45. Passive Manipulation - Get Behind Me Satan
Short and sweet. A seemingly throwaway track at first, just to get Meg some singing time, but after a while you warm to the sentiment of the song - Meg declaring for women to learn the difference between a father and a lover. It's an enjoyable break in the album Get Behind Me Satan between two relatively abstract songs by The White Stripes' standards - Instinct Blues and Take, Take, Take. Thankfully it doesn't continue that way for more than 30 seconds.
44. This Protector - White Blood Cells
One of the songs I truly feel is about Jack's love for Meg. The closer to White Blood Cells is sentimental piano centric song that has a great flow to it. It may not be a romantic love, but just a deep and underlying connection between the two. Although Jack likes to deny that the songs he write are about him - White Blood Cells does seem to be an album of love between himself and Meg. This Protector has the feeling of a sorrowful goodbye, ending the album in a whimper, instead of the bang it opened with in Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground.
43. St. James Infirmary Blues - The White Stripes
One of early favourite tracks from the White Stripes, this quirky cover is a nice take on a classic. In itself, the tune has a vintage White Stripes instrumental chorus, and is catchy as hell. It sums up the first Stripes album in the way that all the tracks seemingly do - it's a quirky and heavy instrumental with Jack's simultaneously dark and light lyrics. There's a word in Italian for that...
42. I Think I Smell A Rat - White Blood Cells
'Walkin down the street carrying a baseball bat...oh I think I smell a rat!'. This remains one of my favourite lyrics from the White Stripes, purely because of the nostalgia brings to me. The phrase 'I Think I Smell A Rat' could reference a lot, but I most closely associate it with the mafia, and their bane - rats! Snitches! Blabbermouths! Carrying a baseball bat while just walking down the street gives an ominous tone, but Jack delivers it in a care-free way, reminding me of the badassery of the song.
41. Lets Shake Hands - Single
The very first White Stripes single was also featured on the Japanese version of their self-titled debut. It's a hell of an introduction too - shaking hands with the listener, and seemingly immediatly making friends with them. This was their go-to opener pre-White Blood Cells, and you can see why. Lets Shake Hands is a burst of energy from beginning to end, and should always be recognised as a truly great White Stripes number - despite it not being included on their albums.
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