Re: Ever heard "White Stripes?"

Date: 16 Jul 2003 11:43:41 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.music.makers.guitar.acoustic
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> Hi Brad: Well maybe if there were lyrics worth actually listening too
> ...... (joking and ducking). You're obviously a big fan and that's
> great, I too like the Stripes more than the vast majority of the other
> contemporary rock and pop/rock my daughter listens to, they seem to be
> shaking up the doldrums of endless Creed and Staind knockoffs and at
> least he's not constantly whining about his father. Could be they
> are, or at least getting the most credit for, putting some edge back
> into music like Nirvana did in the 90s, the Clash et. al. earlier,
> etc. What I meant by lyrics as an afterthought is they rarely if ever
> seem to me to have been the driving compositional force in the song,
> more like "ok I've got my two chords and my riff, now what rhymes" =).
> But certainly if the lyrics speak to you, you'll feel differently
> about them. Happy listening,
>
> John
Well, John, I'll say this: I've been writing songs for over 20 years
and whether I start with the lyrics first or the chords and melody
first, the object is the same -- to create a complete creative piece
(song) in which the melody/chords and lyrics seem to live together
like brother and sister.
Sometimes you start with a two or three chord (or even 12 chord!)
progression that then suggests a lyric, but just because that's the
trail that was taken, it doesn't let the songwriter off the hook in
regards to the quality of the words or the quality of the connection
between the words and the music.
Just for the record, I happen to believe that Jack White is an amazing
songwriter. I think the lyrics and music in his songs feed of one
another to an unusually successful degree. In other words, I do
believe that lyrics are a driving force to him, whether added after
the riff or not. My guess is, he writes from various angles, depending
on the song. That's how I do it. You just pick up a guitar and see
what comes out and in what order. It's a lot of fun, actually --
writing songs...
Just for laughs, here's a single stanza from Seven Nation Army:
Im going to Wichita
Far from this opera for evermore
Im gonna work the straw
Make the sweat drip out of every pore
And Im bleeding, and Im bleeding, and Im bleeding
Right before the lord
All the words are gonna bleed from me and I will think
No more
And the stains coming from my blood
Tell me go back home
I think that's an incredibly evocative and powerful lyric...
Here's The Hardest Button to Button. It does a great job making one
feel the emotional intensity of family bonds that drives us all, even
if we have no money, and even to the point of wanting to tell the rest
of the world to piss off, we're here!
We started living in an old house
My ma gave birth and we were checking it out
It was a baby boy
So we bought him a toy
It was a ray gun
And it was 1981
We named him Baby
He had a toothache
He started crying
It sounded like an earthquake
It didnt last long
Because I stopped it
I grabbed a rag doll
And stuck some little pins in it
Now were a family
And were alright now
We got money and a little place
To fight now
We dont know you
And we dont owe you
But if you see us around
I got something else to show you
Well its easy when you dont know better
You think its sleazy?
Then put it in a short letter
We keep warm
But theres just something wrong when you
Just feel like youre the hardest button
To button
I had opinions
That didnt matter
I had a brain
That felt like pancake batter
I got a backyard
With nothing in it
Except a stick
A dog
And a box with something in it
I'm a fan...
Brad