Biography
The world of music is rich in examples of immortal songs, they are usually written by legendary performers like Queen, Nirvana and Michael Jackson. In 2003, the participants of the American Duet The White Stripes, the husband and wife Megan and Jack White, released the track "Seven Nation Army", whose popularity after decades only increased. The group broke up in 2011, and their song is still considered one of the most incendiary hits.The history of creation and composition
The history of the creation of The White Stripes is quite romantic. Once at the Memphis Smoke restaurant, Jack Gillis met the waitress of Meg White. Lovers together went to underground concerts, got acquainted with local novelties - in general, studied each other through the prism of music. By that time, Jack's biography had already been associated with creativity: he played the drums in a number of "garage" punk groups - GOOBER & THE PEAS, THE GO and THE HENTCHMEN.
Embed from getty imagesOn September 21, 1996, young people got married, and Jack, despite the usual, took the surname of the spouse. Megan involuntarily absorbed her husband's love for music and in 1997 decided to master the drums. Her attempts "refreed and encouraged" Jack, and he suggested creating his own group. At first, the duet wore the names of Bazooka (from the English. "Bazooka") and Soda Powder (from English "Social Powder), but later the guys stopped at the option of the White Stripes (from the English." White stripes "), by analogy with the surname.
Jack and Megan immediately set a number of rules: they were brother and sisters in the public, refused to interview, and the design of the covers for albums and the possible Merch were made solely in black, red and white colors. Later they explained that the "chip" was invented with flowers to distract the attention of the public from the fact that they, white-skinned musicians, perform "black" music.
Embed from getty imagesThe rehearsal area of the spouses served a garage under the house. From here, by the way, the name of the genre characteristic of the 1990s is the garage rock. In shortened composition - Jack on vocal, guitar and keyboards, Megan on back-vocals and drums - The White Stripes first performed at the Gold Dollar Bar in Detroit, Michigan. Walked August 1997.
And in 1998, after the next concert, the owner of an independent label ITALY RECORDS Dave Biak, who worked exclusively with garage punk, and suggested writing a single. The first thing that Jack White in response to the offer was refused: I thought that the record would be too expensive. But Byucked was readiness to pay from his own pocket, just to pull the unique group into the light.
Music
The debut single The White Stripes "Let's Shake Hands" came out in February 1998 on vinyl circulation of 1 thousand copies. In October of the same year, ITALY RECORDS released another 1,000 plates with the song "Lafayette Blues". Advertising turned out to be enough to attract the attention of a large company from California Sympathy for The Record Industry and record the first album.The album "The White Stripes" saw the light in June 1999. He was dedicated to Sona House - a bluesman who had a significant impact on the musical formation of Jack White. So, the "Cannon" track contains a chapel - a Haws record, as well as an excerpt of his gospel "John the Revelator". By the way, the next album The White Stripes "De Stijl" entered the Caver on the song of Sona Letter. In 2003, in an interview with the magazine Guitar Player, Jack White said about the debut album:
"The most unprocessed, the most powerful, sounding in Detroit record, which we have done."Positive reviews were given and the musical critics who heard "The White Stripes" with a big lag - 2-3 years after the release, when the duet became known outside Detroit. The AllMusic portal wrote that "Jack White's voice is a unique, causing memory of a combination of punk, metal, blues and provincial sound" and that all duets of such an orientation should be equal to the White family.
John Saw, now the late influential DJ BBC, appreciated primarily not the music of The White Stripes, and the cover design - photo Megan and Jack on the background of bloody-red walls. Yes, and the songs seemed to the saw by good, his approval was playing a key role in the formation of a duet in the UK territory.
The second album The White Stripes "De Stijl" came out exactly a year later - in June 2000. It is considered a cult classic of garage rock. The name of the disk comes from the artistic association formed in the Netherlands, and literally translates as "style". The cover "De Stijl" is a vivid example of the work of the followers of De Steyl: an abstract background is made up of rectangles and lines of red, white and black colors.
This direction is also known as neoplasticism. Later, The White Stripes admitted that they were inspired by the work of the followers of De Steyl, when the image was invented. Like a debut album, De Stijl has a dedication, this time - designer of furniture and architect Gerrite Rutveld from De Steil and Blussyman William Samuel MacTella.
In 2002, De Stijl hit the 38th place in the chart of independent albums according to the Billboard Magazine, and the new York Times newspaper journalist wrote that The White Stripes personifies the fact that many hip-rock fans consider real music. The second album of spouses White rated not only people from the world of music, but also the titans of cinematic art - the song "Apple Blossom" sounds in the militant of Quentin Tarantino "Distivative G8".
The third album "White Blood Cells" (2001) made the White Stripes of one of the most famous groups of the early 2000s. Daily Mirror, for example, called the duet "the greatest musicians since the Sex Pistols", and the Q log included them in the top 50 groups that need to be heard before dying. The cover of the album traditionally made in three colors depicted Megan and Jack, surrounded by the circle of photographers. This is Satira: So Spouse White saw popularity on them.
"White Blood Cells" reached the 61st place in Billboard 200 and received the golden status, disperse more than 500 thousand copies. And in the UK, the album was awarded the 55th position. Partly success contributed to the video for the "Fell In Love With A Girl" single, shot in the style of "Lego". The video was awarded three Awards MTV Video Music Awards in 2002: "breakthrough of the year", "The best visual effects" and "best installation".
At the same time, the fans saw the film "No one knows how to talk to children" (2002), "live" and backstage frames for which they were recorded during the 4-day concert of The White Stripes in New York. According to the duet, the project "did not meet the expectations of fans", but it is still highly appreciated.
In April 2003, the duet released one of the best records of the 2000s - the Elephant disk. In 2004, he was awarded the Grammy Prize in the nomination "Best Alternative Album" and almost achieved award as an album of the year. Elephant headed the British National Chart, and in Billboard 200 took 2nd place.
Single "Seven Nation Army" from this album is considered the most successful in the history of The White Stripes, the greatest song of the 2000s. It is now widely used in sporting events and in the period of political protests around the world, there are writings for her and make remixes.
Lyrics "Seven Nation Army" is inspired by growing attention to The White Stripes and tells the story of a person who surrounds rumors. He hears conversations for his back and removes people, but, tormented by loneliness, returns. Once Jack White said:
"This is a song about gossip. She is about me, Meg and about people who surround us. "The holding "The Hardest Button To Button" is considered no less popular, which has reached the 23rd place in the National Chart of Great Britain. This is a song about a child who tries to find a place in a disadvantaged family, in which another baby will be born. And the song "Ball and Biscuit" is used as a soundtrack in the series "Acute Visits".
"Get Behind Me Satan" appeared in the discography The White Stripes in 2005. He was awarded the Grammy award as the best alternative entry. But the most successful is considered the sixth, final, the album "Icy Thump", released in June 2007.
"Icy Thump" debuted in the 1st place in the UK, on the second - in Billboard 200, disperse 223 thousand copies. He brought a duet to the third grammy award for the best alternative album. Tour in support of the disk opened new, previously non-checked geographical points, for example, Canada for the White Stripes. For the first time, Spouse White drove into Moscow.
According to Ben Blackwell, Jack White's nephew and part-time archivis group, before the last concert in Mississippi said Megan: "This is the last show the White Stripes." The young man clarified whether she had in mind the completion of the tour, but she replied: "No, literally". Words were true.
Completion of the project
Obviously, on the background of close attention to The White Stripes, Paranoia developed at Megan White. Jack gave the spouse to pause by creating a separate group The Dead Weather. Only 2 years later, the duet performed on the show "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" and announced the speed output of the 7th album.
On February 2, 2011, Spouse White announced that they officially cease to record and execute music under the name of The White Stripes. The report indicated that the cause of decay was not health problems and not creative disagreements, the duet decided to complete his story at the peak of success.
In an interview with 2014, Jack White reported that the lack of enthusiasm in Megan largely contributed to the collapse of the team:
"Almost every day The White Stripes was like this: we worked in the studio, something amazing was happening, and I like -" Damn, we just broke into a new world! ". And Megan was sitting in silence. "Discography
- 1999 - "The White Stripes"
- 2000 - "De Stijl"
- 2001 - "White Blood Cells"
- 2003 - Elephant
- 2005 - "GET BEHIND ME SATAN"
- 2007 - "Icy Thump"
Clips
- 2001 - "Hotel Yorba"
- 2002 - "We're Going to Be Friends"
- 2002 - "FELL IN LOVE WITH A GIRL"
- 2003 - "SEVEN NATION ARMY"
- 2003 - "The Hardest Button to Button"
- 2005 - "Blue Orchid"
- 2005 - "The Denial Twist"
- 2007 - "Icy Thump"
- 2007 - "You Don't Know What Love Is You Just Do As You're Told"
- 2016 - "City Lights"