2. ‘A Certain Romance’ // Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not
If Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not is Alex Turner’s dissertation on youth culture and adolescence, then ‘A Certain Romance’ provides a fitting conclusion.
The song begins with a drum roll that gets you gripped, waiting in anticipation for the fireworks to begin. The song talks about the lack of romance in youth subcultures – particularly chav culture: “Although they might wear classic Reeboks / or knackered Converse / or trackie bottoms tucked in socks.”
Alex bemoans sheep culture as they are all just following trends, there is a lack of romance in conforming. But there’s no point getting angry about it, we’re all the same deep down.
The point of the song is we often distance ourselves from these people, but we all know them, and when we know them well enough to be mates: “you just cannot get angry, in the same way.”