Top 50 White Stripes Songs: Numbers 50-46

Hello, I'm writing this purely out of my own accord - not as a critique or whatever, you're free to agree or disagree. Why 50? I'm not sure myself, just seems like a rounded number.Why The White Stripes? Well again, I'm not sure. A good band with a decent sized discography is good enough for me - also they write some killer riffs. And never forget Meg on the drums!

50. I Fought Piranhas - The White Stripes

The closing track of their first, self-titled album, I Fought Piranhas, has always intrigued me. I see it as the Ball and Biscuit of its time, The record itself is filled with songs in a similar vein, thrashy garage blues, but I can't think of a more appropriate closer to the album. The presursor to the second chorus has long been my favourite moment in the song, and the lyrics express an interesting ambiguous statement - as far as I'm concerned it's about a person who will fight to the death to hold things together. Fun track.

49. Hypnotise - Elephant

Hypnotise always felt like it was trying a little too hard for me. I enjoy the thrashyness of it, and it's short and sweet, gets in - says what it has to say - and gets out. That's where the success of the song lies. Much like Passive Manipulation, it doesn't drag itself out. 

48. I'm Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman - White Blood Cells

When I was first getting into The White Stripes, I felt very little for this song, if anything at all. Thrown in between Hotel Yorba and Fell In Love With A Girl, I'm Finding It Harder struggled to make itself stand out. But after a little, I appreciated the vintage White Stripes instumental chorus with the dual piano and guitar since then the song became one of my favourites and now I look forward to it every time I listen to White Blood Cells. The song's peak comes for me on the build up to the small solo, breaking into the chorus yet again.

47. Broken Bricks - The White Stripes

A description of the appearance of Detroit finds this list at No, 47. One of my favourite things about this song is its position on the album. It follows my favourite from the album - Astro, and is seemingly a 'Part 2' to the two-chord, three lyric, garage rock tune. The bells catch you off guiard at first, but I've learned to embrace them and the second phrase of the instrument gives me the high point of the song. A great garage rock tune.

46. Suzy Lee - The White Stripes

                               

One of my earliest favourite White Stripes songs, Suzy Lee. Here, Jack White introduced a character who'd be referenced again through his time with the Stripes, who appears to be a young love - and in my opinion, at a Primary school age, I see it somewhere around 8. It tells a lovely story of two young people falling in love - but even Jack questions it. The song still holds sentimental value with me, and the slide guitar never gets old. It fits well on a record that's really all over the place, and what made me come back to this song was seeing Suzy Lee mentioned in We're Going To Be Friends. It was a nice touch from Jack.

Oh well, see you next week.