Arctic Monkeys' Humbug - 10 Years On: Ranking The Tracks From Worst To Best
1. Cornerstone
Was it ever going to be any other song? "Cornerstone" distils all of the best elements of Humbug into one transcendent, teary-eyed ditty.
It's all here. The romance that colours the likes of "The Fire And The Thud", the calmer instrumental injections of "Secret Door" and "The Jeweller's Hands", the knowing sexual peacockery of "My Propeller". But where "Cornerstone" departs from its counterparts is the relatability of its relatively simple message and its wholly unexpected twist. Turner's searching for a girl, possibly lost or not even found, whom holds much sway over his heart, his head, and probably his underpants. He fails to find her over the course of three wonderfully-articulated verses and goes after her sister instead. It's a curveball even Corrie would be proud of.
Not to mention that Jamie Cook also plays the riff on his life as the song reaches its confetti-coaxing crescendo. And for a man drowning in distinctive guitar parts, that's no mean feat.
Whether on first listen or swooning along to on of its famed live outings, it's impossible not to get swept up in the beauty and romance of perhaps the Monkeys' finest lyric. Best on Humbug? Without a doubt. Best in the back catalogue? That's one for another time....