Fluorescent Adolescent Lyrics

How to Format Lyrics:

  • Type out all lyrics, even repeating song parts like the chorus
  • Lyrics should be broken down into individual lines
  • Use section headers above different song parts like [Verse], [Chorus], etc.
  • Use italics (<i>lyric</i>) and bold (<b>lyric</b>) to distinguish between different vocalists in the same song part
  • If you don’t understand a lyric, use [?]

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About

Genius Annotation

“Fluorescent Adolescent” is a track about getting older and finding out that life isn’t as fun as it used to be. It describes a woman who dreams of her youth while her current life is unsatisfying and boring, with emphasis on her sex life.

The song is one of the band’s most popular and a concert staple.

The writing of this is co-credited to Johanna Bennett, Alex Turner’s ex-girlfriend. The song’s roots lie in a Mediterranean holiday Turner and Bennett took during which they were reminiscing about characters they knew at school, as he recalled in The Times magazine in 2007 (documented by NME magazine):

It started off as a joke. Then it were like, “Here’s another verse.” We were having a laugh. Some of the lines were hers. I couldn’t have not credited her. It’s just right, really.

As documented by NME magazine, Johanna herself said during an interview for The Observer that:

We were on holiday and had cut ourselves off from everything. We were in a really quiet hotel and didn’t watch TV or listen to that much music… So as not to drive each other mad we started messing around with these words like game, singing them to each other.

It’s great to think that it came from something we did for fun on holiday. It’ll always be a good memory for Alex and I. He doesn’t usually write lyrics with other people, though I think he enjoyed it.

Q&A

Find answers to frequently asked questions about the song and explore its deeper meaning

Translations
Are the guitar chords original to this song or are they from something else?
Genius Answer

The chord pattern (1-6-2-5) is quite common, and there’s nothing to suggest that Arctic Monkeys derived it from any other piece of music.

Who directed the music video for the track?
Genius Answer

Richard Ayoade. Known for his comedy and his acting in various television shows in the UK, Ayoade also directed the band’s “Live At The Apollo” live album.

Does the track have any certifications?
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