O Arctic monkeys became known as one of the most influential Indie Rock bands of the 2000s, but there was a noticeable change in sound in the other works released by Alex Turner and his companions over the past 20 years.
After the debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not (2006) have presented strong references to bands like Oasis, the AM vocalist made a kind of rescue to his first musical influences that were not necessarily based only on Rock artists. To Entertainment, Turner once revealed (via Far Out):
My father was a science teacher when I was born, but at that time he stopped teaching physics and started teaching music. 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 [Frank] Sinatra singing a song about how ‘there’s a lot of coffee in Brazil.’
The influences of other artists that were mentioned by Alex at some points in his career can be found mainly in his band’s last two albums – Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino (2018) and The Car (2022) – which have more complex arrangements, with emphasis on the piano and orchestrations.
Check out the 15 artists who inspired Alex Turner and the Arctic Monkeys leader’s comments about the musicians and bands mentioned below.
Alex Turner’s biggest influences
David Axelrod
Alex Turner’s more preserved manner and his thoughtful pauses are often exposed through his music, which presents a complexity reminiscent of great composers such as the American David Axelrod.
Regarding the producer who was mainly known for his lush orchestration and groovy beats, the Arctic Monkeys frontman stated:
The word ‘producer’ means something different in music and film. Some of my favorite records are by David Axelrod. He did a lot of theme songs and stuff. He’s a music producer, but the terminology should really be ‘director’.
David Bowie
Like many other artists, Turner also includes the legendary David Bowie among the musicians who marked his life. In some interviews, the musician highlighted the British artist’s sixth studio album, Aladdin Saneas one of his favorites to play when at home in Los Angeles.
A strong influence of Bowie on AM’s works can be seen, for example, on the track “Body Paint”, in which Alex performs a similar interpretation to the late singer’s unique vocal style.
Dion
You will hardly find a modern Rock band that does not have a veteran of the early genre as one of its references. In the case of Alex Turner, the musician has already revealed his admiration for Dionwho became known for incorporating elements of doo-wop, rock and R&B and, more recently, blues into his tracks.
In 2009, the indie band’s lead singer covered Dion’s classic “Only You Know” in an acoustic session for WRXP.
Frank Sinatra
As we said above, the iconic Frank Sinatra became part of Turner’s musical background since his childhood due to the songs that were played in his home. In recent years, Alex has adopted a more mature singing style, influenced by smooth jazz and which can often be confused with the style of Frank Sinatra.
Leon Russell
With the launch of The Carin 2022, Alex Turner once again proved that he does not shy away from exposing deep and complex emotions in his songs, such as the tracks “Mr Schwartz” and “Big Ideas”, which recall the moving melody of Leon Russell and his 1970 classic “A Song for You.”
Leonard Cohen
Alex Turner’s way of composing, which highlights the art of writing poetry and also leaving meanings open, is very reminiscent of Leonard Cohen’s style. Regarding possibly neglecting the context of his compositions, Turner stated:
I think I saw Leonard Cohen talking about writing and this idea, if you take something away from one of his songs, you’ll be like, ‘What is he talking about?’ But in the context of it all, 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.
Hearing him talk about the idea of taking something away and not making a lot of sense is definitely something that encouraged me to approach this album that way and not be so worried about making it about whatever it is.
Lou Reed
Another artist who directly influenced Arctic Monkeys’ work was Lou Reed and your band The Velvet Underground. Alex Turner confessed in 2013 to Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, that his band’s fifth album, AMwas “stolen” from Velvet, more specifically from their compilation album VU.
Oasis
And as we also mentioned previously, Oasis could not be missing from the list of Alex Turner’s biggest influences. It’s possible that Arctic wouldn’t even exist if the 1990s Britpop scene hadn’t come into its own. Oasis’ second studio album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory (1995), was responsible for the first collaborations between Turner and Matt Helders. To Pitchfork, Alex said:
When we left primary school, all the kids would form groups and put on a performance, as if the girls were dancing to the Spice Girls or something. So me, Matt and some of our friends played ‘Morning Glory’ – we ‘played’ some tennis rackets and pretended to be Oasis.
Patsy Cline
Country music also influenced Turner’s works from the singer Patsy Clineof whom the vocalist was a declared admirer and who was one of the pioneers in changing the genre, including a more pop sound in her work.
In 2012, Alex covered Cline’s underrated track “Strange” for Triple J radio, just a few years after working on the film’s soundtrack. Submarine (2010), where he may have been attracted to Patsy’s sound, as he was inspired by 1960s pop ballads to create six original tracks for the feature.
Scott Walker
Another musician who was also among Alex’s inspirations for creating the film’s soundtrack Submarine he was Scott Walker. The revelation was made by the director of the film, Richard Ayoadethat said:
Initially, the idea was to do something a bit like Scott Walker sings Jacques Brel because it seemed less impolite to ask. I didn’t want to ask him to write songs. I probably expected him to do that!
Additionally, Miles Kane, who manages the band The Last Shadow Puppets with Turner, declared that Walker’s song “Jackie” was the best choice to define his friendship with the AM singer.
Serge Gainsbourg
It is also possible to observe the influence of the French musician Serge Gainsbourg through his work History of Melody Nelson in more than one work created by Alex Turner.
Serge’s concept record reflected so much on the album’s bass sound Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino which was recorded at La Frette studios, in France, and has a sound that ranges from psychedelic rock to French pop, as well as on the debut album of Turner’s side project, The Last Shadow Puppets and his first album The Age of the Understatement.
The Beach Boys
Another very important album in Turner’s life was Pet Sounds of the beach boys, responsible for really making the artist excited about the world of music. To Exclaim, he said:
I suppose the reason I got interested in music has to do with [Pet Sounds]. I’ve always believed that there’s not much choice when you listen to this record. You’re forced to feel something – whether you’re a 32-year-old man or a 6-year-old, like I probably was when I first heard it.
Already in an interview with Apple Music, Alex declared his admiration for the pioneering masterpiece of Brian Wilsonpointing out that: “We listened to Pet Sounds in the car [do meu pai]and I remember sitting there and being quite emotional about it.”
The Beatles
Alex Turner has also shown a few times the affection he has for Beatles. In addition to having defined Rubber Soul as one of his favorite records of all time, the artist spoke about his favorite song by the legendary band, highlighting “In My Life”, from 1965, as one he feels strongly about. He said:
I always loved [‘In My Life’]. It might be my mom and dad’s favorite Beatles song, too. There’s that organ solo with George Martin playing. I remember when I first started writing music and lyrics, I really wanted to be able to write a song like ‘I Am The Walrus’. And I found it very difficult. You hear this and it sounds silly, but it’s really hard to write this kind of thing and make it compelling. Lennon definitely had a talent for it.
The Strokes
Although the sound is not very similar, one of Turner’s ways of declaring his admiration for the The Strokes It was when he declared in the first lines of the track “Star Treatment”, right at the opening, that “I just wanted to be one of the Strokes”.
The musician, who, like Julian Casablancas stood out as a leader and helped encourage many aspiring musicians to embrace the guitar, he has also recognized the band’s influence in his compositions and has performed several covers of the New York group in his live shows over the years.
Townes Van Zandt
Despite further experimentation by Arctic Monkeys in Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino do not include Country elements, Alex Turner has already made it clear that his broad musical taste encompasses some artists of the genre.
In 2012, the vocalist confessed that he was getting to know the work of the late country musician Townes Van Zandt, specifically highlighting the track ‘(Quicksilver Daydreams of) Maria’ from Van Zandt’s self-titled third album. Alex said:
Last year I was trying to come to terms with the idea that I’m a songwriter. I started to like country music, which I never had a connection with or understood before. But someone like Townes Van Zandt is amazing – that’s what music is about, when you hear something and you have no choice but to think, ‘Oh, shit, okay, so I’m going to go there.’ That’s what I got from his records.
