Do I Wanna Know?

Yesterday for Classical Sunday, I featured a piece from a film soundtrack. And today, we’re staying with soundtracks; this time from the BBC TV series Peaky Blinders, which starred Irish actor Cillian Murphy (b. 1976) as the series’ lead role for the six seasons it ran between 2013 and 2022.

Sweety and I recently started watching the show; a few folks have recommended it. It centres on a gang called the Peaky Blinders, who manage all manner of illegal activities in Birmingham, England, soon after the First World War. It’s a well-written, acted and produced program with a terrific soundtrack.

A song that caught my attention last night, played near the suspenseful ending of the second season finale, was “Do I Wanna Know?” by the English rock band Arctic Monkeys. As I went to listen to the song again this afternoon, I recognized the distinctive voice of the lead singer (Alex Turner, b. 1986). I remembered I had posted one of the band’s songs in the past, “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino,” from the 2018 album of the same name.

Then, serendipitously, as I went to look back at that previous post, there was Cillian Murphy again! In addition to his acting career, he is a musician and well-known for his extensive musical knowledge and massive record collection. He had talked about and played “Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino” during a November 2020 episode of a special series on BBC 6 Music, Cillian Murphy’s Limited Edition. He also has been an occasional guest host on my favourite radio program, the long-running Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour on 6 Music. Murphy took on that guest host role for an extended period in spring-summer 2019 while Garvey was recording an album with his band, Elbow.

One of the things I really like about Peaky Blinders is how the show uses mainly contemporary rock music as its theme and incidental music. It’s a tactic many use in TV and film, but not all can pull it off as well. I wonder if Murphy’s vast knowledge of music has anything to do with the success of it in this series.

“Have you got colour in your cheeks?
Do you ever get that fear that you can’t shift
The type that sticks around like summat in your teeth?
Are there some aces up your sleeve?
Have you no idea that you’re in deep?
I dreamt about you nearly every night this week
How many secrets can you keep?
‘Cause there’s this tune I found that makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat
Until I fall asleep
Spilling drinks on my settee

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways?
(Sad to see you go)
Was sort of hoping that you’d stay
(Baby, we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can’t say tomorrow day

Crawling back to you

Ever thought of calling when you’ve had a few?
‘Cause I always do
Maybe I’m too busy being yours to fall for somebody new
Now I’ve thought it through

Crawling back to you

So have you got the guts?
Been wondering if your heart’s still open and if so I wanna know what time it shuts
Simmer down and pucker up
I’m sorry to interrupt. It’s just I’m constantly on the cusp of trying to kiss you
I don’t know if you feel the same as I do
But we could be together if you wanted to

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways?
(Sad to see you go)
Was sort of hoping that you’d stay
(Baby, we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can’t say tomorrow day

Crawling back to you (crawling back to you)

Ever thought of calling when you’ve had a few? (you’ve had a few)
‘Cause I always do (’cause I always do)
Maybe I’m too (maybe I’m too busy) busy being yours to fall for somebody new
Now I’ve thought it through

Crawling back to you

(Do I wanna know?)
If this feeling flows both ways?
(Sad to see you go)
Was sort of hoping that you’d stay
(Baby, we both know)
That the nights were mainly made for saying things that you can’t say tomorrow day

(Do I wanna know?)
Too busy being yours to fall
(Sad to see you go)
Ever thought of calling darling?
(Do I wanna know?)
Do you want me crawling back to you?”

“Do I Wanna Know?” by Alex Turner, Matt Helders, Jamie Cook and Nick O’Malley.
Lyrics retrieved from AZLyrics.com.

“Do I Wanna Know?” is carried by a driving rhythm guitar riff, and combines indie rock, psychedelic rock, stoner rock and blues rock. It is an excellent musical choice for the aftermath of a particularly harrowing scene in the Peaky Blinders episode, where Murphy’s character has to make his way back to the city after an extremely tense confrontation.

The song comes from Arctic Monkeys’ fifth studio album, AM (2013).

Now you know a little about why this is my Song of the Day for Today. Thanks for joining me here, and please enjoy the official video from the Arctic Monkeys YouTube channel:

With my best wishes,

Steve