The 500 - #371 - Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not - Arctic Monkeys

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by Los Angeles-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

Album # 371 

Album Title: Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not

Artist: Arctic Monkeys

Genre: Indie Rock, Garage Rock Revival, Post-Punk Revival

Recorded: The Chapel - Lincolnshire, 2Fly - Sheffield, England 

Released: January, 2006

My age at release: 40, (My Guest Blogger was not yet born)

How familiar was I with it before this week: I knew one song

My Guest Blogger, Jazzy, was not familiar with it at all.

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Dancing Shoes

Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I Am Not album cover

For the past few years, I have mentioned my weekly blogging to my students. I like them to know that I choose to write and that writing can be an enjoyable way to connect with people and share ideas. I tell them about The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and invite them to write about one of them. A few weeks ago, I was delighted when Jazzy accepted the invitation. I showed her the list and the upcoming records.

“That one,” she said decisively, “Arctic Monkeys.”

“Do you know that record?” I asked curiously.

“Nope,” she replied, “but I like the name.”

So, here is a guest post from 13-year-old Jazzy. I am sure you will enjoy her take on this Indie Rock band classic.

By Jazzy (debut guest columnist)

Hello there, I am Jazzy, a Grade 7 student in Mr. Hodgkinson’s class at Sir Arthur Currie Public School in London, Ontario. I am your guest blogger for this week’s album on The 500 -- Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, by The Arctic Monkeys, released at the start of 2006. As you might already know from the information at the top, I was not at all familiar with this album. In fact, I wasn’t even born in 2006.

Sir Arthur Currie Public School (London, Ontario)

Whatever People Say… is the debut studio album by Sheffield, England, rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on January 23, 2006, by Domino Recording Company. It was recorded through the months of June to September in 2005. 

Domino Recording Company Logo

The members of the band were teenagers when they formed and only 20 or 21 years of age when this record was released. In other words, some of these songs were written by musicians only three years older than me. When I read that it made me think, if they could start a band by the age of 15 then so could I. It encourages me to pursue my dreams and start earlier on in life instead of waiting a long time.

The Arctic Monkeys in 2005

As I researched this record, I found out that Whatever People Say... is the only Arctic Monkey album with bassist Andy Nicholson because he had left the band not too long after the album's release. This was announced in June, 2006, because, according to the band, “he was suffering from "fatigue following an intensive period of touring." When I read that, I thought that maybe they had gone on many tours and adding onto that, they must've been very famous around the world back then.

Original Bass Player Andy Nicholson (2005)

My background is Sikh, so I grew up with the music of my culture. Here is an example of my favourite song from Punjabi music. It is Facts by Karan Aujla. It was released in April, 2019. In the song, the speaker is telling us to not take our parents for granted. Sadly, Aujla lost his parents at the age of 9, so where he is now is because of his hard work. In the song he also comments that girls nowadays go for only looks and some girls pay a heavy load of money to enhance their physical appearance. 

Promotional Poster for Facts by Karan Aujla

I am also a teenager growing up in Canada, so my favourite contemporary Western artists are Juice Wrld and Billie Eilish.

Juice Wrld (left) & Billie Eilish

Even though, growing up with music different from Arctic Monkeys, the beat still stuck with me. The song that was most appealing was Dancing Shoes; therefore, I am requesting for it to be put on Mr. Hodgkinson’s Spotify playlist.

I liked the name of the band, Arctic Monkeys, the first time I heard it. When Mr. Hodgkinson shared The 500 list with the class and let us look over the names of the records that were coming up. It was the name of the band that intrigued me most and my first thought was ”Oh, they must write songs about winter scenes and the Arctic!” I was actually way off. The band’s songs range from fun to romantic to social commentary. They are quite well written given the age of the musicians.

Feel free to leave your thoughts down in the comment section about the blog. This was my first time writing about something I wasn't familiar with.

-Jazzy