Arctic Monkeys fans still confused by meaning of band's huge song 10 years on

Fans of Alex Turner-fronted indie rock icons Arctic Monkeys are still trying to work out the meaning behind one of the band's most iconic songs, a decade after it was released

Fans of the iconic indie band Arctic Monkeys are still puzzled over the lyrics of one of the band's most celebrated tracks. With numerous hits under their belt, Arctic Monkeys have long been a talking point among fans, with tracks like "Fluorescent Adolescent" still stirring discussion many years post-release.

Recently, attention has shifted to another tune off the group's top-selling record. On the r/ArcticMonkeys subreddit platform, followers have been dissecting various interpretations of a particular song from the band's 2013 album AM – an era coinciding with their first headline stint at the Glastonbury Festival. Devotees on Reddit remain keen to decipher the story and underlying message of the said track.

A forum contributor wrote: "My interpretation of AM's 'Do I Wanna Know?' I feel that the best way to enjoy this song is with the music video. A lot of people find the AM persona irritating and cringe. Constantly chasing this girl to no avail and telling us, the listener, about his fantasies about her."

The user further delved into their analysis, adding: "But I find it quite interesting. You can clearly see in the video the personas spiral into madness as s**t just gets weirder and weirder, symbolising how the character may feel."

"It starts out as clearly being black and white (either true or false) but then colour creeps its way into the video symbolising how the persona begins to question what he knows and believes because of this girl.

"This culminates into full blown explosion of colour and confusion. The things that the character used to know as true are ultimately questioned and perhaps ignored."

Other users have offered their own takes on the song, with the music video providing additional context.

One user commented: "I never watched the music video until now so thanks. Its the song that got me into it them so I don't find it cringy. But I also think that the video could symbolise him getting farther and farther away from the girl (feels like he's losing her and control over the situation/his feelings).

"Like things started out simple and easy to understand between them, black and white, and slowly got more confusing, adding color, until he's not even sure whats happening between them or if there was anything to start with."

Another user disagreed with these interpretations, suggesting that the song has a depth that has been overlooked due to its popularity.

They expressed: "That's an interesting perspective... I'm pretty sure it was never meant to be as shallow as people perceived it to be. It's just that because it got really popular, people thought it just became a stupid song."

Yet another user posited a much simpler explanation than what the original poster suggested. The track 'Do I Wanna Know?' from Arctic Monkeys' 2013 album AM has been a topic of debate among fans for years.

Yet, one user reckons they've deciphered its seemingly straightforward message, humorously proposing: "He just doesn't know if he wants to know."