Readers’ Poll: The Best Jack White Songs of All Time
Jack White is set to release Blunderbuss, his debut as a solo artist, on April 24th. Though the record marks a turning point in his career, it's also one more great album in a long string of releases that includes his entire White Stripes discography, his work as a member of the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs and his collaborations with artists ranging from Loretta Lynn and Danger Mouse to Wanda Jackson and Stephen Colbert. We asked you to name your favorite songs from White's entire body of work, and put together this Top 10 list. As expected, you strongly favored his White Stripes material, but there are a few surprises.
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10. ‘The Hardest Button to Button’
This single from Elephant is one of White's most dynamic numbers, alternating between a tense instrumental section held down by Meg White's steady, minimal beat and a series of increasingly unhinged verses.
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9. ‘Blue Veins’
This cut from the Raconteurs' debut album, Broken Boy Soldiers, is a slow, brooding blues number that extends to nearly triple the length of the studio recording in concert.
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8. ‘Blue Orchid’
The first single from Get Behind Me Satan is one of White's most intense rockers, as he delivers some of his most bitter and biting lyrics over a processed riff and a driving beat.
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7. ‘Black Math’
This album cut from Elephant features some of White's most savage guitar parts, turning on a dime from hard-charging punk rock verses to a slower, more menacing metal riff for the chorus.
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6. ‘Hotel Yorba’
The White Stripes' first crossover hit is one of White's best-loved singalongs – it's basically an old-school country tune given a hopped-up garage rock makeover.
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5. ‘Icky Thump’
The title track from the final White Stripes album is one of the few White songs with a strong political message, with a mid-song rap chastising white Americans with anti-immigration views, singing "why don't you kick yourself out, you're an immigrant too!"
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4. ‘Carolina Drama’
The closing track from the second Raconteurs album is one of White's few story-songs, setting an epic tale to a gradually unfolding blues-folk number.
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3. ‘Seven Nation Army’
White's most famous song has one of the most powerful and elemental riffs in recent memory. It's a surefire crowd-pleaser in concert, and it has become a staple at sporting events around the world.
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2. ‘Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground’
The opening riff from the first track on the White Stripes' breakthrough album White Blood Cells announced White as the proper heir to the legacy of Jimmy Page, with a crashing chord sequence that delivered the majesty of Led Zeppelin with the blunt urgency of the Stooges.
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1. ‘Ball and Biscuit’
"Ball and Biscuit" won this poll by a landslide, and it's easy to understand why, since it's basically the most badass blues song White has ever written. It's even better in concert, where he gets the chance to mess around with the lyrics and expand on the song's blistering solos. Each rendition of "Ball and Biscuit" is a bit different, but it's always jaw-dropping.