When I was younger, I was a bit of a โTumblrโ kid. I loved Alex Turner, angsty songs and winged eyeliner (honestly, not much has changed). Naturally, โAMโ by Arctic Monkeys was one of the main soundtracks to my teenage years, with the iconic โDo I Wanna Knowโ, โArabellaโ and of course โI Wanna Be Yoursโ playing in my earphones in a melodramatic attempt to romanticise my train rides to schoolโฆย ย
For years, I did not know that โI Wanna Be Yoursโ was a cover of a song by punk poet John Cooper Clarke. Embarrassingly, it was not until last year Spotify helped me make that discovery.ย
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The first time I listened to Clarkeโs version I was hooked. This poem-turned-song is helpless in the best possible way. I found the droney, dry voice more real than Turnerโs seductive cover of the song. Not only could I hear the lyrics, but I was feeling them too.ย ย
One of the things that made me appreciate Clarke more is his background. Now considered the โBard of Salfordโ with poems encapsulating working-class Northern England, back in his younger years he didnโt believe a literary career was on the cards. Stating โIt wasnโt on the menu for somebody like me to make a living out of literatureโฆโ Yet, he is now considered one of the coolest people in rock and poetry, with his iconic hairstyles, sell-out tour at 73 years old and classic British humour.ย
