The View from the Afternoon
Encyclopedia
"The View from the Afternoon" is a song by Arctic Monkeys
originally released on the band's first album
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
in January 2006. It was also the lead track on the Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys EP
. This release had an accompanying video.
comments on the expectation that an evening that will be enjoyable will likely lead to disappointment. He describes various scenes; a group of meretricious females who have rented a limousine
for a fancy dress party; a gambler who has won and then lost the jackpot
on a fruit machine
; text messaging
through the lock/unlock function on a Nokia
mobile phone; "two for the price of one" drinks promotions, which Turner explicitly blames for the drunkenness of the sender and his predicament.
sing about on the song Bandits. Both of them describe losing out to the fruit machine.
schoolgirl walks past wearing plastic devil horns; a running fox; three men trying to attract his attention of the drummer who ignores them; the drummer is fed milk
by the schoolgirl and then a brief shot in color of him washing himself in shallow water. The music stops and it is revealed that his drumming has led his hands to bleed. Then, a shot of a man in the dark wielding a baseball bat
; a brief shot of the moon
which then appears to explode; and the man struggling to lift the baseball bat
. Finally the man with the bat comes near to the drummer and is about to strike him but the audio stops and we see a last shot of the male being showered in what could be rain or the fragments of the moon. The video is based on the story of Buddha
. He was said to have meditated under a tree for days. While he meditated, devils came to seduce and sabotage him but he resisted. Seeing Buddha starve himself in order to attain nirvana, a lady gave him milk to quench the thirst.
The video is shot in black and white and was filmed near Park Hill flats in the Arctic Monkeys' native city of Sheffield
, directed by W.I.Z.
for Factory Films.
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys are an English indie rock band. Formed in 2002 in High Green, a suburb of Sheffield, the band currently consists of Alex Turner , Jamie Cook , Nick O'Malley and Matt Helders...
originally released on the band's first album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not
Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not is the debut album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys, released on 23 January 2006. The album became the UK's fastest selling debut album, shifting over 360,000 copies in its first week, and remains the fastest selling debut album by a band. It...
in January 2006. It was also the lead track on the Who the Fuck are Arctic Monkeys EP
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
. This release had an accompanying video.
Themes
The themes of "The View from the Afternoon" are based around observations of behaviour on an excursion into local nightlife. In a repeated verse, vocalist Alex TurnerAlex Turner (musician)
Alexander David Turner is an English musician, best known as the lead vocalist, guitarist and main songwriter of the English rock band Arctic Monkeys...
comments on the expectation that an evening that will be enjoyable will likely lead to disappointment. He describes various scenes; a group of meretricious females who have rented a limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
for a fancy dress party; a gambler who has won and then lost the jackpot
Progressive jackpot
A progressive jackpot is a jackpot for a gaming machine where the value of the jackpot increases a small amount for every game played...
on a fruit machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
; text messaging
Text messaging
Text messaging, or texting, refers to the exchange of brief written text messages between fixed-line phone or mobile phone and fixed or portable devices over a network...
through the lock/unlock function on a Nokia
Nokia
Nokia Corporation is a Finnish multinational communications corporation that is headquartered in Keilaniemi, Espoo, a city neighbouring Finland's capital Helsinki...
mobile phone; "two for the price of one" drinks promotions, which Turner explicitly blames for the drunkenness of the sender and his predicament.
Composition
Alex Turner said "This is one of the last songs written for the album. There's nothing clever, it's just about anticipating the evening, finding comfort in familiarity and the fact that you know you're bound to send a daft message or something before the sun comes up. I think I've stopped doing that now." The lyric "you can never beat the bandit, no" refers to the same fruit machine that the Reverend and the MakersReverend and The Makers
Reverend and The Makers are an indie pop band based in Sheffield, England and signed to Wall of Sound. The band is fronted by Jon McClure, nicknamed "The Reverend"...
sing about on the song Bandits. Both of them describe losing out to the fruit machine.
Music video
The video is based around a young male in a parka jacket playing the drum part of the song in the middle of a courtyard between blocks of high rise flats. Then, there is a sequence of surreal elements; an IndianDemographics of India
The demographics of India are inclusive of the second most populous country in the world, with over 1.21 billion people , more than a sixth of the world's population. Already containing 17.5% of the world's population, India is projected to be the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing...
schoolgirl walks past wearing plastic devil horns; a running fox; three men trying to attract his attention of the drummer who ignores them; the drummer is fed milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
by the schoolgirl and then a brief shot in color of him washing himself in shallow water. The music stops and it is revealed that his drumming has led his hands to bleed. Then, a shot of a man in the dark wielding a baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
; a brief shot of the moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
which then appears to explode; and the man struggling to lift the baseball bat
Baseball bat
A baseball bat is a smooth wooden or metal club used in the game of baseball to hit the ball after the ball is thrown by the pitcher. It is no more than 2.75 inches in diameter at the thickest part and no more than 42 inches in length. It typically weighs no more than 33 ounces , but it...
. Finally the man with the bat comes near to the drummer and is about to strike him but the audio stops and we see a last shot of the male being showered in what could be rain or the fragments of the moon. The video is based on the story of Buddha
Buddha
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
. He was said to have meditated under a tree for days. While he meditated, devils came to seduce and sabotage him but he resisted. Seeing Buddha starve himself in order to attain nirvana, a lady gave him milk to quench the thirst.
The video is shot in black and white and was filmed near Park Hill flats in the Arctic Monkeys' native city of Sheffield
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough of South Yorkshire, England. Its name derives from the River Sheaf, which runs through the city. Historically a part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, and with some of its southern suburbs annexed from Derbyshire, the city has grown from its largely...
, directed by W.I.Z.
W.I.Z.
W.I.Z. is a music video director from the United Kingdom.-Background:W.I.Z. has directed a number of high-concept videos for major music artists from the United Kingdom and the United States, including Massive Attack, Kasabian, Oasis and Marilyn Manson...
for Factory Films.