Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
Arctic Monkeys
“Cornerstone” is the seventh track of Arctic Monkeys’ 2009 release Humbug, and the second single to be released from the album.
The song has a straightforward narrative. The narrator visits several different pubs, and finds at each venue a woman who resembles the ex-lover he’s pining for. He approa...
[Verse 1]
I thought I saw you in the Battleship
But it was only a look-a-like
She was nothing but a vision trick
Under the warning light
She was close, close enough to be your ghost
But my chances turned to toast
When I asked her if I could call her your name
[Verse 2]
I thought I saw you in the Rusty Hook
Huddled up in a wicker chair
I wandered over for a closer look
And kissed whoever was sitting there
She was close, and she held me very tightly
'Til I asked awfully politely
"Please, can I call you her name?"
[Chorus]
And I elongated my lift home
Yeah, I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seatbelt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
[Verse 3]
I thought I saw you in the Parrot's Beak
Messing with the smoke alarm
It was too loud for me to hear her speak
And she had a broken arm
It was close, so close that the walls were wet
And she wrote it out in Letraset
"No, you can't call me her name"
[Bridge]
Tell me, where's your hiding place?
I'm worried I'll forget your face
And I've asked everyone
I'm beginning to think I imagined you all along
[Chorus]
I elongated my lift home
Yeah, I let him go the long way round
I smelt your scent on the seatbelt
And kept my shortcuts to myself
[Verse 4]
I saw your sister in the Cornerstone
On the phone to the middle man
When I saw that she was on her own
I thought she might understand
She was close, well, you couldn't get much closer
She said, "I'm really not supposed to, but yes
You can call me anything you want"
Cornerstone was written by Alex Turner.
Cornerstone was produced by James Ellis Ford.
Arctic Monkeys released Cornerstone on Wed Aug 19 2009.
Turner cites Yorkshire folk-pop artist Jake Thackray as an influence for “Cornerstone”. Thackray is known for his humorous and often sexually bizarre songs, as well as his affected vocals. Turner said of Thackray:
“The way he pronounced things was hilarious.”
In the context of this song, it’s the name of the pub where the narrator meets his ex’s sister. But Cornerstone is also the name of a counseling center in Sheffield, which may hint that the narrator is unstable.
The song is almost certainly not based on a (completely) true story, judging by Turner’s discussion of it during interviews.
During Arctic Monkey’s 2018 tour, however, Turner made a running joke of pretending it was, occasionally throwing in anecdotes about the female character after performances:
...
Discussing with UNCUT magazine, Alex explained that he wrote he wrote this breezy love song about meeting girls in pubs who remind him of the one he’s trying to forget.
[In his own words] one morning, quite quickly.
He later added:
There’s something to be said for writing in the morning. At other...
I was listening to a lot of country music when I wrote it, and it had that formula where the verses always end the same way. That happens a lot in Patsy Cline tunes. I started with the line ‘I smelt your scent on the seat belt.’ In reality, I was sitting in the back of a taxi and I got this scent in...