7. Lullaby // Falcon (2010)
Whilst demonstrating a propensity for writing fantastically English rhyming couplets “Only a paperboy from the northwest / But I scrub up well in my Sunday best”, ‘Lullaby’ simultaneously showcases a more emotionally fragile side to the Mancunian frontman. Whilst cynicism tends to dominate a large portion of Fray’s narratives, ‘Lullaby’ serves as a refreshing alternative.
There’s an ethereal quality to the melody, and for the most part it remains relatively unobtrusive with Fray’s apology to a lover dominating: “I wish I could’ve sung you a lullaby / But I can’t, because I’m a mess / I’m too proud / I’m stubborn and I’m selfish and you know that I’m loud”. Underneath the “I don’t give a shit” Mancunian attitude is a hopeless romantic – who uses his realism rather than hyperbolic declarations to win us all over.