Submarine vinyl record cover, featuring lead character, Oliver Tate, played by Craig Roberts.
By: Emma
Coming of age movies have always been quite popular, however, the ones that put more of a creative spin on the concept overall, are the ones that rise above the rest. The movie, “Submarine,” was released in the UK in Oct. 2010 and to the US in Jan. 2011. This may be a little late to review, but I think the soundtrack and movie should be praised again for just being amazing. The actors and actresses, the set and story line, create a film that is very relatable to everyone while entertaining. However, one key aspect to the film is its soundtrack, written and performed by Alex Turner, lead vocalist of the hit band, Arctic Monkeys. Without even watching the movie before writing the songs, Turner created a five song soundtrack that relates to the movie while displaying his meaningful lyrics.
To begin with, the soundtrack as a whole was the start of Turner’s first solo debut. The acoustic songs that are included on this album are, “Stuck on the Puzzle,” (including an introduction version) “Hiding Tonight,” “Glass in the Park,” “It’s Hard to Get Around the Wind” and “Piledriver Waltz.” The songs are slow and mainly focused on Turner’s smooth vocals that come from something a bit deeper within himself. The songs are refreshing and complement the movie when played throughout the film. For this review, I will interpret what the lyrics mean and how Turner creates them all into unique and beautiful pieces.
Back cover of Submarine vinyl record. Soundtrack by Alex Turner and movie directed by Richard Ayoade.
The first song, “Stuck on the Puzzle,” starts off the movie with Turner singing, “I’m not the kind of fool who’s gonna sit and sing to you, about stars girl,” meaning that Turner is not going to serenade a girl to be with her. The girl in the song could perhaps be a beautiful girl that everyone wants to be with and they all serenade her and write her songs, while Turner sets himself apart from the others by doing nothing and being an outsider. The song really sets an atmosphere to the movie and progresses to the lines, “Fingers dimming the lights, like your used to being told that you’re trouble,” which can describe how the girl “set the mood” with men and does not care what other people think of her. One of the last lines of the song is, “I tried to swim to the side, but my feet got caught in the middle,” this could describe the decision Turner wants to make but he keeps stopping himself because he is confused. Perhaps because he does not know how to approach the girl he desires. I love the fact there is two parts to this song, the intro that makes you want an explanation, and the second body part that holds all the information and tells the story. Turner is brilliant when it came to this.
The second song on the soundtrack, “Hiding Tonight,” is a bit more gloomy and depressing. Through this song, Turner conveys he is hiding away from his problems and not facing reality. The lines, “Tomorrow I’ll be stronger, running colorful, no longer just in black and white,” can mean he is going to hold off fixing his problems until tomorrow and become a better, happier person, however, he is never going to fix them if he keeps holding them off. “So we can sail our laughing pianos, along a beam of light, but I’m quite alright, hiding tonight,” this could show that sometimes Turner will daydream and be disconnected from the world than actually face his problems, like many people. Even though this song is bitter in parts, it is also sweet in the way of what a couple could be doing instead of facing their lives. Turner creates amazing imagery through this song and shows his creativity while relating to the fact that sometimes people need help and guidance when trying to do things on their own.
The third song played is “Glass in the Park.” The lyrics to this song are mainly about how a person in a relationship can become overprotective and always want to be with their significant other. They will do anything just to spend a moment with them. The line, “If the sun’s in your eyes, I’ll tighten your blindfold, baby,” can mean that Turner is obsessed about the girl he loves and tries to control her so she will stay with him. Turner is very thoughtful with the words he chooses in all of his songs, especially with “Glass in the Park.” He thought up the lyrics, “I’ve got a million things that I need to do, but they’re all secondary,” and, “I can’t keep my feelings in disguise, the white parts of my eyeballs illuminate,” and he provides examples of how passionate he is for “the girl,” and his thought provoking lyrics in general.
The fourth song on the soundtrack is, “It’s Hard To Get Around The Wind.” Turner expresses, “It’s like you’re trying to get to heaven in a hurry,” gesturing that someone is trying to commit suicide. “But as long as you still keep peppering the pill, you’ll find a way to spit it out again,” could be showing the more and more times they try to commit suicide, they will think about their lives or something they care about that will make them reconsider. “And even when you know the way it’s gonna blow, it’s hard to get around the wind,” could mean the obstacles in life is the wind, and even though someone may be able to predict how it will blow, it can still be hard to prevent the gusts. Turner really tells a story with his words in this song, and makes a slow song into a very heavy one, with its subject.
The last song on the soundtrack is “Piledriver Waltz.” Originally written for the movie, Turner liked it so much he wanted the Arctic Monkeys to make another version of it for their album, Suck it and See. The song is mostly about a break-up, like some of the other songs on the soundtrack. The name itself, “Piledriver Waltz,” can describe that through the sound of a mechanical and loud machine driving into the ground, there can be dancing that goes with it. The lines, “I heard an unhappy ending, it sort of sounds like you leaving, I heard the piledriver waltz, it woke me up this morning,” could mean that Turner knows his relationship is going to end badly but the relationship was still a dance worth having. The “Piledriver Waltz” could also mean that with the fighting and lack of communication between them, they can still dance through it together. The line, “If you’re gonna try and walk on water make sure you wear your comfortable shoes,” can show if she is going to leave him, she has to do it the right way, with no pain. Turner creates more meaningful lyrics than obvious ones. He tries to get his audience to understand what he is saying and relate to it.
Submarine soundtrack by Alex Turner in a mock photo of the movie poster.
All in all, the soundtrack for “Submarine” by Alex Turner, really combines and flows with the movie beautifully. With his vocals, that are considerate and meaningful, and with the soft strumming of his guitar, he creates a musical package that seem to complement each other in a way that is enjoyable and soothing. This was also a big step for Turner, making him challenge himself as an artist and work independently. Turner creates powerful imagery with his words and works hard to really put his experiences in his lyrics and make his audience relate to it. Clearly this work describes how talented Turner really is and is just a taste of what is more to come for Turner as an artist, and the Arctic Monkeys.
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