I’ve forgotten how to write hits, says Alex Turner

By CMU Editorial | Published on Wednesday 21 December 2011

Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner seems to be suffering a slight crisis of artistic confidence, having told The Sun he doubts his ability to write hit songs any more. And he’s not too certain about his ability to sing them either.

Asked about the band’s debut single, ‘I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor’, he said: “I have fucking forgotten how to do that. I don’t know what that is any more, it’s a different landscape these days”. Turner then appraised his voice, which, despite it maturing markedly since the Arctics’ early career, he’s still not satisfied with. Says Alex: “I was never a singer. I have had to practice at that and writing melodies is something that didn’t come naturally. I was more comfortable writing lyrics”.

He adds: “I am still working on it but I think we are getting there with the singing thing”.

These perfectionists, what to do with them? Presumably this all came about after he’d written ‘Piledriver Waltz’. Though not necessarily a ‘hit’ in the traditional, chart-topping sense, it’s unarguably beautiful. Here it is accompanying the ‘Submarine’ trailer.