The other day I thought about Alex Turner’s Valentine’s card to Alexa Chung. I’m not sure if you have seen it, but it reigned over Tumblr for years. And it finds its way to my timeline every Valentine’s Day. I started wondering what it was that had everyone (including myself) in such a choke-hold over this little note. Apparently, somebody found the note at a bar and sold it to The Sun. When it began appearing in headlines everywhere, Alex Turner retorted in response,” I’m not upset because everyone saw it because that’s the truth and I couldn’t give a sh**.”
It really isn’t even about the novelty of it being written by Alex Turner, the frontman of Arctic Monkeys, a well-known indie rock band. Moreso that the note enthralled us with this raw and saccharine expression of pure romance. It is something that belonged to the suave leather-armoured rockstar.
The fawning over celebrity couples is not new, nor will it ever falter. In fact, there are timeless celebrity couples whose stories still live on today. This is because TV shows and movies continuously portray them. Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen, Pamela Anderson and Tommy Lee, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. However, most of these stories and realities are turbulent and virulent, contaminated by love, sex, drugs, abuse and desire. All of these enamoured the rest of the world. But it also meant that some viewed them as spectacles instead of real humans. Their lives are endlessly glorified and materialised for public consumption as the public gawk and toss away their humanity.
The Note by Alex Turner
Seeing this note was like breaking the fourth wall. The celebrityhood disappeared, and the emotions that percolated when first reading the note were familiar, visceral and raw. In a way, its familiarity comforted you and reminded you of the vulnerability of the human condition when in love. No matter who you may be or who you might become. And perhaps the casual everyday situation, a card accidentally left at the bar, and the finding of an unguarded confessional enveloped between two flimsy cardboard pages made its discovery even more poetic.
The media never publicised or sensationalized Alex Turner and Alexa Chung’s story the way the aforementioned couples were. There was never really any deviance or notoriety that surfaced from the couple’s relationship. It is precisely that which was charming.
Aside from this note being a clear testament to his lyrical prowess, his unapologetic dismissal of the tabloids teasing him greatly overshadows the society-ridiculed weakness or demonised softness that comes with love. In Turner’s response to the discovery of this note, he reiterated its truth and his vulnerability. He presented it as formidable and irrefutable. Witnessing such authenticity is rare and often reminds me of the importance of seeing genuine vulnerability in the content we engage with and even the celebrity livelihoods we consume. Particularly in the world of PR relationships (coughs – Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner? Every Pete Davidson relationship since Ariana Grande?), regardless of how hard the PR managers try, it is clear which relationships reflect this authenticity.
The Real Deal
My current favourite celebrity couples are Zendaya, Tom Holland, and Rosalia and Rauw Alejandro. Now there are no private letters that attest to the authenticity of their relationship. However, it is clear in many interviews how legitimate their love is. Ranging from mirroring body language and subtle touches to the barrel of laughs shared between the two.
them and rosalia n rauw the only couple i care about https://t.co/RIjCj7lr6T
— indica girl💐 (@soapyash) June 16, 2023
This GQ interview between genre-bending Spanish singer Rosalia, and her fiance Rauw Alejandro, who has been described as the ‘King of Modern Reggaeton’, is the only testament needed to be convinced of their relationship. Across many of the questions, Rauw continuously demonstrates that ‘knows me better than I know myself’ sentiment with Rosalia, and it is clear she is endlessly spellbound by it.
Both of these couples are very private, just like Alex Turner and Alexa Chung were. Both these couples also have a large number of supporters who recognise the veracity of their love. They all share this secret language that no one else but them speaks. A language composed of words, tones, silence, eyes, proximity, distance, and so much more. This secret language is arcane and has enthralled generations and civilisations, poets and musicians, authors and readers across space and time.
Conclusions
I find there to be so much value in looking for expressions of love that exist outside of curated movies and storylines. There is merit and catharsis in recognising the purity of love that exists outside of mankind’s manufacturing of it. It is something very fantastical and raw when witnessing something real blossom between two people, celebrity or not. Even more excitement comes from witnessing such love blossom in a notably tumultuous environment such as Hollywood. There is so much hope in seeing a celebrity couple succeed that is theatrical, mystical and movie-like. When the movies begin to depict a truth, suddenly, we are all entitled to a fairytale.
