The 42 Best White Stripes Songs

Man, I miss the White Stripes!  Jack White’s solo stuff is good, buuuuuuut….it’s a kind of a shaggy-dog amalgamation of blues, country and rock seemingly without a ton of focus behind it.  Jack once noted that Meg was hard-to-impossible to impress musically, which I feel is kind of a telling comment.  I think he had to work harder to try and win her over, and also perhaps was forced to be more original within the Stripes’ guitar-and-drums milieu.  These limitations led to great music, whereas Jack’s solo stuff when he had full freedom to do whatever he wants has only led to good music.  Ironically, this is almost exactly what the song “Little Room” is about, which is why it made the cut as an epitaph of Jack White’s musical career despite it being written all the way back in 2001.

As always, this list is based on my personal preference, so it’s liable to change as soon as 24 hours from now.  If your favourite White Stripes song isn’t on the list, pretend it was #43 if it’ll help you sleep better at night.  Onto the list!

42. Little Room
41. When I Hear My Name
40. I’m Bound To Pack It Up
39. Astro
38. I’m Finding It Harder To Be A Gentleman
37. Jumble Jumble
36. Screwdriver
35. I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart
34. The Air Near My Fingers
33. Do
32. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself
31. Hotel Yorba
30. Forever For Her (Is Over For Me)
29. Jimmy The Exploder
28. As Ugly As I Seem
27. The Denial Twist
26. Why Can’t You Be Nicer To Me?
25. Bone Broke
24. Little Ghost
23. My Doorbell
22.Dead Leaves & The Dirty Ground
21. Rag & Bone
t20.Apple Blossom
t20.St. James Infirmary Blues
t18.Stop Breaking Down
t18.Death Letter
17. We’re Going To Be Friends
16. Seven Nation Army
15. Hypnotize
14. Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine
13. Blue Orchid
12. Jolene
11. Hello Operator

10. The Hardest Button To Button
9. Conquest
8. In The Cold, Cold, Night
7. I’m Slowly Turning Into You
6. You’re Pretty Good Looking (For A Girl)
5. Icky Thump
4. I’m Lonely (But I Ain’t That Lonely Yet)
3. Effect & Cause
2. Fell In Love With A Girl
1. You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)