STACK #250 August 2025

MUSIC FEATURE

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Words: Paul Jones

THE WHITE STRIPES GET BEHIND ME SATAN

2OTH ANNIVERSARY

E merging from Detroit’s underground garage rock scene in the late ‘90s, the White Stripes’ raw, minimalist sound was built on Jack White’s explosive guitar riffs and Meg White’s primal drumming. Their 1999 self-titled debut was a gritty

pianos. The result was something far more placid and unconventional than their previous work had been. The double album was recorded in just two weeks at Jack’s Detroit house, pulling the 13 tracks from over 35 demos written

by Rita Hayworth - the way she reinvented herself, hid her heritage, and became the ideal Hollywood star. That push-pull between identity and illusion pulses through the record. Tracks like Take, Take, Take and White Moon are imbued with that tension and Hayworth references. And then there’s the sound. The Nurse is sharp-edged and hypnotic, built around marimba and jagged guitar stabs. My Doorbell feels almost playful, The album title - lifted from a biblical phrase - is cryptic too. Maybe it’s about dodging temptation. Or perhaps it’s just one of those phrases that lingers in the back of your mind long after the music stops? Upon release, it divided opinion. It wasn’t what the fans or press expected; Get Behind Me Satan was a bold move for the band - a successful experiment, deliberately underproduced. Get Behind Me Satan is a sonic oddity, but two decades on, the unpolished, honest record remains a successful experiment. It’s a cracker of an album. bouncing along with pop charm. Meg even steps up to the mic with Passive Manipulation , a short, cryptic little mantra that chills more than it comforts.

homage to Delta blues. The next album, De Stijl (2000), introduced sharper songwriting and acoustic textures, blending punk spirit with vintage cool. 2001’s White Blood Cells (2001) launched them into the mainstream, thanks to razor sharp tracks like Fell in Love with a Girl . However, it was Elephant in 2003 that crowned them global rock heavyweights; its iconic anthem Seven Nation Army became a cultural phenomenon. In light of this success, a weight of expectation surrounded the follow-up. Should they dovetail Elephant with a similar blueprint or draw inspiration from another well?

for the sessions. Plagued by equipment issues exacerbated by water dripping from the ceiling, this messy energy permeated the songs, creating something raw and unpredictable. The songs run deep. Jack was fascinated

They decided to throw a curveball. Get Behind Me Satan wasn’t just a change in pace; ignoring the momentum, the White Stripes dialled back the distortion and instead found solace in marimbas, acoustic guitar, and

FURTHER RECOMMENDATIONS BY THE WHITE STRIPES

ELEPHANT (2003) A thunderous, era-defining record that fused raw blues grit with arena-sized riffs. From Seven Nation Army to Ball and Biscuit , it’s the White Stripes at their most ferocious and iconic.

ICKY THUMP (2007) Their swan song roars with distortion and deranged charm. A final flex of wild invention - mariachi brass, bagpipes, and blues licks collide in glorious, chaotic harmony.

56 AUGUST 2025

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