Song · Arctic Monkeys
“Crying lightning” by Arctic Monkeys
From the album Humbug (2009)
“Crying lightning” by Arctic Monkeys appears on 11 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 2009 and 2025. It was first released in 2009 on the album Humbug. Its best result is #17 on the Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 2009. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #93 alternative song of 2009.
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Video from YouTube (Arctic Monkeys - Topic). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube
"Crying Lightning" was the first taste of Humbug, Arctic Monkeys' third album, and the sound of the band drifting somewhere darker and stranger under producer Josh Homme. Alex Turner wrote the words, the four of them (Turner, Jamie Cook, Matt Helders and Nick O'Malley) share the music, and John Ashton adds keyboards and backing vocals; Alain Johannes engineered and Rich Costey mixed.
It premiered on Zane Lowe's Radio 1 show in July 2009 and went up on iTunes that same day, entering the UK Singles Chart at 12 on downloads alone, and the vinyl was sold through Oxfam shops. Richard Ayoade's video puts the band on a boat on a heaving sea, where a giant Turner rises out of the waves, followed by the other three.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 62 | CD101 Columbus, OH | CD101 Top 101 Songs of 2009 | 101 |
| 2009 | 17 | Studio Brussel Flanders, Belgium | Studio Brussel De Eindafrekening 2009 | 30 |
| 2009 | 53 | 102.7 WEQX Southern Vermont and the Capital District of New York (Albany) | WEQX Top 102.7 of 2009 | 103 |
| 2009 | 61 | The Current Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN | The Current Top 89 Songs of 2009 | 89 |
| 2009 | 75 | WVBR Ithaca, NY | WVBR Top 93 of 2009 | 92 |
| 2009 | 101 | 107.1 The Peak Westchester County, NY | WXPK Top 107 Songs of 2009 | 107 |
| 2009 | 34 | KSLG Eureka (Humboldt County), CA | KSLG Top 94 of 2009 | 94 |
| 2009 | 54 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2009 | 100 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 573 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 452 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 1055 Songs of the 21st Century | 1055 |
| 2025 | 593 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 21st Century | 909 |
Also listed as: Crying Lightning.
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