Fireside

The song Fireside, with its 3-minute duration, addresses the difficulty of leaving behind a loved one, even when it is known to be the right thing to do. Interestingly, this track from the album AM is the only one not recorded in California. When asked about the possibility of the album being a reflection of his Los Angeles experience, Alex Turner pointed out that Fireside, despite being written in London, was described by his record label head as the most "Californian" song he had composed. This highlights how, regardless of the place of creation, the characteristic sound of Arctic Monkeys always makes itself present.

The recording process for the album AM, released on September 6, 2013, took place at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and at Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California. The main production was handled by James Ford, with co-production by Ross Orton. The album drew from diverse influences, including psychedelic rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, desert rock, R&B, funk, and soul, marking an foray into hip hop-influenced sounds. For Fireside in particular, there was a collaboration with Bill Ryder-Jones, a former member of The Coral, who contributed additional guitar. Alex Turner mentioned that Ryder-Jones was instrumental in resolving a tricky point in the song, describing him as a "specialist in melancholic solos." Turner himself compared the theme of Fireside to that of Do I Wanna Know?, noting that both share a quality similar to Are You Lonesome Tonight?, differing in how they are expressed. The album also featured appearances by Josh Homme, Bill Ryder-Jones, and Pete Thomas.