"505" is a song by English rock band Arctic Monkeys. Written by lead singer and frontman Alex Turner and produced by James Ford and Mike Crossey, it was released as the final track from the band's second studio album, Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007).
The song was a sleeper hit, initially peaking at number 73 on the UK Singles Chart. In late 2022, it gained a resurgence in popularity due to usage on the social media platform TikTok. As a result, "505" peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 and number 94 on the Billboard Global 200. It is currently the most streamed track from Favourite Worst Nightmare.
A live version was released on 19 November 2020 as a promotional single for the band's second live album, Live at the Royal Albert Hall (2020).
Release and promotion
"505" was released on 23 April 2007 as the closing track from Arctic Monkeys' second studio album Favourite Worst Nightmare (2007). The song became a frequent closer of the band's live shows since 2008. It has been performed several times with Miles Kane, including during Arctic Monkeys' headline set at TRNSMT in 2018 and the last night of the band's three-days residency at the Emirates Stadium in London in June 2023. Turner and Kane also performed the song as The Last Shadow Puppets during their 2016 headline Rockwave Festival set.
On 19 November 2020, the band released a live version of "505" ahead of their second live album Live at the Royal Albert Hall. It was recorded on 7 June 2018 at the Royal Albert Hall in London. All of the proceeds from that project were donated to War Child.
A fan favourite, "505" became popular on TikTok in August 2022 when it was associated to a variety of videos, including some by users showcasing the soft grunge, 2014 Tumblr aesthetic. Following that viral success, the song surged on Spotify where it became the band's third most popular song with an average of 1.7 million plays a month. It reached a new peak in the UK Singles Chart and was number 64 on the 2022 annual chart. It was also the biggest indie song in the UK in 2022.
Composition
"505" is composed in the key of C major with a time signature of (common time), and follows a tempo of 140 beats per minute. The track predominantly features an organ sample of Ennio Morricone's The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, played by Turner himself, as well as a guitar played by long-time collaborator Miles Kane.
The song's lyrics prominently focus on a relationship, and the protagonist yearningly returning to a place for a certain moment or individual. The track is often referred to as one of the first love songs by the band, with Turner stating in an interview with NME, "the first proper love song we've done… as in like, 'Oh, it's that one person.'" In the same interview, Turner also admits the song centers around an ex-lover of his, which fans have theorized refers to Turner's then-girlfriend, Johanna Bennett.
Personnel
Personnel adapted from liner notes
Arctic Monkeys
Alex Turner – vocals, keyboards
Jamie Cook – guitar
Nick O'Malley – bass
Matt Helders – drums, percussion
Additional Performer
Miles Kane – guitar
Technical Personnel
Mike Crossey – production
James Ford – production
Alan Moulder – mixing
George Marino – mastering
Reception
"505" received mainly positive reviews from critics. Marc Hogan of Pitchfork referred to it as "one of Turner's first proper love songs" stating further, "the closing '505,' [sic] draped with an apparent Ennio Morricone organ sample, poignantly if none too adventurously describes Turner's longing to get back to a hotel room where his lover awaits."
In an article revisiting the track, Harry Fortuna of The Edge praises Turner's maturity in the song's lyrics, commenting "lyrically, Turner is at his poetic best, as he makes his pilgrimage back to his awaiting lover in hotel room 505, he displays his tendency for the explicit as he croons over the lines 'I'm always just about to go and spoil the surprise / Take my hands off of your eyes too soon'". "The song is way before its time," he further states, "evoking a romanticism and air of class that can be seen in much larger volumes in 2013's AM, contrasted with the rustic authenticity that harks back to the band's roots that are grounded in the nightclubs of Sheffield. '505' epitomises everything about the band."