10 things about Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst Nightmare album

23 April 2025, 13:08 | Updated: 23 April 2025, 13:13

Arctic Monkeys' Alex Turner with the band's Favourite Worst Nightmare inset. Picture: Andy Willsher/Redferns/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

As the band's Favourite Worst Nightmare celebrates its anniversary, we take a look at facts about the sophomore album and what made it so special.

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Arctic Monkeys' Favourite Worst Nightmare was released on 23rd April 2007, making it officially 18 years old.

The sophomore effort from Alex Turner and co was a critical and commercial success, going straight into the top spot in the UK album charts and spawning the band's enduring singles Brianstorm, Teddy Picker, Fluorescent Adolescent and 505.

The much-anticipated follow-up from the band's Mercury Prize-winning debut, Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not very much lived up to expectations, while also witnessing the first stages of the band's evolution.

It's clear it was a banger, but how much do you know about Favourite Worst Nightmare? Get Radio X's 10 facts about the album as it turns another year older...

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Favourite Worst Nightmare was first released in Japan

The band's second album was released in Japan on 18th April 2007, before it was debuted in the band's home country on five days later on 23rd April 2007. The Japanese edition also includes two bonus tracks: Da Frame 2R and Matador.
The album's artwork is of a real house

Arctic Monkeys - Favourite Worst Nightmare. Picture: Artwork

And... it's not in Sheffield. Favourite Worst Nightmare's artwork - which comes courtesy of design agency Juno - features a black and white photo of a house in the Garston area of Liverpool, with colourful psychedelic images being seen in the windows.
It wasn't the first time Merseyside had a connection with Arctic Monkeys' artwork, as the cover for their debut album - which features Chris McClure - was taken in the early hours of the morning at the Korova bar in Liverpool.
FWN was their first album after Andy Nicholson and first with Nick O'Malley

Favourite Worst Nightmare saw was the first album recorded with Nick O'Malley - who took over from their previous bassist Andy Nicholson, who left the band in 2006. In 2019, the original bassist opened up about his departure from the Arctic Monkeys and revealed the decision wasn't his. Recalling the moment the band broke the news to him at their management's office, he admitted: "“It was probably one of the few soul destroying moments of my life".
The album was preceded by their first single Brianstorm

Arctic Monkeys - Brianstorm (Official Video)

Ahead of the album's release was the band's indomitable anthem, Brianstorm, which was inspired by a guy named Brian the band came across in their dressing room after a gig in Osaka, Japan. The absolute belter of a song was unleashed on 2nd April and its video was included as a bonus with iTunes pre-orders of the album. The single went on to reach number 2 in the UK Singles chart.
FWN ushered in Arctic Monkeys and James Ford's partnership

The Sheffield band's second album began their lasting friendship and working relationship with long-time collaborator James Ford.
The English record producer and songwriter - who is best known as a member of Simian Mobile Disco - went on to work with the band on their subsequent albums: Humbug (2009), Suck It And See (2011), AM (2013), Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018) and The Car (2022).
Plus, Ford is the drummer and producer behind Alex Turner and Miles Kane's The Last Shadow Puppets and has featured on some of the biggest albums of the last two decades. He also worked with Pulp on their upcoming effort, More, which is their first album in 24 years.
The album's title came from an Arctic Monkeys song lyric on the same record

D is for Dangerous

The title of the album is lifted from track three on the record, D is for Dangerous, which includes different iterations of the lyric: "I think you should know you're his favourite worst nightmare".
Fluorescent Adolescent was co-written by Alex Turner's-then girlfriend

Arctic Monkeys - Fluorescent Adolescent (Official Video)

The indie earworm and live favourite, which was released on 9th July, was co-written by Alex Turner and Johanna Bennett - his then girlfriend at the time who was also a musician and frontwoman of the band Totalizer.
It is believed that they wrote it in a hotel room as part of a word game they were playing on holiday.
Turner and Bennett were not to be, but the musician is now married to Kings Of Leon guitarist Matthew Followill, who she shares two sons and a daughter with.
Favourite Worst Nightmare earned the band a BRIT Award

Arctic Monkeys at the podium during The BRIT Awards 2008. Picture: JMEnternational/Getty Images

Who can forget the 2028 BRIT Awards, where the band dressed up as Yorkshire farmers?
Their second studio album earned the band a Mercury Prize nod in 2007 and saw the band win Best British Album at the BRIT Awards 2008. And with good reason...
In its first week of release, the album sold over 227,000 copies in the UK, going straight to number one on the UK Albums Chart. The album's first day sales of 85,000 outsold the rest of the top 20 combined, while all 12 tracks from the album entered the top 200 of the UK Singles Chart. By September 2022 1,200,000 copies of the album had been sold in the UK and the album reached 4x platinum status.
The album's closer 505 was inspired by classic cinema

The Good The Bad and the Ugly Finale

Monkeys' memorable track pays homage to Ennio Morricone's score for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, replicating the scene where Angel Eyes enters before the final standoff.
505 was a real place

505

505 was also named so because it was the number of the hotel room where Turner's girlfriend was staying. In the lyrics Turner talks about his desire to get back there, no matter the distance.

I’m going back to 505
If it's a seven hour flight or a forty-five minute drive

- Alex Turner - Arctic Monkeys