“I don’t like to play the notes”: The White Stripes song Jack White doesn’t enjoy
It is often the case that musical artists come to resent their early material, either for its comparatively primitive composition or its popularity in contrast to new works. For an artist as prolific and inventive as Jack White, you might assume that this issue is more profound than in many cases. In actuality, though, White still holds much of his early work with The White Stripes very close to his heart. So much so that he continues to perform classic tracks like fan-favourite ‘Seven Nation Army’ well into his solo shows. Not every song, however, is lucky enough to have such lasting popularity.
It was The White Stripes that first launched Jack White’s career. Beginning all the way back in 1997, the duo orchestrated a much-needed revival of the abrasive DIY sounds of garage rock. Through seminal records like Elephant or White Blood Cells, White managed to build upon the musical legacy of his hometown of Detroit while also driving the sound of the city forward into exciting new avenues. What’s more, The White Stripes came with a fully-formed artistic manifesto that elevated them above many other groups during that time, sitting atop a swirling red and white pedestal.
That artistic manifesto brought with it some of the finest rock and roll anthems of the early 20th century, including timeless classics like ‘Blue Orchid’, ‘Fell In Love With A Girl’, and, of course, ‘Seven Nation Army’. Although the group often stuck fairly close to the infectious sounds of the garage rock revival, their music always reflected the endlessly broad music taste of Jack White. Blending their distinctive sound with everything from blues rock to country, they were never a band who stayed in one place for too long.
Often, the finest moments of The White Stripes came when the duo chose to pay homage to the historic sounds of Detroit. Over the years, the Michigan city has played host to pioneering blues artists, garage rock revolutionaries, and stars of the soul age. Soul music is particularly important to the city of Detroit, given that it played host to the legendary Motown Records label, which produced a variety of the genre’s biggest stars. It was only a matter of time, therefore, before White drew upon the influence of soul within his own music.
The resulting track was ‘My Doorbell’, which blends the garage rock mastery of The White Stripes with a distinctly Motown-infused rhythm. Topping the UK indie charts upon its 2005 release, the song quickly became one of The White Stripes’ most recognisable, and was certainly the stand-out track from Get Behind Me Satan. Nevertheless, the song’s distinctive rhythm has caused more than a few headaches for White during the years since its initial release.
“I love to sing ‘My Doorbell’,” the songwriter once told Rolling Stone. “But I don’t like to play the notes. It’s a harsh rhythm.” Seemingly, it was his former partner Meg White who gave the track its Motown-infused beat. “I wish I could play the drums and sing it – I love Meg’s drumbeat on that song,” White shared, highlighting the importance of his counterpart in The White Stripes.
Meg White’s drumming skill is much-maligned when discussing The White Stripes, but her style of playing was utterly instrumental in crafting the sound of the group. As White himself confirms, “Once people all understand what she’s doing, it becomes incredibly beautiful to them. She’s beautiful. She really made the songs we wrote back then, or I wrote back then … she brought them to life.”
So, although White continues to perform the classic 2005 track occasionally with his solo band, it seems as though the song simply isn’t as enjoyable as it was back in the days of The White Stripes – regardless of how talented White’s current drummer is. Nevertheless, ‘My Doorbell’ remains one of the garage rock revivalists’ finest works, showing both their endless dedication to Detroit and their ability to craft new sounds from the influences of times gone by.
