On Feb. 2, a day that doesn’t have a very good chance of living in infamy but probably should, The White Stripes announced they were breaking up.
It was a bad thing. I was upset. But I don’t want to seem ungrateful. Jack and Meg have given their fans six great studio albums and one fantastic live album. Jack is in two other excellent bands, The Raconteurs and The Dead Weather, and Third Man Records produces a whole host of great records from other acts.
Then there is the near-perfect note that the band ended on in its tour documentary, “Under Great White Northern Lights” (from which the aforementioned live album comes). They’ve had an epic run – enough to be remembered as one of (if not the) best bands of our generation.
I’ve been extremely biased in compiling the list of songs that follows. These are songs I love by The White Stripes, and while I enjoy the band’s earlier albums, like many other fans I jumped eagerly onto the Elephant bandwagon. The album’s violence and clatter made for an excellent transition from the stringent diet of rap, rap and more rap I was on until about 2003.
However, among the songs I have picked, there is a certain balance: two offbeat weirdo songs, two classic blues songs and two White Stripes anthems. Both of the anthems double as covers, the cover song being something that The White Stripes did better than anyone else. Download these songs, and if you like even one of them, download the albums they come from. Soon enough you’ll find yourself dressing solely in black, white and red, shouting hokey lyrics in your little room at the top of your voice.
“Little Ghost” – The White Stripes is one of the most chameleonic bands ever, which is a pretty simple explanation for why it can make a bluegrass song about a delusional romantic without seeming to go overboard or exceed its limitations. This is old school country music on speed – fast, raucous and utterly enjoyable. The narrator of the song falls in love with a ghost. But it’s hard dating her because he can’t touch her and no one else can see her. Eventually he gets busted. Simple premise, incredible execution.
“300 MPH Outpour Blues” – Blues songs are, structurally, incredibly simple. There is a specific 12-bar chord progression and 4/4 time progression. And that’s about all it takes. The White Stripes duo takes that formula and makes it work as it does in this jam from its final studio album, Icky Thump. The subject is sadness, and the song builds and builds, guitars screeching, drums thumping, until it’s going the speed indicated by the title.
“I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”- There’s a warning on Dr. Dre’s 1992 magnum opus, preceding the song “Lyrical Gangbang,” that states, “This should be played at high volume, preferably in a residential area.” It’s a warning that could be applied to a lot of songs, although I’d be willing to bet that fans of Dusty Springfield never expected that it might be applied to one of their idol’s hit records.
And yet, there’s something in the way that Jack White takes this song and flips it, transforming it from a pleasant semi-complaint to a flailing, wailing, screaming declaration of angst and dissatisfaction. The words take about half a second to learn, and as soon as you do, you’re going to want to scream along. Which means you should play this song at high volume (though it doesn’t really matter if it’s in a residential area) because Jack White sounds better than you do.
“Instinct Blues”- Here’s some philosophy for you, or, rather, anti-philosophy: The crickets get it. The ants get it. The singing canaries get it. The big jungle cats get it. Everyone that’s under your shoe. And every bird and bug in the jungle too. And everything in the ocean blue. They just happen to know exactly what to do. So why don’t you? Add guitar. You’ve got a song.
“Passive Manipulation”- Meg doesn’t usually take the spotlight, but it’s always surprising and charming when she does. So leave it to her to star in a short PSA about the dangers of incest. Yeah, no joke. The song is so short that I can just transcribe the lyrics: “Women, listen to your mothers/ don’t just succumb to the wishes of your brothers/ take a step back, take a look at one another/ you need to know the difference, between a father and a lover.” Yup. That’s the song. Add Meg’s unassuming voice and a couple of crescendoing repetitions, and you’ve got yourself a good solid reminder of the weirdness that first came when you realized that the Whites aren’t siblings (as they used to claim) and are actually divorc?es.
“Jolene”- It would seem that Jack White has a thing for older women. There’s his well-known jones for Rita Hayworth, his work producing records for Loretta Lynn and, more recently, resurrecting the career of Wanda Jackson. And, of course, Meg herself, who is a year older than her ex-husband. So it comes as no surprise that the man would want to cover a Dolly Parton classic. And once again, he hits all the right notes, contorting his voice a hundred different ways to wring every last bit of emotion out of an already powerful song. And once the guitar comes in, thundering like God’s own rage, it’s easy to see why this is probably the best cover song The White Stripes has ever done.
Jonah Bromwich is a senior majoring in English, and an enthusiastic fan of rap, pop and electronic music. Email any comments, questions or suggestions to [email protected].
