Where politics and poeticism meet: The Arctic Monkeys song Alex Turner described as “kind of Disney”
Arctic Monkeys have been described in many ways over the years. They have been compared to rock ‘n’ roll greats, criticised by early indie revival standards, and, more recently, placed in the same category as jazz and lounge music. One label they likely haven’t been given, however, is Disney. And yet, there’s one song Alex Turner himself connected to such a description.
By the same token, much of Arctic Monkeys’ music could be seen as borrowing largely from certain Disney-esque tropes: throughout all of their albums, there’s a heavy dose of longing, pining, reconciliation, poeticism, love, and loss, and that’s not to mention the various heroic and villainous tropes Turner likes to toy with when crafting his complex, dream-like narratives.
However, although you could apply this thinking to most, if not all, of the band’s discography, it feels as though the latter albums are more overtly entrenched in such ideas, particularly The Car and Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino. In fact, the latter seems to borrow from such archetypes more so than the rest, as Turner incorporated more cultural and political-leaning ideology than ever before.
‘Golden Trunks’, for instance, takes this to a new level by imagining the “leader of the free world” as a “wrestler wearing tight golden trunks”. It’s not exactly stereotypical villainisation, but it takes such ideas and wraps them around a modernised way of thinking, the kind where it makes complete sense to view such hierarchical figures through a far less black-and-white lens.
When attempting to converse politics and poetry, Turner once told Billboard that the whole thing is quite complicated, but if you can demonstrate that in the writing, then you’ve succeeded. In his own words: “I’ve always thought that writing anything that relates to politics has a lot to do with the way you go about it. Being able to write about the power of allusion and suggestion is important to keep in mind.”
Although many point out the obvious reference to Donald Trump, the complex web of meaning creeps in when you realise that the track is simultaneously a love song, one that Turner said is “the closest thing to a love song that’s on this record”. Perhaps it was the rather tongue-in-cheek feel of the melody that drove him to describe it as rather Disney-like, but in a way that suited the story.
Describing this to Pitchfork, he said: “As soon as you say those words, it rather steals the show,” referring to the aforementioned lyric. “But I was almost attracted to how cumbersome the phrase ‘the leader of the free world’ is, especially now.”
Continuing, he added: “There are some things that are really hard to get to work phonetically, but the tune somehow allows it. In this case, when I go, [sings grandly] ‘the leader of the free world,’ it’s suddenly amusing. It’s kind of Disney, that melody.”
The song certainly gets you thinking. It also has some of Turner’s best lyrics of all time, ones that suddenly urge you to view romance and infatuation in a new light, including: “In response to what you whispered in my ear / I’ll be upfront, sometimes I fantasise about you, too.”
