Released: 2006
“When The Sun Goes Down” by the Arctic Monkeys takes a critical look at society’s underbelly, particularly the dark realities that emerge when the daylight fades. It presents a raw portrait of prostitution, exploitation, and the undefeatable spirit of the marginalized in urban life.
Frontman Alex Turner introduces us to a nameless girl and tells her tale without any sugar coating. The line ‘She doesn’t do major credit cards’ infers that she’s involved in the street-based sex industry, trading cash for services, alluding to the ‘off-the-books’ volatile nature of street sex work. Later, the line ‘And he told Roxanne to put on her red light’ cements this narrative, referencing The Police’s song “Roxanne”, another tale of a lady of the night.
The ‘scummy man’ stands for the lecherous, opportunistic characters that prey on the vulnerable. Turner uses vivid imagery like ‘Can see it in his eyes, yeah, that he’s got a driving ban amongst some other offences’ to provide a deeply unredeeming sketch of this character – a criminal archetype who schemes beneath the neon glow.
Jumping to the chorus, ‘they said it changes when the sun goes down’, articulates how drastically the cityscape alters after dark. The reference to ‘Around here’, hones in on the local nature of these issues, serving as both a general statement on societal squalor and a direct commentary on their hometown, Sheffield.
When we’re introduced to a second man in a Ford Mondeo, the tone shifts. He’s characterized as ‘Mr. Inconspicuous’, a seeming everyman drawn to the sordid nighttime transactions. This points to a broader critique of how regular individuals participate and are complicit in these exploitative systems.
Wrapping up, ‘What a scummy man / Just give him half a chance / I bet he’ll rob you if he can’ serves as Turner’s sharp indictment of the man’s deplorable character. The repeated hope that ‘you’re not involved at all’ is as much a warning to listeners as it is a reflection of Turner’s wish for a less grim reality.
By doing a lyrical deep-dive into “When The Sun Goes Down”, we unearth the Arctic Monkeys’ prodigious talent for storytelling. All while delivering a sobering message about the harsh truths that lurk in the shadows of our cities. A pop track it may be in terms of its catchy hooks and widespread appeal, but it’s also an astute sociopolitical commentary, unafraid to tackle the gritty, less glamorous facets of urban life.
