The record was conceived by Turner in his teens, and follows his observation of the activities and romance—and lack thereof—among youth. "A Certain Romance" was acclaimed by music critics, who praised its composition, lyrics, and themes. It is considered the standout track of the album and one of the band's best songs.
Arctic Monkeys was formed in 2002, and began recording music in 2003.[1][2] A series of eighteen demos collectively known as Beneath the Boardwalk were burned onto CDs and given out by the band in 2004, later earning traction through the Internet.[3][4] Among these tracks is the earliest recorded version of "A Certain Romance".[5][6] It was re-recorded for their debut album Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not at The Chapel in South Thoresby in 2005.[7][4] Though it was re-recorded, critics and fans have noted similarities between the 2004 demo and the final studio version.[5]
In an interview with NME, frontman and lead singer Alex Turner said that when the song was first recorded, "we were all like,『Woah, woah, woah…』What have we done here?’ Pushing the music that far out from what we’d done before initially felt contentious, to say the least." He later described the song as a showcase of the band having ambitions “beyond what we once thought we were capable of”.[8][9] The band performed the song often in their early years,[10][11] and have performed it occasionally since.[12][13][14][15]
"A Certain Romance" is an alternative rock song, and is the longest track on Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not.[16] It features two rhythm guitars, a bass guitar, and drums, among other percussion.[17] The music was composed by the members of the band, including bassist Andy Nicholson, who left after the album was released.[2][18] It features a wordless two-minute guitar solo intended to express emotions through the instruments themselves.[8][9] Turner stated that they have tried to replicate this feel and sound with their 2022 album The Car.[9]
The song was written by Turner in his teens.[19] Lyrically, it follows his observation of the activities of youth, and the romance and lack of it among them.[20][21][22] At first he is scornful, though he eventually feels sympathy and sorrow for them, and accepts that "there isn’t no romance around there."[16]NME described it as "a strangely even-handed song which starts out scorning local townies then appears to absolve them at the end of the song."[21]Paste believed it featured "some of Turner’s best wordplay and language-crafting".[23]
"A Certain Romance" received positive reviews from critics.[24] Writing for Rolling Stone magazine, Barry Walters praised the "hyper-realistic observations" Turner made and believed the track "sums up" the album.[16] Later, Rolling Stone wrote that "What starts as a critique of people who are ostensibly less sophisticated, stylish, or romantic, soon becomes an astute deconstruction of the snark, cynicism, and us-vs-them posturing endemic to youth. It’s a rather tender, empathetic note to land on, and Arctic Monkeys emphasize it not with words, but two dueling livewire guitars twisting around each other in a perfect tangle of uncertainty and exultation."[25]Alexis PetridisofThe Guardian called it an "insightful, oddly moving dissection of the chav phenomenon."[26]
Paste magazine's Matt Mitchell said "No choruses can be found here, only a climax of a towering, skyrocketing, shape-shifting guitar solo that lends a hand to the gods—the only spirit that could possibly be higher than what Turner and the band take to the bank".[23]Far Out magazine called the song "the last of its kind—the last joyously unpretentious offering of collectivism that defines an entire generation with poetic sympathy rather than the cool kid stance of cynically singing for the chosen few in a manufactured gang spawned from the fractured internet age where all the friends have moved online."[27] Scott Plagenhoef of Pitchfork described it as『a neat summation of both the band’s M.O. and a teenage life characterized by existential drift and geographic claustrophobia』and suggested the band release the track as a single.[28] Online music magazine MusicOMH said that it is "a wonderfully articulate dissection of youth culture that belies Turner's tender years".[29]Radio X called it a "fine end to a fine debut album".[30]
Pitchfork ranked "A Certain Romance" at number 90 on their list of "Top 100 Tracks of 2006".[31]NME called "A Certain Romance" the best Arctic Monkeys song,[32] and placed it at number 10 on their list of "100 Tracks of the Decade" and at number 140 on its list of "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years" in 2011.[21][33] On their list of "The Best 30 Arctic Monkeys Songs", Rolling Stone placed it at number 3.[25] On their list of "The 40 Greatest Arctic Monkeys Songs", Paste placed it at number 2.[23]Far Out magazine placed the song first on their list ranking "The 10 best Arctic Monkeys songs".[27]
