THE 1000 BEST SONGS IN THE WORLD EVER.

324-White Stripes-Seven Nation Army.

2003-Number 7 single.

Best Bit At 0.09. Jack and Meg White hated that journalists wanted to know all about their private life, so they told them that they were brother and sister, when they were really man and wife, (which could have left them with some right old explaining to do.)

The White Stripes were formed in 1997, in Detroit, Michigan, United States, by the husband and wife duo of Jack and Meg White who had married in 1996, although the couple divorced in 2000, they continued working together as White Stripes through until the band split in 2011. They took the bands name from Meg’s love of Peppermints, Jack explained,’We were going to call ourselves the Peppermints, but since our last name was White, we decided to call it the White Stripes.’Jack White was born John Anthony Gillis on July 9th, 1975, in Detroit, Michigan, United States, in a somewhat unusual move, when he married Meg, he took her surname. Jack White is one of the most celebrated musicians of the late 20th, and early 21st Century, particularly for his recording technique and guitar playing. He is credited with the revival of ‘Garage Rock’ music, which he blended with his ‘Blues’ influences. Aside from his work with the White Stripes, White has also released three solo studio Albums between 2012-2018, he is also a member of the American Rock group ‘The Dead Weather,’ releasing three studio Albums between 2009-2015, and also the American Rock band the ‘Raconteurs,’ who have also released three studio Albums between 2006-2019. The White Stripes released six studio Albums between 1999-2007, and 28 singles, of which ‘Icky Thump’ in 2007, when making Number 26 on Billboard, was their only charting single in America on the Hot 100 top 40 chart, while in the UK 13 of their singles have reached the top 40.

‘Seven Nation Army’ was the first single released from the White Stripe’s fourth studio Album ‘Elephant’ from 2003, and was written and produced by Jack White. ‘Seven Nation Army’ started out as a guitar riff written by Jack White at the ‘Corner Hotel’ in Melbourne, Australia when the White Stripes were on tour in 2002. White knew straight away he had something special, and initially he decided to save it thinking it would make a great James Bond theme, but in time he realised that there would be little chance of them coming to call. Ironically in 2008 White did receive the call when he composed, and co-sang ‘Another Way to Die’ with Alicia Keys, the theme to the James Bond film ‘Quantum of Solace.’ After writing the guitar riff White gave it a name, he called it ‘Seven Nation Army’ because as a child he had thought that the ‘Salvation Army’ were actually called ‘Seven Nation Army,’ something he had misheard. Jack and Meg felt that the press would often intrude on their privacy, and the songs lyrics are Jack saying that no matter how much you delve into our private lives, we will not be bullied by you.

‘I’m gonna fight ’em all, a seven nation army couldn’t hold me back. They’re gonna rip it off, taking their time right behind my back.’