White Blood Cells
White Blood Cells | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | July 3, 2001 | |||
Recorded | February 2001 | |||
Studio | Easley-McCain Recording, Memphis, Tennessee | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 40:25 | |||
Label | Sympathy for the Record Industry | |||
Producer | Jack White | |||
The White Stripes chronology | ||||
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Singles from White Blood Cells | ||||
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White Blood Cells is the third studio album by American rock duo the White Stripes, released on July 3, 2001. Recorded in less than one week at Easley-McCain Recording in Memphis, Tennessee, and produced by frontman and guitarist Jack White, it was the band's final record released independently on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Bolstered by the hit single "Fell in Love with a Girl", the record propelled the White Stripes into early commercial popularity and critical success. In 2012, Rolling Stone ranked the album at number 497 on its list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[2]
Overview
Continuing the stripped-down garage rock nature of the duo, White Blood Cells features less of the band's blues rock influences, instead displaying a more raw, basic, and primitive rock and roll sound. The album's lyrical themes, which were written by White over a period of four years, touch on themes relating to love, hope, betrayal, and paranoia. Following a major label re-release on V2 Records in 2002, the album became promoted throughout the music press, bringing the band critical acclaim. The White Stripes followed with a worldwide tour and the record peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200, later being certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. The album's cover art satirically parodies the amount of increasing mainstream popularity the band was receiving, which depicts the duo attacked by photographers.
Praised[by whom?] for its simplicity and straightforward sound and instrumentation, White Blood Cells set the stage for the White Stripes to break through into the mainstream and is often compared[by whom?] with classic rock influences. It helped define the band's sound and shape the band's role in the garage rock revival of the early 2000s. The album has been, along with the band's follow-up Elephant (2003), featured on several music publications' lists of the greatest albums of the 2000s as well as all-time.
Recording and production
The band rehearsed for one week and began recording at Easley-McCain Recording, in Memphis, Tennessee in February 2001.[1] Meg White was initially hesitant to commence immediate recording, as she thought the songs were "too new."[3] The album was recorded in less than four days, to try to keep it "as unorganized as possible," according to Jack.[1] The record's quick production was intentional in order to get "a real tense" feeling, as well as capture the band's energy. The record was "rushed" and a final day was saved for mixing and mastering the record; this was the first White Stripes album to be mastered in the studio.[4] It was the first time for the band recording in a 24-track recording studio, and Jack White asked recording engineer Stuart Sikes more than once "not to make it sound too good."[3]
Packaging
The cover art of White Blood Cells depicts the duo getting both attacked and enamored by a clan of people wielding TV and video cameras.[1] The images poke fun at the music industry and promotion surrounding it. "When does music become a business and why do we have to be suckered into it? Why do we have to buy a cell phone, you know what I mean? A lot of that stuff upsets me. It gets annoying," said Jack White.[1] The album's title alludes to the increasing media attention the band was receiving, which would only increase after release. "The name, White Blood Cells, for the album, is this idea of bacteria coming at us, or just foreign things coming at us, or media, or attention on the band," Jack White explained in a 2001 interview. "It just seems to us that there are so many bands from the same time or before we started that were playing and are still playing that didn't get this kind of attention that we're getting. Is the attention good or bad? When you open the CD, it's a picture of us with these cameras. Wondering if it's good or bad."[4]
Composition
Lyrics
The lyrics for the album were written over various points in the band's early career, including unrecorded songs for the duo's debut album The White Stripes (1999) and Jack White's previous band Two-Star Tabernacle. "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground", for example, was included in the album though Jack had written the song in 1999 and the band had been performing it along with "The Same Boy You've Always Known" since early 2000. This led to speculation that the songs are about the end of Jack and Meg White's marriage. Some material for White Blood Cells was also inspired by Jack White and the Bricks, a side-project formed in 1999.[5] Regarding the four-year time span in writing for the record, Jack White said "It was cool because a lot of things had been sitting around for a long time, stuff I had written on piano that had been just sitting around not doing anything. And it was good to put them all together at once, put them all in the same box and see what happened."[4] All material on the album is original, a contrast to numerous covers on the band's first two efforts.[1] The lyrics relate and touch upon subjects of love, hope, betrayal, and paranoia, brought on by the increasing media attention the duo began receiving. A common theme throughout the record is the morality of persistent attention, most prevalently profiled in "Little Room".[6] "Little Room" is "homily," written in response to White's favorite song, "Grinnin’ in Your Face" by Son House.[7]
"The Union Forever" contains allusions to Citizen Kane (1941), reportedly Jack White's favorite film. In fact, nearly every line in the song comes from the movie. In 2003 it was rumoured that Warner Bros., who own the rights to Citizen Kane, might sue the band over copyright infringement,[8] but nothing seems to have come from it. "Hotel Yorba" is based on a real hotel a couple of blocks from Jack White's childhood home: "The Hotel Yorba is a really disgusting hotel," he remarked to Spin in 2001. "There was a great rumor when I was a kid that The Beatles had stayed there. They never did, but I loved that rumor. It was funny."[1]
Music
The album attempts to rid the band of a blues rock sound, instead vying for a more simple guitar and drums garage rock sound. Shortly before the release of White Blood Cells, White asserted that "There's no blues on the new record. We're taking a break from that. There's no slide work, bass, guitar solos, or cover songs. It's just me and Meg, guitar, drums and piano."[1] The duo intended to break away from the "bringing-back-the-blues label," instead containing piano-driven tracks that, to that point, remained unrecorded.[4] Influences are present from a variety of genres, including childlike love songs ("We're Going to Be Friends").[6]
Release and reception
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 86/100[9] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Alternative Press | 8/10[11] |
Los Angeles Times | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
NME | 8/10[13] |
Pitchfork | 9.0/10[14] |
Q | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Rolling Stone | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Uncut | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Village Voice | A[19] |
White Blood Cells was rushed onto the shelves by Sympathy, although the record label wasn't prepared to handle the hype that would surround the record.[20] White Blood Cells was released to nearly universal acclaim.[21] On Metacritic, the album received a weighted mean score of 86/100, which translates to "universal acclaim."[9] Considered the band's commercial breakthrough, White Blood Cells peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200, going Platinum and selling over 1,000,000 units. The album also reached number 55 in the United Kingdom, being bolstered in both territories by the "Fell in Love with a Girl" single and its Lego-animation music video. Stylus magazine rated it the fifteenth greatest album of 2000–2005 while Pitchfork ranked it ninth on their list of the top 100 albums from 2000–2004, and twelfth on their top 200 of the 2000s (decade). Uncut Magazine placed it first in their list of the greatest 150 albums of the 2000s (decade).
The album was dedicated to Loretta Lynn, creating a friendship between Lynn and both Jack and Meg White. In 2004, Jack White would produce Lynn's comeback hit album Van Lear Rose.
Redd Kross bassist Steven Shane McDonald created an online-only art project, titled Redd Blood Cells, in which he added a bass track to the otherwise bass-less album. The White Stripes arranged with Steven to take the files down after more than 60,000 downloads.
Rolling Stone named White Blood Cells the nineteenth best album of the decade,[22] and "Fell in Love with a Girl" the fifty-eighth best song of the decade.[23] Q listed White Blood Cells as one of the best 50 albums of 2001.[24]
Legacy
Accolades
The album was ranked on many "best of 2001" year-end lists, including being ranked among Blender,[25] Rolling Stone,[26] Mojo,[27] and Kerrang!'s top 20,[28] NME,[29] Pitchfork,[30] and The Village Voice's top 10.[31] Spin called White Blood Cells the best album of 2001.[32] In 2003, the record was chosen as number 20 on NME's Top 100 Albums of All Time.[33] In 2005, Spin placed it at number 57 in its list of the 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005,[34] while Stylus included it at number 14 in its list of the Top 50 Albums of 2000–2005.[35] In 2006, Mojo featured it at number 28 in its list of 100 Modern Classics, 1993–2006.[36]
As the 2000s drew to a close, White Blood Cells was included on several publications' lists of best of the decade. The A.V. Club ranked it as the number one best album of the decade in its Top 50 Albums of the 2000s list.[37] British music magazine Uncut also ranked the record as the best album of the 2000s in its 2009 list Top 150 Albums of the 2000s.[38] Billboard placed the record at number eleven on its Top 20 Albums of the 2000s,[39] while Rolling Stone included it just behind the White Stripes' follow-up, Elephant, at number 20 on its Top 100 Albums of the 2000s.[40] NME featured the album at number 19 on its Top 100 Albums of the 2000s list,[41] and Pitchfork's Top 200 Albums of the 2000s included it as number 12.[42] Several other music publications, including Consequence of Sound, The Daily Californian, Glide, and Under the Radar featured White Blood Cells within the top 30 greatest records of the 2000s.[43] The record is included in both The Guardian's "1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die" and the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.[44][45]
In 2012, Rolling Stone included White Blood Cells as #497 on their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time, saying, "Jack's Delta-roadhouse fantasies, Detroit-garage-rock razzle and busted-love lyricism, as well as Meg's toy-thunder drumming all peaked at once."[2]
Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Consequence of Sound | US | Top Albums of the 2000s[46] | 2009 | 7 |
Mojo | UK | The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993–2006[47] | 2006 | 28 |
NME | UK | The 100 Greatest Albums of the 2000s[48] | 2009 | 19 |
Pitchfork | US | Top 200 Albums of the 2000s[49] | 2009 | 12 |
Rolling Stone | US | Top 100 Albums of the 2000s[50] | 2002 | 19 |
500 Greatest Albums of All Time[51] | 2012 | 497 | ||
Slant Magazine | US | Top 250 Albums of the 2000s[52] | 2010 | 68 |
Spin | US | Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years[53] | 2005 | 57 |
125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years[54] | 2010 | 87 |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Jack White
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" | 3:04 |
2. | "Hotel Yorba" | 2:10 |
3. | "I'm Finding It Harder to Be a Gentleman" | 2:54 |
4. | "Fell in Love with a Girl" | 1:50 |
5. | "Expecting" | 2:03 |
6. | "Little Room" | 0:50 |
7. | "The Union Forever" | 3:26 |
8. | "The Same Boy You've Always Known" | 3:09 |
9. | "We're Going to Be Friends" | 2:22 |
10. | "Offend in Every Way" | 3:06 |
11. | "I Think I Smell a Rat" | 2:04 |
12. | "Aluminum" | 2:19 |
13. | "I Can't Wait" | 3:38 |
14. | "Now Mary" | 1:47 |
15. | "I Can Learn" | 3:31 |
16. | "This Protector" | 2:12 |
Total length: | 40:31 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
17. | "Jolene" | 3:09 |
18. | "Hand Springs" | 2:57 |
Bonus DVD
Some editions were released with a bonus DVD.
Audio
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hand Springs" | 2:57 |
2. | "Lafayette Blues" | 2:15 |
Video
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Hotel Yorba" | |
2. | "Fell in Love with a Girl" | |
3. | "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" | |
4. | "We're Going to Be Friends" |
Personnel
- Jack White – lead vocals, guitar, piano, organ, songwriting, production
- Meg White – drums, tambourine, backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
|
Year-end charts
|
Certifications and sales
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Australia (ARIA)[69] | Gold | 35,000^ |
Canada (Music Canada)[70] | Gold | 50,000^ |
Netherlands (NVPI)[71] | Gold | 40,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI)[72] | Platinum | 300,000* |
United States (RIAA)[74] | Platinum | 1,114,000[73] |
* Sales figures based on certification alone. |
See also
References
- Handyside, Chris (August 12, 2004). Fell in Love with a Band: The Story of The White Stripes. St. Martin's Griffin. ISBN 0-312-33618-7.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Maerz, Jennifer (June 5, 2001). "Sister? Lover? An Interview with The White Stripes". Spin. ISSN 0886-3032. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ a b Wenner, Jann S., ed. (2012). Rolling Stone – Special Collectors Issue – The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. USA: Wenner Media Specials. ISBN 978-7-09-893419-6
- ^ a b McCollum, Brian (April 13, 2003). "A Definitive Oral History: Revealing The White Stripes". Detroit Free Press. Gannett. ISSN 1055-2758. Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Giannini, Melissa (May 29, 2001). "The Sweet Twist of Success". Metro Times. Times-Shamrock Communications. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ Handyside 2004, p. 84
- ^ a b Nugent, Benjamin (June 16, 2001). "White Lies and The White Stripes". Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Archived from the original on June 23, 2001. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ Wilkinson, Alec (March 13, 2017), "JACK WHITE’S INFINITE IMAGINATION". The New Yorker. Retrieved March 6, 2017.
- ^ Devenish, Colin (April 1, 2003). "White Stripes May Face Suit". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- ^ a b "Reviews for White Blood Cells by The White Stripes". Metacritic. Retrieved January 31, 2014.
- ^ Phares, Heather. "White Blood Cells – The White Stripes". AllMusic. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "The White Stripes: White Blood Cells". Alternative Press (158): 104. September 2001.
- ^ Carpenter, Susan (July 8, 2001). "The White Stripes, 'White Blood Cells,' Sympathy for the Record Industry". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ Segal, Victoria (July 4, 2001). "The White Stripes : White Blood Cells". NME. ISSN 0028-6362. Archived from the original on July 9, 2009. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ Kilian, Dan; Schreiber, Ryan (August 23, 2001). "The White Stripes: White Blood Cells". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "The White Stripes: White Blood Cells". Q (181): 122. September 2001.
- ^ Blashill, Pat (June 25, 2001). "White Blood Cells". Rolling Stone. ISSN 0035-791X. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ Hoard, Christian (2004). "The White Stripes". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian (eds.). The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 870. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
- ^ "The White Stripes: White Blood Cells". Uncut (52): 100. September 2001.
- ^ Christgau, Robert (September 18, 2001). "Consumer Guide: Minstrels All". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ Handyside 2004, p. 193
- ^ Handyside 2004, p. 122
- ^ White Blood Cells #19
- ^ Fell in Love with a Girl #58
- ^ "The Best 50 Albums of 2001". Q. December 2001. pp. 60–65.
- ^ Blender staff (2001). "Albums of the Year". Blender. Archived from the original on September 2, 2005. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Rolling Stone staff (2001). "Albums of 2001". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Mojo staff (2001). "MOJO – Albums of the Year 2001". Mojo. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Kerrang! staff (2001). "Kerrang! Albums of the Year 2001". Kerrang!. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ NME staff (2001). "NME Albums 2001". NME. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Pitchfork staff (January 1, 2002). "Top 20 Albums of 2001". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ The Village Voice staff (2001). "Albums of the Year". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Spin staff (2001). "Spin End Of Year Lists 2002". Spin. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ NME staff (March 2003). "NME's 100 Best Albums Of All Time". NME. Archived from the original on April 18, 2010. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Spin staff (June 20, 2005). "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005". Spin. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Stylus staff (January 18, 2005). "Top 50 Albums of 2000–2005". Stylus. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Mojo staff (May 2006). "100 Modern Classics, 1993–2006". Mojo. p. 63.
- ^ The A.V. Club staff (November 19, 2009). "The best music of the decade". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Uncut staff (2009). "Top 150 Albums of the 2000s". Uncut. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Billboard staff (December 2009). "Top 20 Albums of the 2000s". Billboard. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Rolling Stone staff (December 2009). "Top 100 Albums of the 2000s". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ NME staff (November 18, 2009). "Top 100 Albums of the 2000s". NME. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ Pitchfork staff (October 2, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 20-1". Pitchfork. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s". Under the Radar. 2009. ISSN 1553-2305. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "1000 Albums To Hear Before You Die". The Guardian. November 22, 2007. Artists beginning with W. Retrieved April 15, 2009.
- ^ Dimery, Richard, ed. (2008). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Cassell Illustrated. ISBN 978-1-84403-624-0.
- ^ CoS Staff (November 17, 2009). "CoS Top of the Decade: The Albums". Consequence of Sound. Archived from the original on November 19, 2009.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Albums of Our Lifetime 1993–2006". Mojo. 2006. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ^ "The Top 100 Greatest Albums of the Decade". NME. 19) The White Stripes: White Blood Cells. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ Pitchfork staff (October 2, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 20-1". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on October 14, 2011. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "100 Best Albums of the Decade". Rolling Stone. December 9, 2009. Archived from the original on December 13, 2009.
- ^ "500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The White Stripes, 'White Blood Cells'". Rolling Stone. May 31, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2014.
- ^ "Top 250 Albums of the 2000s". Slant Magazine. 2010. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
- ^ "100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005". Spin Magazine. 2005. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ^ "125 Best Albums of the Past 25 Years". Spin Magazine. 2010. Retrieved February 20, 2011.
- ^ BMI Entry[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Australiancharts.com – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Lescharts.com – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 18, 2002". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "Swedishcharts.com – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Hung Medien. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "White Stripes | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
- ^ "The White Stripes Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 16, 2016.
- ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved October 29, 2021.
- ^ "Top 200 Albums of 2002 (based on sales)". Jam!. Archived from the original on September 6, 2004. Retrieved March 23, 2022.
- ^ "Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002". Jam!. Archived from the original on December 4, 2003. Retrieved March 26, 2022.
- ^ "Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2002". Billboard. Retrieved August 6, 2020.
- ^ "UK Year-End Charts 2002" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. p. 4. Retrieved July 8, 2022.
- ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2003 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Canadian album certifications – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Music Canada. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ "Dutch album certifications – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells" (in Dutch). Nederlandse Vereniging van Producenten en Importeurs van beeld- en geluidsdragers. Retrieved April 22, 2019. Enter White Blood Cells in the "Artiest of titel" box. Select 2008 in the drop-down menu saying "Alle jaargangen".
- ^ "British album certifications – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
- ^ Center, Marc (June 13, 2009). "Weather Report" (PDF). Billboard. p. 22. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 22, 2021. Retrieved May 22, 2022 – via American Radio History.
- ^ "American album certifications – The White Stripes – White Blood Cells". Recording Industry Association of America.
External links
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