Arctic Monkeys’ favourite song by The Beatles
Throughout the 1960s, a band of four Liverpudlians produced some of the greatest songs of all time and pioneered the music industry as we know it today. Over half a century later, the impact of The Beatles on modern music remains unparalleled. Their influence can be felt across every genre and generation of musicians, and Alex Turner’s Arctic Monkeys are no exception.
Like most budding musicians, frontman Turner was introduced to and influenced by The Beatles at a young age. Speaking with Uncut, he named ‘In My Life’ as his personal favourite Beatles track, recalling his parents’ love for the song: “I’ve always loved that tune. I think it might be my mum and dad’s favourite Beatles tune too; it’s got that harmonium solo on it, with George Martin playing.”
Though ‘In My Life’ wins the race for Turner’s favourite Beatles song, the band’s collective favourite is taken from the iconic self-titled White Album, released in 1968. Turner admits that “‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ is probably our favourite Beatles tune as a band.”
Penned by John Lennon about his relationship with Yoko Ono, the song features darkly romantic lyrics that declare, “She’s well-acquainted with the touch of the velvet hand” and “And I feel my finger on your trigger, I know nobody can do me no harm”. Between Lennon’s sensual words and the accompanying weighty guitars, it’s not difficult to see how ‘Happiness Is A Warm Gun’ endeared itself to the Arctic Monkeys and influenced their own sound.
Turner went on to discuss his opinions on the songwriting duo at the centre of The Beatles’ success, stating, “Do I prefer Lennon to McCartney? Yeah, that goes without saying. I was watching that Gimme Some Truth film the other day when he’s playing that tune that’s supposed to be about McCartney, ‘How Do You Sleep?’ He plays it on the piano to George Harrison, and it’s like he’s *growling*. It’s mad to look at that and think that’s where it went.”
The Arctic Monkeys frontman continued: “And they’re talking about the Beatles around the table, taking the piss out of the whole thing, saying: ‘So have you seen any of The Beatles…?’ ‘From one Beatle to another…’ Probably to them, it did get to be a joke. I bet they did always take the piss out of it.”
Taking influence from The Beatles for more than just their sound, Turner concluded, “It’s like that with us, we already take the piss out of ourselves.” It’s no surprise that the pioneers of rock and roll have maintained an influence on Arctic Monkeys as they carve their own guitar-driven sound for the modern age.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Beatles Newsletter
All the latest stories about The Beatles from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.