Arctic Monkeys’ Debut Album Marked 20 Years Since U.S. Release

Arctic Monkeys brought Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not to American listeners 20 years ago, on Feb. 21, 2006. The album had already shattered records as the fastest-selling debut by a British band after being released in the U.K. one month earlier on Jan. 23.

In its first week on British shelves, the album moved 360,000 copies, BBC reported. Sales climbed past 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Alex Turner had just turned 17 when he penned most of these lyrics. Jim Abbiss produced the sessions and watched the frontman work his magic.

"For a young guy, just turned 18, to put all these references into their songs was so impressive, and I loved it," Abbiss told M Magazine in January. "Alex Turner was almost like this really creative rapper singing over a band. Arctic Monkeys had such an energy… it's easy to see why they stood out."

The Sheffield quartet tracked everything in 15 days, with most takes happening live. This preserved what they sounded like onstage.

"I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor" made the cut. So did "When the Sun Goes Down." The album's name was pulled straight from a line in Saturday Night and Sunday Morning, a 1958 novel.

The debut claimed the top spot in the U.K. and spawned two chart-topping singles. In 2006, the band snagged their first BRIT Awards, including British Breakthrough Act. GRAMMY nominations followed years later.

Alan Smythe joined Abbiss behind the boards. Both producers marveled at how Turner could weave references through guitar-driven tracks while still in his teens.

On its first day in England, the record hit No. 1 and sold over 100,000 copies. File-sharing built the hype. Word-of-mouth did the rest before the official street date arrived.