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Rating:
About 40 million Italians love football. And about 20 million Italians find themselves "singing" that "oh oh oh oh" crap at the stadium to a tune that, for many (many) of them, is from a dance song by the M@D called "the concert", without having the slightest idea that this catchy tune is actually the most important guitar riff since that nice distorted guitar line played by Kurt Cobain at the beginning of "Smells like a teen spirit".
The author of this feat is Jack White, guitar, voice, mind, author, and producer of the White Stripes, with the Strokes being the most important rock sensation in a very (very) long time.
The song containing the riff is called "Seven Nation Army" and is one of the gems of an album that, despite some drops in tone in the midtempo tracks (like "Balls and Biscuits"), is a cornerstone of nu-rock. Let it be clear: the Stripes created nothing new. Their blues rock is played in a minimal (very minimal) way and with uncommon violence in modern rock, a sort of punk visceralness that makes that lo-fi aesthetic beautiful and original. The best tracks are the upbeat rock'n'rolls ("Black Math", "Girl you have no faith in medicine", "Hypnotize") and some definitely okay ballads ("I just don't know what to do with myself" and "I wanna be the boy to warm your mother's hearth").
A record to listen to and listen to again, because each time it will seem more beautiful. It might also seem to you that Jack and Meg don't know how to play and that the sound is too bare, but, in the end, you will realize that, for what they do and for their purpose, everything comes full circle.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Seven Nation Army (03:52)
I'm going to fight 'em off
A seven nation army couldn't hold me back
They're gonna rip it off
Taking their time right behind my back
And I'm talking to myself at night
Because I can't forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette
And a message coming from my eyes says leave it alone
Don't want to hear about it
Every single one's got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the hounds of Hell
And if I catch you coming back my way
I'm going to serve it to you
And that ain't what you want to hear
But that's what I'll do
And a feeling coming from my bones says find a home
I'm going to Wichita
Far from this opera, forever more
I'm going to work the straw
Make the sweat drip out of every pore
And I'm bleeding and I'm bleeding and I'm bleeding
Right before my Lord
All the words are going to bleed from me
And I will sing no more
And the stains coming from my blood tell me go back home
02 Black Math (03:04)
Oh, don't you think that I'm bound to react now?
Well, My fingers definitely turning to black now
yeeah
Maybe I'll put my love on ice
And teach myself, maybe that'll be nice, yeaah
My books are sitting at the top of the stack now
Well, The longer words are really breaking my back now
yeaah
Maybe I'll learn to understand,
Drawing a square with a pencil in hand, yeah
ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ahh, ahhh
Mathematically turning the page
Unequivocally showing my age
I'm practically center stage
Undeniably earning your wage
Well, maybe I'll put my love on ice
Teach myself, maybe that'll be nice, yeeaah
Listen master can you answer a question?
Is it the fingers, or the brain that you're teaching the lesson?
Oh, I can't tell you how proud I am
Writing down things I don't understand
Well, maybe I'll put my love on ice
And teach myself, maybe that'll be nice, yeeaah
yeeeah, yeeeah, yeeeah
05 In the Cold, Cold Night (02:58)
I saw you standing in the corner
On the edge of a burning light
I saw you standing in the corner
Come to me again, in the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
You make me feel a little older
Like a full grown woman might
But when you're gone I grow colder
Come to me again in the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
I see you walking by my front door
I hear the creaking of the kitchen floor
I don't care what other people say
I'm going to love you, anyway
Come to me again in the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
I can't stand it any longer
I need the fuel to make my fire bright
So don't fight it any longer
Come to me again, in the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
And I know that you feel it too
When my skin turns into glue
You will know that it's warm inside
And you'll come run to me
In the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
In the cold, cold night
07 You've Got Her in Your Pocket (03:40)
You've got her in your pocket
And there's no way out now
Put it in the safe and lock it
'cause it's at home sweet home
Nobody ever told you that it was the wrong way
To trick a woman, make her feel she did it her way
And you'll be there if she ever feels blue
And you'll be there when she finds someone new
What to do
Well you know
You keep her in your pocket
Where there's no way out now
Put it in a safe and lock it
'cause it's home sweet home
The smile on your face
made her think she had the right one
Then she thought she was sure
By the way you two could have fun
But now she might leave
Like she's threatened before
Grab hold of her fast
Before her feet leave the floor
And she's out the door
'cause you want
To keep you in my pocket
Where there's no way out now
Put it in a safe and lock it
'cause it's home sweet home
And in your own mind
You know you're lucky just to know her
And in the beginning
all you wanted was to show her
But now you're scared
You think she's running away
You search in your hand for something clever to say
Don't go away
'cause I want
To keep her in your pocket
Where there's no way out
Put it in a safe and lock it
'cause it's home sweet home
home sweet home
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Other reviews
By coppino
The whole album is a drag, pieces that don’t even release a hint of the violence suggested by the blood-red cover.
Shit, pure shit... YOOAAAA.
By ciaglia
Jack wisely decided to insert a second guitar in almost all the songs on this record, which makes the sound more pleasant while still remaining hard and raw garage rock!!!
The beautiful last track 'Well It’s True That We Love One Another' is sung by both Jack and Meg plus the third voice of Holly Golightly, which makes their bond increasingly unclear.
By Sir Psycho Sexy
Simply creative geniuses at the service of strange, simple yet complete music.
The White Stripes limit themselves to hitting a crash to indicate entering the chorus, with excessive use of the timpani and bass drum played to keep time.
By AR (Anonima Recensori)
From the first track, Seven Nation Army, it’s clear that we’re in front of a quality work, with that bass riff that grabs you from behind and is already a classic.
This is a distinguished album, compact and lively like never before.
