Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner on the soundtrack of his life

Soundtrack of My Life is a recurring column in which musicians recall their favorite songs, artists, and albums.

Seated in a shabby-chic hotel lounge on a blazing September day in New York City, Alex Turner looks like the timeless picture of a louche, untouchable rock star: modish swoop of chestnut hair, fine gold chain glimmering on his neck, indefinable swagger. Even his late-summer sweater, some kind of gossamer knit rendered in the rich sea-foam green of Pantone swatches or private Aegean islands, looks both expensive and effortless.

But the frontman of arguably one of the biggest bands of this millennium is endearingly uncool when it comes to showing up for the assignment — in this case a look back at the songs and artists who shaped him as a boy growing up in Sheffield, England, the only child of two secondary school teachers. "I was racking me brain for this," he admits in his undimmed Northern accent, holding up a little piece of paper covered in hand-scratched recollections. (Mistaking the hotel lunch menu for his notes at one point, he even cracks a self-deprecating joke; Tuscan kale, he knows, is not the answer we came for.)

Turner's deep-dive instincts and attention to detail track in his songwriting — bracing, immersive tales of late-night longings and intergalactic space stations, rendered in grand Cinemascope — and in the electric headlining sets the Arctic Monkeys have become known for, after 15-plus years of live shows and more than 25 million albums sold. In advance of their seventh studio release, The Car, the 36-year-old singer dug deep into memories of the Beach Boys, Natalie Imbruglia, and the stuff that middle-school crushes are made of.

My first musical memory

"It's always about being in the back of the car at that age, isn't it? There's a lot of things from that [era] I remember. Pet Sounds, certainly. The Carpenters. In me dad's car, less so with my mom at the wheel, there'd be a lot of Sinatra as well... My dad was a science teacher when I was born, but around that time he stopped teaching physics and started teaching music instead. He played in swing bands and stuff, so that was his thing. And the song I remember asking him to play when I was really little was Sinatra doing this song about how 'there's an awful lot of coffee in Brazil.'

What always impresses me is the way Sinatra delivers the vocal, the timing of it all. And with the Beach Boys, too, there's something involuntary about the reaction, hearing those harmonies. It's magic. I mean even the name of it, Pet Sounds, and the sleeve, I think is kind of mad. Them feeding the animals on the cover? Now you can't think of those two words without thinking about all the harmony and the imagination that's in there."

My first time performing in public

"I didn't start playing guitar till much later. I used to go for piano for lessons once a week from about 8 years old. But I wouldn't say I really took to it. I don't think they were thinking, 'That's it, we found the thing! Here he is.'" [Laughs]

In high school you had to pick music, art, or drama, and I went for the drama, funnily enough. I don't think I particularly excelled in dramatics. But I remember in primary school, me first big moment on stage was when I was given the job of the narrating donkey for the nativity play. I mean, it was a lot of responsibility at that age to be given the job as narrator. They were like, 'But there's a catch: You're the donkey.' I was like, 'All right, well, I'll take it.' Matthew [Helder], our drummer, in fact, was also in that production. He might have had a more senior role. But his mom found some footage from it, which hopefully is under lock and key somewhere. [Laughs] Yeah, you'd need a retina scan to get into that vault."

The first album I bought with my own money

"I think it was probably the third Oasis record, Be Here Now. I was too young for the one before that [(What's the Story) Morning Glory?], though I do remember being aware of it. You used to always be able to get records in the supermarket, so I'd be in the store with me mom, and you might go around to that section and be like, 'What's all this?'

The first single I can remember buying is 'Torn' by Natalie Imbruglia, but it wasn't with my own money. No, wait, I might have done — I might have mowed the grass to get 'Torn.'" [Laughs]

My first concert

"I remember getting the train to Manchester to see the Vines in October 2002. It was me, Matthew, Nick [O'Malley, the band's bassist], and another friend of ours. I mean, funny that three out of the four of what became the Arctic Monkeys lineup were there. It wasn't usually like that. I saw that other friend a couple of weeks ago, actually, and we still talk about it now, getting the train in the morning, going right up to the front. And all the opening acts — this band called the Bandits and this band called Nada Surf.

That was really the start. We were going to shows whenever we could after that. We'd just started playing together that summer, in me parents' garage. We'd be trying to play 'Get Free' by the Vines. And the Datsuns — they had a song called 'Harmonic Generator,' and we used to do a cover of that. I'm sad that I missed [seeing] the Strokes in Sheffield for Is This It, though. I was a little bit late to the party there."

The song that reminds me of my first crush

"This is one of those things you're always supposed to remember fondly, isn't it? Sadly, I was sort of struggling to pin it down. But there's someone called Andreas Johnson, and the song was called 'Glorious.' It was on the radio a lot at the time. It had this big guitar and orchestra parts; it's hard to describe. And also maybe the song 'Crush.' I mean, it's a little too on the nose possibly, but the artist is Jennifer Page. Yeah, I may have listened to it yesterday — there was a line it in that made me smile.

I can't remember really talking to anyone about music at that time. A few years later I probably wouldn't shut up about it. I do remember we'd have these dances every now and again at school, and there used to be this one called the Snow Ball or something where two people would stand in the middle and were supposed to dance, but they didn't. So there'd be like a girl and a guy holding hands, but as far away as possible, and then the song would stop and they'd go and get another two people, and this sort of really uncomfortable line would form. I hadn't thought about that for a really long time."

The first song I ever wrote

"There's one that springs to mind, but it's a melody rather than the words. I had a dictaphone — you know the one where you have the little cassette inside — and I found that again recently, a few little scraps of ideas. Do I have songs that haven't found their way into things yet? Definitely. There's one that's tried to get on a couple of records and didn't make it, and it's probably coming up on 10 years old now.

One of my favorite songs ever is 'The Beast in Me' by Nick Lowe. A friend of mine was lucky enough to bump into him on vacation and he asked him about it then, and apparently he said that was [a song] for him that was sticking around for ages. So hopefully I'll find a way to get some of [my own] out there at some point."

The songs that make me cry

"'Les Choses de la Vie' by Philippe Sarde is from the movie of the same title — it's the main theme. It does a pretty good job of stirring up emotions without getting anywhere near words, which is something I'm becoming more interested in as time goes by. That's a beautiful piece of music.

And 'Where Did Everybody Go?' from Nat King Cole has incredible, incredible vocals. The way it's laid out, it's got this introduction and this sweeping instrumental section that segues it into another song almost. It's a really simple, straightforward set of words, just done in an excellent way."

The song people might not expect me to love

"I think George Michael's song 'Outside' is brilliant. I remember saying how good I thought it was, and somebody was maybe surprised. Just melodically, that bit in the chorus, 'I know you want to, but you can't say yes'? It's pretty exciting."

The musical moment I wish I had a time machine for

"The Last Waltz with the Band and Dr. John and everyone, that would have been an interesting night. Unique. I'm a big fan of that movie and the performances.

There's a live album with Sinatra at the Sands that is a favorite of mine that I feel would be an interesting show to be at in a different way. There's this song on there, 'Don't Worry 'Bout Me,' that he introduces by saying he thinks it's one of the best standards. There's a bit where the band is just ripping, and he sings this note that sort of slides up. I don't know what it is — it's a dolphin thing, it's a quack. And the way he makes his way through it? Beautiful."

The song I want played at my funeral

"I was talking about this with the guys in the band, and 'Dance Commander' by Electric Six is the one that sticks. We're kind of back in that 2002 region again, aren't we? But the lyrics on some of that shit are brilliant. Depends what kind of funeral you want, I guess." [Laughs]

Arctic Monkeys' new album, The Car, is out Friday.

This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

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