I think most would agree that Alex is a great storyteller. In his songs, whether it´s a romantic one for The Last Shadow Puppets or one narrating a rendezvous with an unusual female character for the Arctic Monkeys, he is able to not only make us learn about the relationship but also understand each of the characters´ frame of mind. One good example is Crying Lightning. What makes the song more interesting is the way it is sung, where the irony of the lyrics is also reflected in the musical arrangement. The official video is very interesting, but the BBC1 studio version is really something. It is also possible to see Alex connecting visually with his mates during the song as if he were supervising every single detail of the execution.
How he also manages to fit all those words into the music is worth noticing.
Let´s go for the video and the lyrics. I wonder if he has three versions for the man ¨she likes to aggravate¨, the ice-cream man, the icky man, and the achy man. Can you enlighten me, Alex?
CRYING LIGHTNING / BBC 1
CRYING LIGHTNING / Lyrics
Outside the café by the cracker factory you were practicing a magic trick
And my thoughts got rude as you talked and chewed on the last of your pick and mix.
You said "You´re mistaken if you´re thinking that I haven´t been called ´cold´ before¨
as you hit into your strawberry lace.
Then offered me your attention in the form of a gobstopper
it´s all you had left and it was going to waste.
Your pastimes consisted of the strange, the twisted and deranged
and I loved that little game you had called ´Crying Lightning´
and how you liked to aggravate the ice-cream man on rainy afternoons.
The next time that I caught my own reflection it was on its way to meet you,
thinking of excuses to postpone.
You never looked like yourself from the side but your profile could not hide
the fact you knew I was approaching your throne.
With folded arms you occupied the bench like toothache,
stood and puffed your chest out like you´d never lost a war.
Although I tried so not to suffer the indignity of a reaction
there was no cracks to grasp or gaps to claw.
And your pastimes consisted of the strange, the twisted and deranged
and I hate that little game you had called ´Crying Lightning´
and how you liked to aggravate the achy man on rainy afternoons.
Uninviting, but not half as impossible as everyone assumes you are.
