The White Stripes

The White Stripes
General information
origin	Detroit , United States
Genre (s)	Garage rock , alternative rock , blues rock
founding	1997
resolution	2011
Website	www.whitestripes.com
Last occupation
Guitar , vocals , piano	Jack White
Drums , percussion , vocals	Meg White

The White Stripes were a rock band from Detroit , USA . She was one of the most famous representatives of garage rock .

history

prehistory

The guitarist and singer Jack White and drummer and occasional vocalist Meg White claimed to be siblings, but were married September 1996 to February 1999.

Originally, Jack White was a drummer, but later switched to guitar. His past on drums is expressed through his percussive guitar playing. The first band he played in as a guitarist was Two Part Resin . After Dominic Suchyta left the three-man band, only Jack White and Brian Muldoon remained. The two played as a duo from late 1993 to 1996, only guitar and drums. When Muldoon also lost interest in the band, Megan White began to learn drums.

“When she started playing drums with me, it felt liberating and refreshing. There was something in it that opened me up. "

- Jack White

1997: early years

White Stripes was finally founded in 1997. They made their first appearance on August 15, 1997 at the Gold Dollar in Detroit , at a newcomer event that had only 10 to 15 people in attendance. The performance was very well received, which Jack White mainly attributed to Meg White's childish drumming. At that time he was still playing in two other bands ( 2 Star Tabernacle and The Go ), but as the White Stripes became more and more popular in the Detroit scene, Jack White decided to leave the other two bands in order to concentrate fully on the Stripes to concentrate. In 1998 the band released their first two singles on the independent label Italy Records . At this time, Jack also defined the distinctive style of the White Stripes : red, white and black clothing. With this simple trick, they managed to instantly attract attention. In 1999 and 2000, the albums The White Stripes and De Stijl (based on a Dutch art movement ) and a number of vinyl singles were released on the Sympathy For The Record Industry label . Although it along with Pavement and Sleater-Kinney on tour went, they did not stay much more than a local celebrity.

2002: successes

In the course of the hype wave about retro bands in 2002, the album White Blood Cells , released in late 2001, was their first big success, with which they also became internationally known; after the album was released on CD in 2002, over a million copies were sold worldwide.

The successor Elephant (2003) brought the two are now a commercial breakthrough (worldwide sales: more than four million copies, of which one third in the United States ) and was unanimously praised by most critics, including Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones appeared in interview done to the band. The album immediately made it to number 1 on the UK charts and reached number 6 on the Billboard album charts in the USA. The first single, Seven Nation Army , was probably their best-known song so far due to the very catchy riff . In the same year the band received two Grammys in the categories " Best Alternative Music Album " (for Elephant ) and "Best Rock Song" (for Seven Nation Army ). On November 22nd, 2004 a special kind of live DVD was released with Under Blackpool Lights : The first concert film of the White Stripes was filmed completely in Super 8 format.

The album Get Behind Me Satan , released in June 2005 and recorded in just 10 days at Jack White's own Third Man Studios in Detroit , brought some changes with it: If the previous albums were heavily influenced by Jack White's electric guitar , kick this on get behind me satan completely in the background. The acoustic guitar and piano now dominate the musical accompaniment . A marimba is even used in one song . Jack White's falsetto singing and the use of new percussion elements are also striking . In February 2006, the White Stripes received another Grammy for Get Behind Me Satan in the "Best Alternative Music Album" category .

In 2005 Jack White founded the new band The Raconteurs together with Brendan Benson , Jack Lawrence and Patrick Keeler , which released two albums in 2006 and 2008.

2007: last years

In 2007, the White Stripes released their sixth studio album, Icky Thump , with which the band returned to their earlier style influenced by punk, garage rock and blues. With three weeks of recording, it was the band's most elaborate album to date. It is also the first White Stripes album to feature a song of the same name. The release of the album was supported by a European and North American tour.

In September 2009, the live documentary Under Great White Northern Lights was presented at the Toronto International Film Festival . The film shows the band's Canada tour in summer 2007 and was released on DVD in March 2010 at the same time as the live album of the same name.

On February 2, 2011, the White Stripes announced their dissolution.

Music genre

The music, composed mainly by Jack White, is a mixture of rock , punk , indie , blues and folk . The White Stripes are often compared to bands like the Yardbirds and Led Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix . Jack White cites blues musicians and songwriters from the past, such as Blind Willie McTell and Robert Johnson , as the greatest influences . Jack White also often cites the Flat Duo Jets or Billy Childish as sources of inspiration. Also striking are the frequent covers of Son House (John the Revelator, Death Letter), as well as Bob Dylan (Isis, Lovesick). The White Stripes are still one of the few musicians who have covered Captain Beefheart .

Live performances

The band was known for exciting and slightly confusing performances, not least because of the "individual" rendering of the songs. The White Stripes played without a setlist from 2000, so their performances were characterized by improvisation and individuality. The guitar and Jack White have always been particularly dominant.

On July 16, 2007 the White Stripes played the shortest concert in the world, a so-called one-note concert. Jack and Meg actually only played one note (E) and left the stage. The fans had been warned beforehand, but several hundred people came.

Film appearances

The White Stripes can be seen in an episode in Jim Jarmusch's Coffee and Cigarettes (2003). Jack White also had a supporting role in the 2003 Hollywood film On The Road To Cold Mountain, starring Jude Law and Nicole Kidman . Jack White was also seen in a minor role in Mutant Swinger from Mars (2003), a remake of the 1960s classic; also as Elvis Presley in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007).

In the Simpsons episode Jazzy and the Pussycats (season 18, episode 2; German premiere on September 9, 2007) The White Stripes have a guest appearance with their song The Hardest Button to Button, the video of which is subsequently parodied. They meet Bart Simpson .

Davis Guggenheim's film It Might Get Loud (2009) deals with U2 guitarist The Edge and Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page as well as the White Stripes.

Trivia

The main riff of the song Seven Nation Army has become very popular among Italian fans , especially during and after the 2006 World Cup , and is now sung by fans across Europe at sporting events and music festivals. It was used, among other things, as invasion music at the 2008 European Football Championship . From 2011 to 2019 it was the “goal song” of FC Bayern Munich . Among other things, it was the same for the Austrian football club SK Rapid Wien until the 09/10 season. The three-time PDC darts world champion Michael van Gerwen also uses the song as warm-up music.

Discography

Studio albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
1999	The White Stripes	-	-	-	UK- gold UK	-	First published: June 15, 1999
2000	De Stijl	-	-	-	UK- gold UK	-	First published: June 20, 2000
2001	White Blood Cells	-	-	-	UK55 platinum (39 weeks)UK	US61 platinum (53 weeks)US	First published: July 3, 2001
2003	Elephant	DE27 platinum (44 weeks)DE	AT39 (11 weeks) AT	CH29 (22 weeks) CH	UK1 × 2 Double platinum (54 weeks)UK	US6th platinum (57 weeks)US	First published: April 1, 2003
2005	Get Behind Me Satan	DE5 (16 weeks) DE	AT12 (19 weeks) AT	CH8 (14 weeks) CH	UK3 platinum (33 weeks)UK	US3 (33 weeks) US	First published: June 7, 2005
2007	Icky Thump	DE4 (10 weeks) DE	AT5 (13 weeks) AT	CH5 (12 weeks) CH	UK1 gold (16 weeks)UK	US2 platinum (32 weeks)US	First published: June 15, 2007

Live albums

year	title	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
2010	Under Great White Northern Lights	DE41 (2 weeks) DE	AT19 (6 weeks) AT	CH27 (4 weeks) CH	UK25 (2 weeks) UK	US11 (5 weeks) US	First published: March 15, 2010

More albums

• 2004: Under Blackpool Lights
• 2005: Walking with a Ghost
• 2011: Live in Mississippi
• 2012: Live at the Gold Dollar
• 2012: Under Moorhead Lights All Fargo Night
• 2012: Under New Zealand Lights
• 2013: Nine Miles from the White City

Singles

year	Title album	Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes)					Remarks
		DE	AT	CH	UK	US
2001	Hotel Yorba White Blood Cells	-	-	-	UK26 (2 weeks) UK	-	First published: November 2001
2002	Fell in Love with a Girl White Blood Cells	-	-	-	UK21st silver (4 weeks)UK	-	First published: March 2002
	Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground White Blood Cells	-	-	-	UK25 (2 weeks) UK	-	First published: September 2002
2003	Seven Nation Army Elephant	DE4th gold (39 weeks)DE	AT18 (16 weeks) AT	CH3 (34 weeks) CH	UK7th × 2 Double platinum (9 weeks)UK	US76 (20 weeks) US	First published: March 2003
	I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself Elephant	-	-	-	UK13 (5 weeks) UK	-	First published: September 2003
	The Hardest Button to Button Elephant	-	-	-	UK23 (3 weeks) UK	-	First published: November 2003
2004	Jolene Under Blackpool Lights	-	-	-	UK16 (4 weeks) UK	-	First published: November 2004
2005	Blue Orchid Get Behind Me Satan	-	-	-	UK9 silver (14 weeks)UK	US43 (7 weeks) US	First published: May 2005
	My Doorbell Get Behind Me Satan	-	-	-	UK10 (20 weeks) UK	-	First published: September 2005
	The Denial Twist Get Behind Me Satan	-	-	-	UK10 (5 weeks) UK	-	First published: November 2005
2007	Icky Thump Icky Thump	-	AT60 (2 weeks) AT	-	UK2 silver (7 weeks)UK	US26th gold (17 weeks)US	First published: April 2007
	You Don't Know What Love Is Icky Thump	-	-	-	UK18 (3 weeks) UK	-	First published: September 2007
	Conquest Icky Thump	-	-	-	UK30 (2 weeks) UK	-	First published: December 2007

Video albums

• 2003 - Cold Mountain
• 2003 - Candy Colored Blues (Unofficial DVD)
• 2004 - Under Blackpool Lights (DVD) (UK:gold)
• 2004 - Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch (DVD)
• 2005 - In Color (Live Glastonbury 2005) (Unofficial DVD)
• 2006 - White Stripes Rhinoceros (Unofficial DVD)
• 2008 - It Might Get Loud
• 2010 - Under Great White Northern Lights (DVD & Blu-ray) (US:gold)

Music videos

• 2001 - Hotel Yorba (Direction: Anthony Ernest Garth & Dan Miller)
• 2002 - Fell in Love with a Girl (Direction: Michel Gondry )
• 2002 - Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground (Direction: Michel Gondry)
• 2002 - We're Going to Be Friends (Direction: Kevin Carrico & Anthony Ernest Garth)
• 2003 - Seven Nation Army (Director: Alex & Martin)
• 2003 - I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself (Director: Sofia Coppola )
• 2003 - The Hardest Button to Button (Direction: Michel Gondry)
• 2005 - Blue Orchid (Director: Floria Sigismondi )
• 2005 - My Doorbell (Director: The Malloys)
• 2005 - The Denial Twist (Direction: Michel Gondry)
• 2007 - Icky Thump (Direction: Jack White & The Malloys)
• 2007 - You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You're Told) (Director: The Malloys)
• 2007 - Conquest (Director: Diane Martel)

Awards for music sales

Golden record  Australia 2003: for the album White Blood Cells 2007: for the album Icky Thump  Belgium 2007: for the album Get Behind Me Satan  Denmark 2015: for the single Seven Nation Army  Canada 2003: for the album White Blood Cells  New Zealand 2007: for the album Icky Thump  Netherlands 2008: for the album White Blood Cells  Norway 2003: for the album Elephant  Sweden 2004: for the album Elephant

Platinum record  Australia 2006: for the album Get Behind Me Satan  Belgium 2007: for the album Elephant  Europe 2004: for the album Elephant  Italy 2017: for the single Seven Nation Army  Canada 2005: for the album Get Behind Me Satan 2007: for the album Icky Thump  New Zealand 2003: for the album Elephant 2006: for the album Get Behind Me Satan  Netherlands 2008: for the album Elephant 2 × platinum record  Australia 2009: for the album Elephant  Canada 2004: for the album Elephant

Note: Awards in countries from the chart tables or chart boxes can be found in these.

Country / Region	silver	gold	platinum	Sales	swell
Awards for music sales (country / region, awards, sales, sources)
Australia (ARIA)	-	2 × gold2	3 × platinum3	280,000	aria.com.au
Belgium (BEA)	-	gold1	platinum1	75,000	ultratop.be
Denmark (IFPI)	-	gold1	-	30,000	ifpi.dk
Germany (BVMI)	-	gold1	platinum1	350,000	musikindustrie.de
Europe (IFPI)	-	-	platinum1	(1,000,000)	ifpi.org ( Memento from October 15, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
Italy (FIMI)	-	-	platinum1	50,000	fimi.it
Canada (MC)	-	gold1	4 × platinum4th	450,000	musiccanada.com
New Zealand (RMNZ)	-	gold1	2 × platinum2	37,500	nztop40.co.nz
Netherlands (NVPI)	-	gold1	platinum1	90,000	nvpi.nl
Norway (IFPI)	-	gold1	-	20,000	ifpi.no ( Memento from November 5, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
Sweden (IFPI)	-	gold1	-	30,000	sverigetopplistan.se
United States (RIAA)	-	2 × gold2	3 × platinum3	3,550,000	riaa.com
United Kingdom (BPI)	3 × silver3	4 × gold4th	6 × platinum6th	3,325,000	bpi.co.uk
All in all	3 × silver3	16 × gold16	23 × platinum23

literature

• Denise Sullivan, Conny Lösch (translator): The White Stripes. Renitenz and Rock'n'Roll - Blues for the 21st Century ., 2005, Hannibal-Verlag. ISBN 3-85445-253-5 .
• Alex Hannaford: The White Stripes . Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf 2006. ISBN 3-89602-722-0 .

swell

1. ^ White Stripes divorce certificate. Glorious Noise, accessed February 19, 2012 . 
2. ↑ mtv.com: White Stripes Drummer Meg White Marries In Jack White's Backyard
3. ↑ rollingstone.com: The Mysterious Case of the White Stripes
4. ↑ "White Stripes" dissolve . N-tv , February 2, 2011. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
5. ↑ Ben Sisario: Red, White and Blue: The White Stripes Break Up . Arts Beat, The New York Times , February 2, 2011. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
6. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vYlHTGsmso
7. ↑ To be seen at the beginning of the documentary "Under Great White Northern Lights"
8. ↑ Sport1.de: FC Bayern: The goal anthem "Cancan" from the Olympic Stadium is making a comeback. Retrieved April 12, 2020 . 
9. ↑ ^{a b c} Chart sources: DE AT CH UK US

Web links

Commons : The White Stripes  - Collection of Images

• Official international site (English)
• The White Stripes at MusicBrainz (English)
• The White Stripes at laut.de
• The White Stripes at Discogs (English)
• Further links on The White Stripes in the Open Music Project - MusicMoz (English)