The Hellcat Spangled Shalalala

Album: Suck It And See (2011)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Frontman Alex Turner discussed this song in an interview with NME: "There's always a load of words in our tunes, isn't there. And I was trying to think of a way of being a bit more economical, so we thought the one way of doing that is having really simple choruses but quite complicated verses lyrically – and that were one of them. I mean it's based on a place that I've been but I don't necessarily want that to be what the listener associates it with. 'Cause maybe they can relate it to a place they've been. I don't want to ruin that by giving them a map. Some great harmonies on this song too. [Producer] James Ford's favourite bit of this record is on that song. It goes 'uh-oh-uh-oh-wo.' Maybe it's because it sounds like the Klaxons. I always think he prefers them to us."
  • Turner sings, "She's got a telescopic hallelujah hanging upon her wall/ Well did you ever get the feeling that these are things she said before?" Q magazine asked the vocalist if a 'telescopic hallelujah' is a vibrator? He replied: "No, it's just a story. Quite funny, we definitely wanted a few more… gags."
  • Drummer Matt Helders explained the song title to NME: "The hellcat spangled one isn't quite as mad as it sounds. Alex has always been a storyteller, but I think on the last record he tried to dilute that a bit with some more mystery. That's probably carried over. The hellcat thing, that's something that somebody has to come up with, it's not a day-to-day term that everybody uses."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"

Allen Toussaint - "Southern Nights"They're Playing My Song

A song he wrote and recorded from "sheer spiritual inspiration," Allen's didn't think "Southern Nights" had hit potential until Glen Campbell took it to #1 two years later.

Richard Marx

Richard MarxSongwriter Interviews

Richard explains how Joe Walsh kickstarted his career, and why he chose Hazard, Nebraska for a hit.

Commercials

CommercialsFact or Fiction

Was "Ring Of Fire" really used to sell hemorrhoid cream?

John Doe of X

John Doe of XSongwriter Interviews

With his X-wife Exene, John fronts the band X and writes their songs.

Yoko Ono

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Loreena McKennitt

Loreena McKennittSongwriter Interviews

The Celtic music maker Loreena McKennitt on finding musical inspiration, the "New Age" label, and working on the movie Tinker Bell.