Arctic Monkeys‘ track “If You Were There, Beware” is, by common consensus, an account of the predatory and unrelenting nature of the paparazzi. However, one’s immediate impression on hearing it is not of publicity and limelight, but of victimization without escape.  

Lyricist and frontman Alex Turner paints a vivid picture of a woman forced to yield, verbally or otherwise, to a merciless pack of aggressors. In a terrifying line, Turner sums up the single-mindedness of those who victimize others habitually: “Three hundred and fifty ‘no thank you’s and nobody flinches.” 

Image Credit:
Feature: Barry Maas at Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved