Jack and Meg: White Stripes, No More

Farewell to my favorite band, I hate to say I was expecting this to happen…

I had to miss what was going to be my first ever Stripes concert after being a fan for years (a very poor fan who was trying to educate herself!) The 2007 tour was canceled just before they were to play Chicago. I had my hotel booked, my tickets had arrived and I was so excited to finally be seeing Jack White in person. Needless to say, my heart was broken. I knew seeing them in 2007 wouldn’t be the same as seeing them when I fell in love, circa 2001 but it would still be epic. I heard they put on a hell of a show. Ever since then I just had this feeling that I would never be able to see the White Stripes live.

I did finally see Jack in real life, I went to a Dead Weather concert in Denver, Colorado. It was amazing! I love his other bands and side projects but The White Stripes will always hold a special place in my heart and music library. I own every one of their albums in one form or another. I’ve been listening to their albums for years, watched every music video and searched the net for interviews and rare live performances.

This band has given me so much pleasure. I am disappointed I was never able to see them while they were together but no one will ever know how much Jack and Meg still mean to me. I’m a product of the digital age. The age that swaps music and movies on their hard drives while instant messaging and blogging about what they did last night. I am shocked at how my life and world has changed since I saw my first White Stripes music video…

This is an amazing song, you MUST listen if you’ve never heard it before!

Here are the lyrics:

Dead leaves and the dirty ground
When I know you’re not around
Shiny tops and soda pops
When I hear your lips make a sound
When I hear your lips make a sound

Thirty notes in the mailbox
Will tell you that I’m coming home
And I think I’m gonna stick around
For a while so you’re not alone
For a while so you’re not alone

If you can hear a piano fall
You can hear me coming down the hall
If I could just hear your pretty voice
I don’t think I need to see at all
Don’t think I need to see at all

Soft hair and a velvet tongue
I want to give you what you give to me
And every breath that is in your lungs
Is a tiny little gift to me
Is a tiny little gift to me

I didn’t feel so bad till the sun went down
Then I come home, no one to wrap my arms around
Wrap my arms around

Well, any man with a microphone
Can tell you what he loves the most
And you know why you love at all
If you’re thinking of the holy ghost
If you’re thinking of the holy ghost

I believe this song was inspired by a Sun House song, Sun House being one of Jack’s favorite musicians. It was on their third album but can be traced back to some of their earliest live performances. I will post those versions along with other amazing live footage and a must see/listen list complete with links!

I was instantly hooked by its simplicity, repetition, absence of a chorus and especially by Jack’s voice. I still get shivers when I watch it sometimes and I have played it a million times on repeat on many bad and good days I had growing up. I heard this when I was about fourteen or fifteen and it is still one of my favorites at twenty-four.

Here are screen-caps to hold you over until I can generate an awesome White Stripes playlist post for your learning and listening pleasure!

This video was directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, The Science of Sleep, and Be Kind, Rewind). Gondry utilizes projected images to recreate a party gone awry and we see Jack walk through its aftermath and witness Meg leaving him behind to clean the mess himself.

I always thought this video seemed to tell a somewhat personal aspect of their relationship. Meg and Jack were divorced before the band became much of anything but Jack took her name and they continued to make wonderful music for a decade. Jack made jokes about them being brother and sister and that Meg was actually a robot. If anything it lasted too long as it was. They were so special and unique, though constantly simulated, or at least people constantly tried to simulate their special formula.

These people missed the entire point: Jack and Meg love music and loved making music together and I’m sure they still do. Check out all the news stories, they cite no ill will, this was simply a choice to preserve their catalog and solidify their spot at the top… White Stripes announce end of the road.

My hope is that Jack and Meg may get back together in the future, if they happen to have something important to say that they feel they must say together. Until then (if it never happens) I look forward to what Mr. White has to offer (which is an ever-growing selection of goodies) and I wish Meg all the best and hope they remain good friends and good people in general.

I will be updating this post and adding more in the music category as information becomes available. Thanks for 13 years of awesome music Jack and Meg, I love you and all of your fans love you and will miss you! I will end this post with a part of the statement issued by Jack and Meg:

“The White Stripes do not belong to Meg and Jack anymore. The White Stripes belong to you now and you can do with it whatever you want. The beauty of art and music is that it can last forever if people want it to. Thank you for sharing this experience. Your involvement will never be lost on us and we are truly grateful.”

View the full statement here at their official website.