I Wanna Know?' – watch . . 22 August 2013 . 26 September 2014.
  36. Web site: Sam Smith – "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover) . . Claire . Lobenfeld . 24 October 2013 . 26 September 2014.
  37. Web site: Chvrches – Do I Wanna Know? (Arctic Monkeys cover) . . 14 February 2014 . 26 September 2014.
  38. Web site: Hozier – "Do I Wanna Know?" (Arctic Monkeys Cover) . . Chris . Deville . 15 September 2014 . 24 June 2015.
  39. "Do I Wanna Know?". Arctic Monkeys. 2013. Domino. UK. CD liner notes. RUG542CDP.
  40. Web site: Tutti i successi del 2013 . Italian . Hit Parade Italia . 5 December 2021.
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  48. Rock Airplay Songs: Year End 2014 . . 21 December 2014 . 24 May 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180524092445/https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/2014/rock-airplay-songs . live .
  49. Web site: Top AFP – Audiogest – Top 200 Singles 2018. Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa. pt. 16 August 2020. 21 August 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200821125319/http://www.audiogest.pt/documents/files/top_vendas/Top_200_2018.xls. live.
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  52. Web site: 2022 metų klausomiausi (Top 100). AGATA. lt. 27 February 2023.
  53. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart Top 100 – 2022. Official Charts Company. 4 January 2023.
  54. Web site: Top 100 OLiS – single w streamie 2023. OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. pl. 16 February 2024.
  55. Web site: End of Year Singles Chart – 2023. Official Charts Company. 3 January 2024.
  56. Web site: The UK's Official Top 100 biggest songs of the decade. Official Charts Company. Copsey. Rob. 11 December 2019. 12 December 2019. 11 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191211082710/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/the-uks-official-top-100-biggest-songs-of-the-decade-2010-2019__27936/. live.
  57. Web site: Do I Wanna Know?: Arctic Monkeys . . 17 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130624055020/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Do-I-Wanna-Know/dp/B00DHQYJKG . June 24, 2013.
  58. Web site: Do I Wanna Know? . ArcticMonkeys.com . 10 July 2013 . 17 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130712043618/http://www.arcticmonkeys.com/news.php?id=593 . 12 July 2013 . dead .
  59. Web site: Alternative > Future Releases . All Access Music Group . 17 June 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130928125946/http://www.allaccess.com/alternative/future-releases . 28 September 2013 . dead .

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