Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair

"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" is a song by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys, from their 2011 album Suck It and See.

"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"
Single by Arctic Monkeys
from the album Suck It and See
B-side	"Brick by Brick"
Released	16 April 2011 (2011-04-16)
Genre	Stoner rock[1] punk blues[2]
Length	3:04
Label	Domino
Composer(s)	Jamie Cook Matt Helders Nick O'Malley Alex Turner[3]
Lyricist(s)	Alex Turner
Producer(s)	James Ford
Arctic Monkeys singles chronology
"My Propeller" (2010) "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (2011) "The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala" (2011)
7-inch white label single
Music video
"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" on YouTube

Writing

The title of the song came from frontman Alex Turner, saying the phrase to an engineer in the studio. Producer James Ford, suggested it sounded like it could be the title of "a ‘60s garage Nuggets tune". Turner wrote the song based on that, and likened it to a bit in Red Hot Chili Peppers' documentary Funky Monks (1991), where Rick Rubin makes a similar proposition to Anthony Kiedis.^[4] Similarly, to its B-side, the song lists things the listener should not do. The lyrics reference "doing the Macarena", Turner thought about including other dances such as the conga or the hokey-pokey but chose the Macarena instead as it "flows better".^[4]

Release

The song was released as the first single from their fourth studio album Suck It and See and was released as a digital download on 12 April 2011.^[5] On 16 April, a "limited-edition white-label seven-inch vinyl version" was released followed by the formal release "on standard seven – and 10-inch vinyl single formats" on 30 May.^[6] The song was first played on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show on 11 April.^[7] The band did not consider the track to be the first single until the label suggested it to them.^[4]

B-sides

"The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap" also appears as the Japanese bonus track on Suck It and See. In an interview, Alex Turner said "I.D.S.T" stands for "If Destroyed Still True" and is considered the second part of "Brick by Brick".

Chart performance

"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" charted at number 28 in the UK Singles Chart on downloads alone, for the week of 23 April. It spent one week in the top 40, dropping to number 43 the following week. It spent six weeks within the top 100 before a vinyl release propelled it to number 42. The single dropped out of the chart four weeks later. It has spent 12 total weeks within the top 100, their longest run since 2007's "Fluorescent Adolescent", and more than their previous lead single, "Crying Lightning".^[8] It is also their second highest charting single in Denmark and Netherlands peaking at number six and number 55 respectively.

In the UK, it sold 81,000 copies in 2011.^[9]

Music video

The music video for the single premiered on 14 April 2011 on YouTube. The video shows the band performing the song through a 1980s-style video camera with huge amounts of colour, distortion and an old computer showing the word "DON'T". The video then pans out to see Alex Turner sat on the now infamous chair at the centre of the Kenny/Shiells altercation. Other scenes shown by the distorted colour are the band driving a Cadillac in Los Angeles during recording, Matt Helders wearing a Sixpack France Lucifer jacket, a reference to Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Rising,^[10][11] Alex showing the V sign, Jamie Cook holding a Scythe on the rocks, the band in a black Daimler DS420 and clips of Sheffield Wednesday vs. Manchester United and Arsenal, citing the band's support of Wednesday.

Track listing

7" (UK Record Store Day Limited Edition)

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"	3:04
2.	"Brick by Brick"	2:58

All lyrics are written by Alex Turner; all music is composed by Arctic Monkeys^[3]

7"

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"	3:04
2.	"I.D.S.T."	1:49

10", MP3 digital download

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair"	3:04
2.	"The Blond-O-Sonic Shimmer Trap"	3:25
3.	"I.D.S.T."	1:49

Personnel

• Alex Turner – lead vocals, lead and rhythm guitar
• Jamie Cook – lead and rhythm guitar
• Nick O'Malley – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Matt Helders – drums, backing vocals, lead vocals (track two)

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)[12]	50
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[13]	21
Denmark Airplay (Tracklisten)[14]	6
Germany Airplay (Media Control AG)[15]	89
Italy (FIMI)[16]	92
Netherlands (Single Top 100)[17]	55
Scotland (OCC)[18]	29
UK Singles (OCC)[19]	28
UK Indie (OCC)[20]	4

Certifications

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[21]	Gold	400,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. Behrens, Sam (21 August 2014). "The 10 Best Arctic Monkeys Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved 27 July 2018. "Don't Sit Down Cause I've Moved Your Chair", while still built from a single guitar riff, is most certainly a drug-addled bit of stoner rock
2. Masley, Ed (24 October 2014). "Best Arctic Monkeys singles, from 'Dancefloor' to 'AM'". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
3. Suck It and See (liner notes). Arctic Monkeys. Domino. 2011.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
4. "Alex and Matt's track by track guide on 'Suck It and See'". X-Posure (Interview). Interviewed by John Kennedy. London: Radio X. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
5. "Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair: Arctic Monkeys: Amazon.co.uk: MP3 Downloads". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
6. Goodwyn, Tom (31 March 2011). "Arctic Monkeys announce first single from 'Suck It And See'". NME.
7. Lowe, Zane (11 April 2011). "Zane Lowe's Hottest Records blog: Arctic Monkeys - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair". BBC. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
8. "Arctic Monkeys". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
9. "The Top 20 rock singles and albums of 2011 revealed". Theofficialcharts.com. 17 January 2012. Archived from the original on 13 March 2013. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
10. "La Boca - Lucifer". La Boca UK. Archived from the original on 21 September 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
11. "Hommage À Kenneth Anger, Mage Rock du Cinéma Underground". Sound Of Brit. 21 June 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
12. "Arctic Monkeys – Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
13. "Arctic Monkeys – Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
14. "Arctic Monkeys – Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (in Danish). Tracklisten.
15. German Airplay Chart Archived 21 April 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Retrieved on 3 June 2011
16. "Tutti i successi del 2011" (in Italian). Hit Parade Italia. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
17. "Arctic Monkeys – Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 22 April 2011.
18. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 17 November 2018.
19. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
20. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company.
21. "British single certifications – Arctic Monkeys – Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 22 March 2024.