The best blues song ever made, according to Jack White
Jack White can be somewhat divisive at times. There are a lot of people who don’t enjoy the kind of sound he strives for. Also, people are put off because he is a somewhat interesting character. Still, regardless of whether you’re a fan, his constant desire to make new music and lean into the completely boundaryless has to be commended.
Regardless of which outfit he is writing for, be it White Stripes, Raconteurs, Dead Weather or his solo projects, there is always innovation in his creations. Sometimes, that comes across as organised and cathartic chaos, like in his recent ‘Over and Over and Over’, or it can be a bit of a mess that is hard to grab onto, like with the track ‘Ice Station Zebra’.
Whether it’s one of his better or worse songs, there is still effort there, which is more than can be said for many other artists of his calibre. Other musicians who had written the likes of ‘Seven Nation Army’ and ‘Fell In Love With a Girl’ would happily tour those songs forever and watch the money pile in, but Jack continues to try and cover new ground with the music he puts out into the world. Like it or not, White has earned his accolades as a great guitar player and punk royalty.
During an interview in which he talked about his favourite blues song, White’s desire to create exciting and never-before-heard music makes a lot more sense, as it seems he surrounds himself with the imaginative. “There’s a song that Blind Willie Johnson recorded,” he told the interviewer, “and it’s called ‘Dark Was the Night’.”
Given that popular songs of White’s such as ‘Icky Thumb’ and ‘Lazaretto’ are pumped full of lyrics, his reasoning for loving this track so much might be a surprise. “[It] contains no actual lyrics; it’s just playing slide guitar and basically moaning. I can’t believe the record label at the time really allowed this record to be released. It starts beautiful, then sort of turns evil sounding, without using any words, and that’s very, very powerful and very, very hard to do.”
The song is unique and innately gorgeous. It resonates incredibly well for a piece that doesn’t say anything and shows the power of sound alone, a testament to the idea of show, don’t tell. The joy can be heard in Johnson’s voice, which becomes just as apparent when it translates to sorrow and anger.
Jack White has never been worried about pushing his music too far. He is happy to sound downright crazy at times on a song, trying to reach different peaks sonically and continuing to surprise his listeners who have been following him for decades. Having such innovative influences like Blind Willie Johnson will have contributed massively towards that.
