On Accents in MUSIC: ALEX TURNER AND gRIAN cHATTAN

Alex Millar

Accents play a vital role in conveying the message of songs, in particular for indie artists whose appeal relies upon carving a niche. 

Arctic Monkeys are a prime example of this. The lead singer, Alex Turner’s, sneering Yorkshire accent allows fans to resonate and identify with the band. The majority of songs from their first album, Whatever People Say I am That’s What I’m Not, recount tales of chaotic nights out and it’s the presentation of these lyrics through  Turner’s accent which give them their significance . 

In the song ‘Fake Tales of San Francisco’, Turner declares “I’d love to tell you all my problems, you’re not from New York City, you’re from Rotherham.” His Yorkshire drawl makes his intense dislike for the Americanisation of the character he has created apparent.. This is the crux of the role of regional accents within music: an accent is used in order to create a sense of belonging for an audience who can identify with the singer.

 Grian Chattan, the lead singer of Fontaines D.C., leverages his accent in order to directly address his audience of disenfranchised Irish youth. As a band, Fontaines’ purpose is  solely to speak on behalf of  silent voices. The ‘D.C.’ in their name stands for ‘Dublin City,’ and Chatten is undeniably proud of his roots. 

His pride  comes to fruition in what is arguably the group's finest single ‘I Love You,’ from their most recent album Skinty Fia. The symbolism of Irish iconography is overt throughout this album. ‘Skinty Fia’ is an Irish phrase which translates to “the damnation of the deer,” but is also an allusion to the Irish elk which became extinct 4000 years ago. The single ‘I Love You’ is a very intelligent piece of work. Primarily, the lyrics are clever. Presented as a lament, the single identifies the source of Chatten’s disenfranchisement with the Republic of Ireland despite his adoration of it: “I’ll love you like the penny loves the pocket of a priest and I’ll love you till the grass around my gravestone is deceased and I'm heading for the cokeys, I will tell 'em 'bout it all About the gall of Fine Gael and the fail of Fianna Fáil.” Many believe this portion of the song is Chatten’s magnum opus thus far in his musical career. The raspiness and pain that is evident in his thick Dublin accent as he sings only magnifies the anger he feels about the state of affairs in Ireland.

Turner and Chatten provide two of the best examples of speaking on behalf of underrepresented minorities within the UK indie scene by bringing attention to the struggles of these people through their music. Chatten, speaks  on behalf of the forgotten youth of Ireland.