Analysis of Arctic Monkeys- 'Fake Tales of San Francisco'

The song 'Fake Tales of San Francisco' was featured on the Arctic Monkey`s debut album 'Whatever People Say I am, That's What I'm Not'.

The song is about a fictional South Yorkshire band for taking its inspiration from the USA while never having been there, with lyrics such as "I'd love to tell you all my problem/You're not from New York City, you're from Rotherham," and "He talks of San Francisco, he's from Hunter's Bar". The band actually originate from Sheffield, South Yorkshire.

As an indie-rock band, they are expected to have their own style. In the music video, the band's target audience are to young people, with the age ranging from around 15 to as old as 25, in my opinion, because of the fans who have joined them in their concert. Furthermore, in the actual band, the eldest member of the band is 25, and the youngest is 24, which does speak volumes in terms of their age popularity.

As mentioned before, with indie music actually meaning independent, the Arctic Monkeys, have decided to represent themselves, as neat tidy people. Their 'mopped' up hairstyle, and clean, casual clothing draws links between them and the Beatles, in terms of presentation. This also further emphasis the fact that they are targeting a young audience, in addition to this, they are also seen 'play-fighting', drinking strong beverages, sitting laid back, as well as having a game of 'fussball', which connotes that they are typical 'young men', as suggested by the images above.

Throughout the music video, we encounter a mix between strobe lighting and a dark pitched colour, largely due to the periodic movement of an object, in most cases this because of a guitar, that the vocalist and lead guitarist, Alex Turner, is witnessed playing. This suggests that they are very informative. This suggestion is also further enhanced by the fact that the band are seen moving their heads around almost non stop, in a way that signifies that they are drunk. Nevertheless, this still keeps them in touch with their target audience.