"Brianstorm" (often mistaken as 'Brainstorm') is a song by Sheffield-based indie rock band Arctic Monkeys and is the opening track on their second album, Favourite Worst Nightmare. The song was released as the first single from that album on 2 April 2007, debuting at #11 in the UK Singles Chart via downloads alone. The single was released in physical formats on 16 April, the week before the release of the album, and charted at #2 in the UK Singles Chart behind Beyoncé' and Shakira's "Beautiful Liar." It is the band's fourth single in the United Kingdom, following number ones "I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor", and "When the Sun Goes Down", as well as the non-album track "Leave Before the Lights Come On". It was notably recorded quieter and harder than usual in order to emphasise the rip-roaring side of this track.
Prior to the single, there had been a great deal of media speculation questioning the band's ability to emulate their successes of 2006 and their debut album. The single marks a noticeable change in band's logo and cover art, with the "frenetic" cover art seeming to mirror the nature of the track. The track has no chorus, but features an "ascending guitar duel which sounds like a cross between Telstar, Mogwai and the Monkeys' own When the Sun Goes Down". The music itself is harder and heavier than previous tracks, with Matt Helders' drumming being compared to that of Dave Grohl. A feature of Arctic Monkeys songs in the past, Alex Turner's Sheffield-accent is again a feature, "singing over rough, relentless bass and surprisingly appropriate guitar triplets."
When asked to say a little about the song's protagonist, Alex Turner replied, "I can't remember Brian now... I dunno if he were in me imagination or what... it's a blank spot in me brain... I think that's what he ["Brian"] wanted." He later explained in NME that Brian had been a guy that they had met backstage in the band's dressing room at a gig at Studio Coast "Ageha" in Tokyo Japan, and that "When he left the room, we were a bit in awe of his presence. So we did a brainstorm for what he was like, drew a little picture and wrote things about him" while guitarist Jamie Cook added "He was right smooth, very LA. He just appeared with like a business card and like a round neck T-shirt and a tie loosely around it, I'd never seen that before. It felt like he was trying to get inside your mind. We were checking out his attire - it inspired us".
This song was #62 on MTV Asia 's list of Top 100 Hits of 2007. It was also used on The Colbert Report, The Daily Show and Late Night with Conan O'Brien during the final weeks of the 07-08 Writers Guild strike, in which it is played during a showdown between the three.
