“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” by Arctic Monkeys
The lyrics of “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball” are painfully metaphorical. For example, a “mirrorball” is another name for those shiny-globe ornaments you’d traditionally see on the ceiling of a disco. But this isn’t a dance song. And the way the titular phrase is utilized in the chorus basically leaves it up to the listener to try to understand what exactly the symbol of the mirrorball is supposed to represent in context.
So basically, this is a case where we have to feel what’s being said more than relying solely on the lyrics per se. One reasonable theory is that first of all, the vocalist is addressing a romantic interest. What he is telling her in this piece, which is actually pretty terse from a lyrical perspective, is something like she shouldn’t just be semi-committed to their relationship.
Said relationship reads as if it has issues. Further along those lines, Alex seems to be putting forth an implication such as accordingly, the addressee may have developed some sort of unfavorable attitude. He too appears to be hurt by whatever matters they’re going through. However, he’s also obviously committed, i.e. desiring to live happily alongside the addressee.
So in closing, the chorus comes off as if he is giving her an ultimatum. If the addressee does decide to stick around, then she shouldn’t be the contentious type. Instead, like the vocalist, she should dedicate herself to providing “a mirrorball” for Alex. At this point we will take that as being symbolic of the type of uninhibited happiness you’d find in a venue like a discotheque. Or, the above at least one way of making sense out of this track until maybe the Arctic Monkeys offer an official explanation.
“There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”
Alex Turner is the Arctic Monkeys’ frontman. He directed the music video to this track. Turner is also the only credited writer of this track.
James Ford is the producer of “There’d Better Be A Mirrorball”. He is actually a regular collaborator of the band who has produced a ton of hits for them, including:
This is the lead single from “The Car“, the band’s seventh studio album. Domino Records made this song public on 29 August 2022.
