Fake Tales of San Francisco

"Fake Tales of San Francisco" is a song by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys originally released on the band's first EP, Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys, in May 2005.[2] After being featured on the band's debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not, the song was released as a radio-only single[3] in the United States instead of "Leave Before the Lights Come On", which was released there at the end of October.

"Fake Tales of San Francisco"
Promotional single by Arctic Monkeys
from the album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
ReleasedAugust 2006
Length2:57
LabelDomino
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Arctic Monkeys singles chronology
"The View from the Afternoon"
(2006)		 "Fake Tales of San Francisco"
(2006)		 "Leave Before the Lights Come On"
(2006)
Music video
"Fake Tales of San Francisco" on YouTube

Background

The lyrical meaning of "Fake Tales of San Francisco" narrates the beginning of the band, their gigs in Sheffield local bars and their comparison to other bands. Alex Turner's lyrics express how bands tried to be like other bands, hence the lyric "get off the bandwagon". The lyrics expressed how bands portrayed this "fake" image of who they were and what they wanted their audience to perceive them as. In Fake Tales of San Francisco Alex's lyrics sound much older than an 18-year-old, the lyrics display a much wiser and sadder tone. There is a dry sorrow feel to the lyrics, especially when love is compared to be blind and deaf as well. Turner revamps a known phrase and gives it a new meaning. The lyrics also portray that a band should reconnect to its roots and should not create a fake idea of what the band is made to be.[4][5][6]

Beneath the Boardwalk was an album with unofficial demos that started of the Arctic Monkeys. Listening to the demo of "Fake Tales of San Francisco" validates the beginning of the band, it demonstrates the guitars not directly on time and Alex's voice is not as developed as his most recent work. With the demo sounding raw there is appreciation for the natural untouched beauty of the single.[4] Arctic Monkeys played covers of the White Stripes and the Strokes in their earlier gigs prior to reaching fame.[7]

Music video

The music video for the song is the same as when it was previously released on Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys. Directed by a friend of the band, Mark Bull, the video features a compilation of footage of some of the band's earliest performances at various gigs and was given airplay in the UK on MTV Two in 2005. Although he has now left the band, the video includes several shots of former bassist Andy Nicholson. The music video was directed and released by Domino Recording Co. In the video it demonstrates the Arctic Monkeys at the start of their career. The video displays some flashback to old gigs. It shows the band in local smaller bars corresponding to the lyrics of the song.

Charts
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Canada Rock (Billboard)[8] 43

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[9] Gold 400,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References
  1. "Arctic Monkeys - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not". AllMusic.
  2. "Arctic Monkeys EP Release 'Five Minutes with Arctic Monkeys'". Archived from the original on 2 July 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  3. "Arctic Monkeys Go Ape on Sky News". Mardy Bum - Arctic Monkeys Fansite. 13 May 2007. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007.
  4. "Just One Song: 'Fake Tales of San Francisco'". Clash Magazine. 16 July 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2019.
  5. Arctic monkeys, Instrumentiste. (2013), Whatever people say I am, that's what I'm not, Domino recording, OCLC 893754295
  6. Sorel-Cameron, Peter (2012). Arctic Monkeys: Uncensored on the Record. Coda Books.
  7. "Arctic Monkeys - Fake Tales of San Francisco (Demo)" – via youtube.com.
  8. "Arctic Monkeys Chart History (Canada Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  9. "British single certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Fake Tales of San Francisco". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 10 March 2023.
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