(Credits: Far Out / YouTube Still)
“We’ve been in the band together longer than we haven’t,” Alex Turner shares with Matt Wilkinson about his enduring bond with Matt Helders. Turner describes their friendship as a lifelong journey, where they grew up inseparable, sharing diverse musical tastes and introducing each other to thrilling new sounds.
Of course, this aligned with the release of The Strokes’ debut album Is This It, which profoundly affected the young and impressionable Turner, fuelling his ambition to become the next indie sensation. However, as time passed, his musical palette broadened, contributing to the evolution of his versatile and ever-evolving sound.
While Arctic Monkeys remain a recognised fixture in British indie-rock culture, Turner’s musical influences encompass a broader spectrum of artists. Turner still honours his origins (“I just wanted to be one of The Strokes”), but understanding his later sonic choices can only be done after delving into his other listening habits.
Instead of studying the great rockers at a young age, Turner instead grew up listening to Ol’ Blue Eyes, Frank Sinatra. While this may explain Turner’s vocal transformation, it also speaks volumes about his earliest exposure to music. “My dad was a science teacher when I was born,“ the singer told Entertainment, “But around that time, he stopped teaching physics and started teaching music instead. He played in swing bands and stuff, so that was his thing. And the song I remember asking him to play when I was really little was Sinatra doing this song about how ‘there’s an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.’”
Within Turner’s expansive musical repertoire, you can detect nuanced echoes of other diverse influences. However, what’s striking is Turner’s skill in seamlessly integrating the music he cherishes, creating compositions that shimmer with the same enchantment as his first encounters with these musical luminaries. His genuine passion for music resonates, echoing the legacy of those who’ve paved the way, evident in both his sound and lyrical prowess.
Let’s further explore some of the influential figures who significantly impacted Turner’s musical approach.
15 artists that inspired Alex Turner:
David Axelrod
Turner is often portrayed as aloof, but above all, he is a master of thoughtful pauses. Much of this pensiveness translates into his music, channelled through complexities resembling great composers like David Axelrod.
Like many other esteemed composers, Axelrod was a class act defined mostly by his lush orchestration and rhythmic grooves. “Producer means a different thing in music to film,” Turner explained. “Some of my favourite records are by David Axelrod. He did a lot of theme music and stuff. He’s a record producer, but the terminology really ought to be director.”
David Bowie
As one of the most influential songwriters of all time, it would be easier to curate a list of musicians who haven’t drawn some inspiration from David Bowie. Although the Brixton-born musical icon might be harder to hear in the Monkeys’ earlier material, their recent work is littered with the unmistakable influence of Bowie.
In previous interviews, the frontman has spoken about his love for Aladdin Sane, sharing that it’s one of his go-to albums to have on when milling around his Los Angeles home. The late great Bowie had attended an Arctic Monkeys show before his passing, with Helders revealing to the BBC that the star had been unknowingly kicked out of the VIP area in favour of his family members: “They had tables up the top for guests and VIP guests and I think Bowie was sat there with whoever he came with, and our tour manager didn’t even realise and he moved him so my brother and his wife could sit there and watch it and have a better view.”
Awkward encounters aside, The Car is riddled with Bowie-isms, particularly on tracks like ‘Body Paint’ in which Turner evokes the late singer’s unique vocal style. Furthermore, it is almost unimaginable that the outer-space theme of their previous effort, Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, was not at least partially influenced by Bowie’s alien alter-ego, Ziggy Stardust.
Dion
Pretty much every modern rock band, including Arctic Monkeys, have a lineage that can be traced back to the early days of rock ‘n’ roll. In that sense, it’s not hugely surprising that Turner has revealed himself to be a fan of the doo-wop rocker Dion.
Last year, shortly before the release of the Monkeys’ latest offering, The Car, Turner was shown on social media doing a fantastic cover of Dion’s ‘Only You Know’ at a friend’s wedding. In an impromptu supergroup composed of members of Queens of the Stone Age, Warpaint and Wires on Fire, Turner delivered the classic lyrics in his signature South Yorkshire crooning.
The wedding was not the frontman’s first flirt with ‘Only You Know’; he covered the track back in 2009 in an acoustic session for WRXP. During what was probably his most romantic period lyrically, around the time of Humbug and his work on the soundtrack for Submarine, the track is a beautiful rendition of Dion’s original and clearly demonstrates Turner’s love for the source material.
Frank Sinatra
The glitz and glamour of Frank Sinatra and Las Vegas are a far cry from the down-and-dirty indie clubs of Sheffield that Arctic Monkeys rose to fame within. In recent times, Turner has embraced a singing style reminiscent of crooning, drawing comparisons to Sinatra. However, the influence of the Rat Pack legend on the Arctic Monkeys’ frontman extends far beyond the Tranquility Base era.
As he told Entertainment last year, Sinatra was commonplace in Turner’s home growing up, “My dad was a science teacher when I was born, but around that time, he stopped teaching physics and started teaching music instead. He played in swing bands and stuff, so that was his thing. And the song I remember asking him to play when I was really little was Sinatra doing this song about how ‘there’s an awful lot of coffee in Brazil’.”
The memory of Sinatra’s ‘The Coffee Song’ might have manifested itself in Turner’s vocal style over the years, as he has moved from angry young indie to mature, smooth-jazz-influenced crooning.
Leon Russell
When Arctic Monkeys unveiled the tracklist for their latest album, The Car, it left fans curious about its sound. Among the influential tracks anticipated for the album was Leon Russell‘s ‘A Song for You’, celebrated for its emotive lyrical depth, prioritising the essence of the words over their delivery.
A song so poignant that Rita Coolidge once described it as “the most beautiful song ever written”, ‘A Song for You’ has attracted high praise from plenty of stars over the years. Many of the songs sitting on The Car, like ‘Mr Schwartz’ and ‘Big Ideas’, hold the same poignant, introspective feel as Russell’s tune. Never one to shy away from deep, complex emotions, Turner captures Russell’s soulful melody in his reflections of love, longing, and nostalgia.
Leonard Cohen
A defining aspect of Turner’s songwriting approach is his poeticism. Whether with Arctic Monkeys or The Last Shadow Puppets, Turner’s inclination to leave meanings open-ended became a significant part of his allure, reminiscent of the style of Leonard Cohen.
When asked about neglecting context in his songwriting, Turner said: “I think saw Leonard Cohen talking about writing and that idea if you pull out one thing from one his songs, you’re gonna be like, ‘What is he on about?’ But in the context of everything, I feel like you know exactly where he’s coming from, especially with a writer like him – you’re right there with him as you listen to a song of his in its entirety or a record.”
Adding: “Hearing him talk about that idea of pulling one thing out and it not making much sense is definitely something that spurred me on to approaching this record in that way and not be so concerned with making the thing be about whatever it’s about.”
Lou Reed
Distinguishing between drawing inspiration or paying homage and outrightly emulating another artist is a delicate balance. Even Turner acknowledges stepping close to that line, occasionally veering into imitation, notably influenced by Lou Reed.
Alongside delivering a haunting rendition of Reed’s ‘Walk On The Wildside’, Turner also admitted to drawing direct inspiration from The Velvet Underground when crafting AM. Specifically, their compilation album VU. “I actually stole it from the Velvet Underground, I’ll just confess that now and get it out of the way. The VU record, obviously,” Turner told Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 in 2013.
Oasis
The indie rock boom of the early 2000s that led to the formation of Arctic Monkeys would likely never have happened without the influence of the 1990s Britpop scene. At the forefront of that scene, of course, was Oasis.
Turner has spoken repeatedly about his early admiration for the iconic Manchester band, even revealing that their 1995 sophomore album (What’s the Story) Morning Glory could have been the first album he ever owned. That album is also responsible for the very early days of collaboration between Turner and Helders, revealing to Pitchfork, “When we left primary school, all the kids would form groups and do a performance, like the girls would do a dance to the Spice Girls or whatever. So me and Matt and some of our friends put on ‘Morning Glory’ – we ‘played’ some tennis racquets and pretended to be Oasis.”
In what would be an exciting revelation for the primary school-aged Turner and Helders, Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher revealed himself to be a fan of Arctic Monkeys, once tweeting that ‘Cornerstone’ was his favourite Monkeys track. Despite criticising Turner for adopting a more Americanised style, the pair were reported to have bonded over a pint or two at Sziget Festival in Budapest back in 2018.
Patsy Cline
The influence of country music on Turner is not limited to Van Zandt. He has also outed himself as a great admirer of the late Patsy Cline. An incredibly influential vocalist, Cline was something of a pioneer in moving from country music to a poppier sound with more widespread appeal.
Ever the chameleon, Turner decided to cover the underappreciated Cline track ‘Strange’ for Triple J back in 2012. Around that time, just prior to the release of the seminal indie pop album AM, Turner had been working on the soundtrack to the coming-of-age classic Submarine. His work on that soundtrack was heavily influenced by 1960s pop ballads, which is perhaps why he was so drawn to Cline during this period.
Turner has recorded a variety of covers over the years, but his version of ‘Strange’ is particularly striking for its gentle nature and absolute focus on vocals as opposed to music. It would fit in seamlessly within the Submarine soundtrack.
Scott Walker
It’s hard to imagine anyone else inspiring Turner and his partner-in-crime, Miles Kane, during the writing process for Everything You’ve Come To Expect more than Scott Walker. During a press interview, Kane was once asked what song he would choose as the one that’s the most specific to his and Turner’s friendship. He answered with Walker’s ‘Jackie’.
Walker also inspired Turner when crafting the soundtrack for Submarine. Richard Ayoade, who directed the film, once said: “Initially, the idea was to do something a bit like Scott Walker Sings Jacques Brel because that felt less impolite to ask,” he said. “I didn’t want to ask him to write songs. I probably hoped he would!”
Serge Gainsbourg
Although many criticised Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino for departing too heavily from Arctic Monkey’s signature sound, the album provided a valuable lesson in everything Turner.
Recorded at La Frette Studios in France, the album has a distinctive presence in all genres, from psychedelic rock to French pop, resulting in something that’s equally as confusing as it is delightful. Amid the cobwebbed lunar-inspired 1970s tropes and retro-futurist intentions, therein lies the beauty of Turner’s biggest reach: Serge Gainsbourg’s magnum opus Histoire de Melody Nelson.
Gainsbourg’s concept album has wielded a profound and direct influence on Turner’s musical journey, dating back to his contributions to The Last Shadow Puppets’ debut album, The Age of the Understatement. However, in Tranquility Base, he purposefully weaves a deliberate homage to Gainsbourg, prominently channelling its iconic bass sound.
The Beach Boys
Watch any interview with Turner, and it’s likely that he’ll mention The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds. Growing up, Pet Sounds was a really important part of Turner’s musical fascination, becoming the first record that truly got him excited about creating art.
As he told Exclaim: “Why I suppose I got interested in music in the first place has to do with [Pet Sounds]. I’ve always believed there’s not much of a choice you have when you listen to that record. You’re forced to feel something — whether you’re a 32-year-old or a 6-year-old, as I probably was when I first heard it.”
Elsewhere, in a later interview with Apple Music, Turner further explained his appreciation for Brian Wilson’s trailblazing masterpiece: “We’d listen to Pet Sounds in [my dad’s] car, and I can remember sitting there and being quite moved by it.”
The Beatles
Like many of his fellow musicians, Turner holds The Beatles in high regard, once calling Rubber Soul one of his favourite albums of all time. Having covered their songs many times, including once as the opening act for the 2012 Olympics, it’s safe to say that The Beatles is a significant influence on the life and career of the Arctic Monkeys frontman.
Turner once also discussed his favourite Beatles song, singling out 1965’s ‘In My Life’ as one he holds dear. He said: “I’ve always loved [‘In My Life’]. It might be my mum and dad’s favourite Beatles tune, too. It’s got that harmonium solo with George Martin playing.”
He added: “I remember when I first started writing songs and writing lyrics, I really wanted to be able to write an ‘I Am The Walrus’-type song,” he said. “And I found it very difficult. You listen to that, and it sounds like it’s all nonsense, but it’s really difficult to write that sort of thing and make it compelling. Lennon definitely had a knack for that.”
The Strokes
In the opening lines of ‘Star Treatment’, Turner confesses, “‘I just wanted to be one of The Strokes.” Despite Arctic Monkeys cultivating a distinctively British, darkly romantic sound — quite distinct from the sleazy New York vibe of The Strokes — they’ve gained comparable reverence and recognition within indie circles.
Turner and Julian Casablancas stand out as revered frontmen in the realm of guitar music, having crafted pivotal records in modern indie that have left a profound impact on music enthusiasts, encouraging numerous aspiring musicians to embrace the guitar.
Despite carving his path as an indie icon, Turner consistently pays tribute to his transatlantic counterpart. Alongside acknowledging The Strokes’ influence on his songwriting, Arctic Monkeys have incorporated various covers of the New York band’s tracks into their live performances over the years.
Townes Van Zandt
As Turner’s musical prowess matured, he broadened his musical horizons, as evidenced by Arctic Monkeys’ 2018 sci-fi album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. However, one uncharted territory remains and that is the realm of country music.
In 2012, Turner shared his newfound admiration for the late country musician Townes Van Zandt, specifically highlighting the track ‘(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria’ from Van Zandt’s self-titled third album. Crafted by the Texan in Nashville, the birthplace of country music, the album’s unpredictability notably caught the attention of the Yorkshire-born musician.
Turner explained: “Last year, I was trying to come to terms with the idea that I’m a songwriter. I’ve gotten into country music, which I never really had a connection with or understood before. But someone like Townes Van Zandt is amazing – that’s what music’s all about, when you hear something and you don’t really have a choice but to think, ‘Oh fuck, all right, I’m going there then.’ That’s what I got with his records.”
