Elephant

The record with a song who's guitar riff is recognized by nearly everyone.

Hi Son,

I had mentioned a while back that rock music in the early 21st century was going through somewhat of an identity crisis. A lot of what was coming out around this time was not true “raw” rock. In 2003, I was doing a summer internship at Alma mater doing research. The radio stations in Maryville, MO really didn’t play much “rock” unless it was more contemporary sounding. There was some of the Nu Metal hits and Alternative Rock that was popular, but one day I heard something that sounded like neither. The song started with this incredible bass line, joined by a really strong and loud bass drum coming off of the drum kit. Then the lyrics came in: “I’m gonna fight fight’em off. A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back.” The verse continued this way until it hit the chorus and the bass quickly changed to lead guitar and the drums exploded. No words, just pure raw in your face rock. This is how the song continued throughout its pattern. The bass guitar, the lead guitar, the drums. This three or four-piece band depending on whether or not the lead vocal was playing blew my freaking mind. The summer I can’t count how many times we played it in the lab during my internship. One day it had to be at least a dozen times. Then the music video. Holy shit. It is one of the most creative music videos I have and will ever see.

The music video being as incredible as it is, showed me only two people. This wasn’t a three or four-piece rock band. It was a dude who was using an effects petal to change the tone of the guitar from bass to lead. The drummer, a bad-ass woman who was freaking killing it. The rock duo’s name was the White Stripes. The vocalist/guitarist was born Jack Gillis. He was born in Detroit, MI, where in high school he would eventually meet the drummer, Meg White. Jack and Meg would get married in 1996 and Jack would take Meg’s surname. Back in the 21st century, this was damn near unheard of. Jack and Meg White would form the White Stripes and began playing as a rock duo in 1997. When Jack and Meg first met, Jack was a drummer. Meg, she didn’t play drums until they started to play together and after only 2 months of rehearsing she was doing it on stage. Jack left the drums when he started a solo career before the White Stripes. Eventually they would become a band with one of the best guitarists and drummers I have ever heard in my life. (Quick note. The gif below I snatched from Brad Kyle’s Front Row & Backstage from a post in 2023. He has a tremendous piece on “Seven Nation Army.”)

The White Stripes would release their debut album, which was self-titled on on June 15, 1999. Jack and Meg would continue working together until March 2000, the married couple would divorce. So that’s the end of the White Stripes? Nope. Meg wanted to keep the band going despite their separation. They would make two more records, “De Stijl” and “White Blood Cells.” The latter of the two would put them into the public eye as one of the hottest rock bands. That now brings us to record #4. The record who released the song, “Seven Nation Army” that I went on about at the beginning. That record is “Elephant.” It was recorded in 2022 over only 2 weeks in London, using an 8-track and a tape machine sans three of the tracks. Those would get recorded late in 2001. The record was released on April 1, 2003. “Seven Nation Army” wasn’t just played ad nausea in my ears. It was one of the biggest songs in the world. The song still is today, but I will get to that later. The album artwork was in-line with the color scheme Jack and Meg used throughout the span of the band’s existence. Red, white and black were the only colors used on the cover and within the liner notes.

The record begins with “Seven Nation Army.” It’s a fantastic opener for a record. The high intensity continues into Track 2, “Black Math.” I love this song. The tempo is very punk rock, but the sound is very garage rock. Track 3 brings down the intensity a bit, “There’s No Room for You Here.” The verses have calm vocals and minimal music in the background until the choruses hit and the ceiling is rocked each time. Then they do a cover of Hal David and Burt Bacharach’s “I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself.” It was initially recorded by Dusty Springfield in 1964. The recording was arranged with an orchestra, guitar and drum kit. Jack and Meg’s version was much more stripped down. It embodied the same type of production Jack used on most of the their work. Both versions are incredible and in their own right. I would say either would suit your ears depending on the mood you’re in. If you’re feeling more euphoric, go with Dusty. If you’re feeling more grungy, go with the Stripes.

The tone of the record really dials back for the next three tracks. Track 5 features Meg doing the vocals. “In the Cold, Cold Night” was the first time Meg sung lead on a song and the accompaniment is just a quiet guitar riff with bass pedals of a Hammond organ. It’s a really nice song, albeit minimalistic, Meg’s voice sounds very innocent. The lyrics suggest that she is waiting for her lover to return. After the three-track “cool down” it goes into Track 8, “Ball and Biscuit.” The song stills sounds dialed back at the beginning, however there’s a bluesy feeling to it. However, like “Seven Nation Army” when verse ends and the chorus begins, the ruckus is fully on. It’s another lyric-less chorus with Jack just wailing on guitar and Meg pounding the drums. The roller coaster continues this way for over seven minutes, which happens to be the longest song recorded by the Stripes. What’s strange for me is that I didn’t really appreciate this song until your mom and me went to see the movie, “The Social Network.” The opening scene has Jesse Eisenberg (playing Mark Zuckerberg, who can get wrecked for all I care) sitting at a table in a bar in Cambridge, MA. Jesse’s character is just rattling on for several minutes to this poor girl while in the background plays “Ball and Biscuit.” The length of the song is reflective of how long Jesse’s character won’t stop going on until the girl stops him. I honestly was paying more attention to the song in the background than watching the portrayal of Mark Zuckerberg striking out in college (which honestly is kind of glorious to see).

Track 9 might be my favorite song on the record, “The Hardest Button to Button.” Meg is constantly hitting the bass pedal while Jack mirrors the bass with his guitar throughout. The verse starts with the bass/guitar beat until halfway through Meg and Jack breakout with separate parts on the drums and guitar. It’s such a cool arrangement that Jack put together. What I enjoy the most are the lyrics. This blurb probably being my favorite on the entire record.

I had opinions that didn't matter
I had a brain that felt like pancake batter
I got a backyard with nothing in it
Except a stick, a dog, and a box with something in it

The song is about a child who’s parents just had another baby. The household is dysfunctional and the child is struggling to find their place now that the younger sibling is getting more of the attention. The music video, like “Seven Nation Army” is fantastic. It has Meg constantly going from drum kit to drum kit that just appear out of nowhere doing the song. Meg would also go on to say this was her favorite music video that her and Jack put together.

Track 10, “Little Acorns” begins with a spoken word monologue by Mort Crim that was about a woman named Janet. Janet goes through a divorce, the loss of her father and the loss of her job. She was able to find solace in watching a squirrel gather acorns for the winter. That moment in time had her believing:

…if that squirrel can take care of himself with a harsh winter coming on, so can I.
Once I broke my problems into small pieces I was able to carry them, just like those acorns, one at a time.

It then goes into Jack and Meg taking over telling Janet to “be like the squirrel, girl” and “cut up your hair, straighten your curls…your problems hide in your curls.” The next three tracks take on a similar feel to the first three tracks of “Elephant.” Then we come to the closer “It’s True That We Love One Another.”

Jack is providing vocals to just the acoustic guitar and is joined by Meg and another vocalist named Holly Golightly. While Meg and Jack were recording “Elephant,” Holly happened to live around the corner from the recording studio. The three had dinner one night and Holly said that Jack just scribbled the lyrics down and told her “let’s try this.” It’s a really cool ending in the fact that it’s so toned down. The song reminds me of the Beatles hidden track, “Her Majesty,” on Abbey Road. The record would become their most renowned having reached platinum status in many countries. It would also win a Grammy in 2004 for “Best Alternative Music Album.”

Jack and Meg would go on to record two more albums (“Get Behind Me Satan” and “Icky Thump”) and then eventually disband on February 2, 2011. Meg would pretty much leave the music industry after the White Stripes ended. She’s largely stayed out of the public eye since. Her legacy lives on though. My guy Dave Grohl would say “It’s nice to hear drummers like Meg White – one of my favorite fucking drummers of all time. Like, nobody fucking plays the drums like that.” Also prodigy Nandi Bushell said that Meg inspired her to play drums. Jack already had formed a couple of other bands in the “Raconteurs” and “The Dead Weather.” He would really hit it big when he started to record solo records. He has released six solo records beginning in 2012, with his second, “Lazaretto,” breaking the record for most LPs sold in its first week since sales were tracked in 1991. He’s one of the best known music artists in the world today.

Now I want to end this on “Seven Nation Army.” The bass riff on that song is arguably the best of the 21st century and easily the most recognizable in culture today. The riff itself has taken on a life of its own. I can’t remember when I first heard it used as a chant in sporting events, but it is maybe the most used chant in American sports and probably one of the most popular in the world. The song truly has become immortalized. The band itself was monumental in “bringing back rock” to the mainstream. I find their music to be truly timeless and it’s still my favorite era of Jack White’s music career. To me both Jack “Gillis” White and Meg White will be immortalized in my heart.

Love,

Dad

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