Watch The Black Keys play ‘I Got Mine’ on Letterman in 2008
The Black Keys were sick of their process by 2008. With over half a decade of home recordings, shitty vans, and DIY tours, the blues rock duo had finally gained enough clout to begin transitioning into a major rock band. No more recording in abandoned tire factories, no more tracking songs on cassette tapes, and no more sleeping in the same car that’s getting you to the gig. Bands pride themselves on the dues they have to pay in order to hit it big, and The Black Keys had undoubtedly paid their dues.
The previous year, the duo received a call from an unlikely source: hip hop producer and Gnarles Barkley member Danger Mouse. The man born Brian Burton was producing an album for Ike Turner and asked The Black Keys to contribute some material. When Turner died in the winter of 2007, the material that the trio wrote was saved for the next Black Keys album, and suddenly the band had an outside producer working with them for the first time.
Danger Mouse brought a refined sound to the band’s signature gritty thump. Although the material still reflected the old-school blues and folk of their origins, the songs on Attack & Release just sounded bigger. Instead of sounding like it was being beamed out directly from a basement, the music on Attack & Release sounded like it could be played in stadiums and arenas. It wasn’t so much a change as it was an extension of what the band could already do – organic rock and roll, polished and ready for the world to hear.
After the gentle soulful shuffle of ‘All You’ve Ever Wanted’ explodes into a gospel finale, it was clear that The Black Keys were itching to sound more expansive than a traditional two-piece outfit. There was no better example of this than the next track, ‘I Got Mine’. Featuring one of Dan Auerbach’s most iconic riffs, ‘I Got Mine’ isn’t really all that much more than Auerbach’s bluesy twang and Patrick Carney’s booming drums.
But ‘I Got Mine’ was a clear line of demarcation between the old Black Keys and the new Black Keys. Same old lineup, same old style, and same old lack of bass, but a new bombastic production style that finally let them explore all of the sonic spaces that they were capable of filling. So when the band trotted into the studio of the Late Show with David Letterman just a few days after the release of Attack & Release, it was no surprise that they decided to play ‘I Got Mine’.
Check out The Black Keys playing ‘I Got Mine’ on Letterman down below.
