Analysis of Song Meaning
The general meaning for the song describes the effects that alcohol and drugs has on the artists ability to think, react and make decisions. In this case the artists suggest that the consumption of alcohol and drugs makes them want to message what seems to be an ex partner. The name of the song "Why'd you only call me when you're high" is a strong reference to this message suggesting the partner doesn't enjoy being treated as a decision the artist makes when they have altered their state of mind with drugs.
The song starts with the phrase "The mirror's image tells me it's home time", this lyrics suggests to an audience he has been under the influence all night and as he has looked in the mirror he has realised he is too drunk suggesting it is time to go home. He then contradicts this sentence by saying "I'm not finished, cause you're not by my side", this suggests he doesn't want to go home alone because his partner is stuck in his mind. The lyric "As I arrived I thought I saw you leavin', carryin' your shoes, decided that once again I was just dreaming of bumpin' into you", this lyrics suggests that lady was out drinking as well and decided to leave as she saw the band arrive, the next sentence contradicts this by suggesting it was only his inebriated state of mind that caused him to imagine this, however, considering he had only just arrived it would suggest he isn't drunk yet and there has been some form of conflict with the partner making her want to disappear.
The first lyric of the chorus "Now, it's three in the mornin' and I'm tryna' change your mind", 3am is often referred to as the "Devil's hour", this can be seen in a literal sense as in western tradition it is considered a period in which there is a peak of supernatural activity however, in this song it is referred to in a metaphorical sense, once 3 am hits the artists inhibitions are lowered making him want to do bad things such as drunkenly calling up his partner. "left you multiple missed calls and to my message, you reply" reinforces the idea that the artist is fairly determined in getting through to his partner. The partner replies with the lyrics "Why'd you only call me when you're high" suggesting she know he is only drunk dialling the singer, the idea of drunk dialling stems from the popular belief that drinking brings out melancholic emotions making them more likely to try interact with exes.
Within the second verse the singer uses the lyrics "Somewhere darker, talkin' the same shite, I need a partner, well are you out tonight", the language used is very direct as though he is talking straight to her whereas in theory he is only messaging her, this could suggest he is narrating he interaction they had with each over text or call. The term "somewhere darker" could be talking in a literal sense suggesting they should be in a dark bedroom together or it could be a representation of his mindset, he is in a darker place caused by drugs and alcohol affecting his inhibitions. Next the artist sings "It's harder and harder to get you to listen", this implies he has something he wants to tell the lady however, the fact that he had sent her multiple messages and calls made her write off everything he says as a result of drinking.
Within the bridge of the song the artist exclaims "It sort of feels like I'm running out of time, I haven't found all I was hopin' to find", this line could be talking about the artist growing older and feeling incomplete without a partner however, this could be a manifestation caused by alcohol, another way this lyric could be read is that the artist is running out of time till he sobers up and was using alcohol as an excuse to try speak to the lady. The lady later respond "you're starting to bored me" suggesting that she has had enough of the drunken phone call thus bringing us to the outro of the song.
Analysis of how the Video represents the Song
The video starts in a bar, this is a conventional setting considering the music is talking about the effects of alcohol and drugs on the characters inhibitions. The band is dressed in all black with leather jackets this is quite conventional for the indie/alternative rock genre as it makes the characters seem darker and mysterious making listeners want to look "cool" like them. As the singer looks up towards the clock a mid shot of the clock is used in which the times flies past from 8 o'clock to 3 am and as the clock finishes moving it starts to melt, this has been done to represent the artists' inebriated state of mind. The use of low key lighting is used in the scene setting a dark, melancholic atmosphere. As the song starts the artist is in the bathroom, an over the shoulder mid shot of the singer looking in the mirror is used here in which the artists' face is warped and distorted, within the video the music being played in the bar is now muffled to suggest the artist is too drunk. The director has tried to illustrate the lyrics and amplify the message that the artist is drunk; as his face is distorted further the lyric "the mirrors' image tells me it's home time", this reinforces that he is very drunk/high. As the singer enters the bar again, a temporal overlap has been used to make it seem as though the artist is doing multiple shots amplifying the message that he is drunk. Once the artist finishes the shots a close up of him bending over and coughing is used, the use of CGI was used here to make it seem as though blue fire is being exhaled out of the singer as he coughs, this may have been done to link to the common ideology that as a person drinks they "let out their demons". As he coughs the sound becomes muffled and there is more bass tones in it, this is to imply he is becoming more inebriated. The director also breaks the 180 degree rule here and uses what seems like 60fps to create a disorienting feeling to put the audience in the position of a drunk person. The director also pulls in and out of focus to make the audience feel the effects of drinking like the artist is. As the artist looks to the left a mid shot of the clock is used again in which the clock starts spinning quite dramatically and then it starts melting down the floor, this could be a reference to Salvador Dalis' piece 'The Persistence of Memory", in which the clocks are melting in order to represent that time is just an illusion and a construct. The idea that time is an illusion is used in this situation to reflect how a drunk mind cannot comprehend time as well as our functions are slowed making time seem as though it is moving faster. As the artist decides to leave the bar the director puts the camera in the position of the artist to put the audience in his shoes, a mid shot of a couple kissing is used to reflect that the singer is fixated on finding a girl to spend the night with, the use of a radial tilt shift is used here to bring the focus onto the couple whilst also making the artists vision look warped like a drunk persons'. As we find out later in the video the female that is being kissed here is the girl the singer is fixated on, she keeps appearing as a hallucination kissing people to reflect how fixated the artist is on her when he is drunk.
When the singer finally leaves the bar the lyrics "decided that once again I was just dreamin' of bumping into you" plays, the video however, contradicts this by showing a mid shot of a man blowing a kiss at him, the kiss is meant to be an illusion caused by drinking however, the man was used in this shot to show how the artist was hoping he would see the girl and was put down when it wasn't her. As he continues to walk down the street CGI is used to show the audience the message he is sending the girl which reads "I wanna see you", next we see a hallucination of the girl pressed up against a shop window having sex with a fry cook. This imagery was used to suggest the artist is aroused and it also reinforces the idea that he is drunk as he is now hallucinating. The same technique as earlier is used in which a radial tilt shift is used to blur and warp the edges of the image whilst keeping the woman in focus this both makes the audience understand how the drunk artist feels whilst showing them it is in fact a hallucination.
As this lyrics "It's harder and harder to get you to listen" the lyrics are amplified by the visuals of the artists phone sinking into the skin of his hand, this has been done to reflect the useless nature of the phone considering the female refuses to answer. It could also reflect how the phone is becoming part of him as he is completely obsessed with receiving a reply from the lady.
References
Arctic Monkeys, 2013. Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High (Online)
Available at - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6366dxFf-Os
High, T., 2018. Arctic Monkeys (Online)
Available at - http://todhigh.com/clickandbuilds/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/ARTIC-MONKEYS-in-progress.pdf
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