The forgotten indie song Alex Turner wants played at his funeral: “The one that sticks”
As dedicated music fans, it often feels like there’s a perfect song for every moment—whether it’s making a cup of coffee, taking an afternoon nap, or heading out to the dancefloor, music consistently provides a continuous artistic thread throughout our lives. However, there’s one occasion where we likely give the most thought to the soundtrack: our funeral. Though we won’t be there to hear it, every music lover has pondered the song they’d want to accompany their final farewell. Even Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner has considered this age-old question and his choice is sublime.
Turner was asked this very question by Entertainment Weekly for their ‘Soundtrack of My Life’ feature. Based on his answers, 2002 was a particularly significant year for the Yorkshireman, as it not only marked the birth of his chosen funeral song but also the year of the first concert he attended. Many consider 2002 to be the dawn of the indie boom that would sweep across the UK, paving the way for Turner and his Yorkshire cohorts to thrive. That year, The Libertines reigned supreme as Britain’s answer to The Strokes, though they were just the tip of the iceberg in the flourishing indie scene.
The frontman recalled: “I remember getting the train to Manchester to see the Vines in October 2002. It was me, Matthew, Nick [O’Malley, the band’s bassist], and another friend of ours. I mean, funny that three out of the four of what became the Arctic Monkeys lineup were there. It wasn’t usually like that. I saw that other friend a couple of weeks ago, actually, and we still talk about it now, getting the train in the morning, going right up to the front.”
The Vines were one of the underrated groups of the day. Powering out with a rock-focused indie sound, ‘Get Free’ is still rightly regarded as one of the defining tracks of the era. Later in the interview, Turner returned to this time in his life, but with different results. Although his selection is questionable, and despite what you’d suspect considering Arctic Monkeys’ recent output, Turner wants to opt for a fun-filled, energetic affair, which is why he picked ‘Dance Commander’ by Electric Six.
Explaining his strange choice, Turner said: “I was talking about this with the guys in the band, and ‘Dance Commander’ by Electric Six is the one that sticks. We’re kind of back in that 2002 region again, aren’t we? But the lyrics on some of that shit are brilliant. Depends what kind of funeral you want, I guess.”
Typically, when pondering the song to accompany one’s final exit from this world, most music aficionados lean towards something emotional or deeply personal. However, Turner seems intent on evoking a different reaction from his mourners—he wants them to laugh. If his goal is to leave friends and family in fits of laughter rather than tears, then the lyrics he’s chosen will certainly do the trick. “You must obey the dance commander, Giving out the order for fun, You must obey the dance commander, You know that he’s the only one, Who gives the orders here.”
But don’t let the surface of the lyric fool you. Surprisingly, ‘Dance Commander’ was actually written from a place of sadness, according to Electric Six singer Dick Valentine. “I didn’t know that many people in LA at the time, and I was working weird shifts like 2pm. to 11pm.,” he said in a Songfacts interview. “So I’d get off work and I was trying to stop doing music, but then I ended up writing more songs in that period than I ever did, just because I was so bored.”
“I wrote ‘Dance Commander’ as a fictional story about how I wanted to withdraw like $3,000 and go to a club,” he added. “But I was in a studio apartment at I-10, Overland, just sitting there. I had nowhere to go, and didn’t have any friends and was just dreaming it.”
Choosing a funeral song is never an easy decision. In many ways, it serves as the final swan-song of a life likely lived in adoration of music. While heartbreaking pathos may seem like the obvious route, Turner has recognised the unique joy in bringing a smile to those grieving your absence—even if it’s with a somewhat playful 2000s indie dancefloor filler.
