Throwback Thursday: Get Behind Me, Satan, by The White Stripes

In 2005 The White Stripes had made themselves quite the figurehead in the world of modern rock. With the immense commercial hit Elephant just a couple years behind and the world now in love with them, it was time to get working on a follow-up to this blockbuster record. The result was Get Behind Me, Satan, which made quite a few people scratch their heads at first but soon enough found themselves loving it.

Get Behind Me, Satan is primarily unplugged. Most of the songs are piano driven, but there are some with stringed instruments as well. The only plugged in electrifying rock n' roll tune was the main single, "Blue Orchid". More than likely that was put on there to keep fans who had come in during the previous record. Regardless, Jack White did not want to make the same record all over again and in essence made the anti-Elephant.

"Blue Orchid" is considered by many to be a White Stripes classic and staple. It has this thick, gritty, polyharmonized guitar riff that punches just as hard as Meg White's steady thumping on the bass drum. Jack sings with a rather high falsetto throughout the majority of the tune, which is a bit unusual even for him. That said, it adds a bit of a ghostly presence to the song but not so much that the focus is not on the loud good times rock n' roll ruckus going on.

"The Denial Twist" is one of my other personal favorites from Get Behind Me, Satan. It is primarily piano and drum driven, though there is a bridge part with some distorted bass in it as well. It definitely has a dancing kind of vibe to it, though I'm not sure that I would consider it any kind of twist that I am familiar with. The drum beat backing that piano riff though is what really does it for me. Gives it this groove that brings it to a whole other level.

Get Behind Me, Satan is definitely a departure from anything the White Stripes had done up to that point (and afterward), but in all honesty I don't see that as a bad thing at all. Some times when you're a musician or an artist of any kind you need to take a random left turn from time to time to keep from becoming predictable, bored, and boring. This album managed to do just that for the band and produced quite a few classics.

Get Behind Me, Satan, by The White Stripes receives 3.75/5 stars.

Track List:

1. Blue Orchid
2. The Nurse
3. My Doorbell
4. Forever For Her (is Over For Me)
5. Little Ghost
6. The Denial Twist
7. White Moon
8. Instinct Blues
9. Passive Manipulation
10. Take, Take, Take
11. As Ugly as I Seem
12. Red Rain
13. I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)

Buy the album on Amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Get-Behind-Satan-White-Stripes/dp/B001B87CJ2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1529014130&sr=8-1&keywords=Get+Behind+Me%2C+Satan