Seven Nation Army
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| "Seven Nation Army" | |||||
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| Single by The White Stripes | |||||
| from the album Elephant | |||||
| Released | May 13, 2003 (UK) | ||||
| Format | CD, 7" | ||||
| Recorded | Toe Rag Studios, London April 2002 |
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| Genre | Alternative rock | ||||
| Length | 3:52 | ||||
| Label | XL Recordings V2 Records (CD radio promo) |
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| Writer(s) | Jack White | ||||
| Producer | Jack White | ||||
| The White Stripes singles chronology | |||||
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"Seven Nation Army" is the first track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes. It was released as a single in 2003. Seven Nation Army reached #1 on the Modern Rock Tracks for three weeks and won 2004's Grammy Award for Best Rock Song. The song is known for its underlying riff, which plays throughout most of the song. Although it sounds like a bass guitar (an instrument the group had famously never previously used), the sound is actually created by running Jack White's semi-acoustic guitar (a 1950s style Kay Hollowbody) through a Octavia pedal set down an octave. The riff was composed at a sound check before a show at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, Australia, according to the set notes in the booklet which accompanied the Under Blackpool Lights DVD. It was inspired by the main theme of Anton Bruckner's Fifth Symphony.[1][original research?]
According to White, "Seven Nation Army" was what he used to call the Salvation Army as a child.[2]
In March 2005, Q magazine placed "Seven Nation Army" at number 8 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.[3] In September 2005, NME placed "Seven Nation Army" at number 5 in its list of the 50 Greatest Tracks Of The Decade.[4] In May 2008, Rolling Stone placed this song at number 21 in its list of the 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. [5] The song was named the 75th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[6]
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[edit] Music video
The video, directed by Alex and Martin, consists of one seemingly continuous shot through a tunnel of mirrored black, white and red triangles, touching on Jack's love of the number three. Some triangle slides contain images of Jack or Meg playing, and at some points marching skeletons and an elephant, referring to the name of the album Seven Nation Army appeared on. As the pace of the song speeds up, the speed that one triangle passes through the tunnel speeds up, and as it slows, the speed through the tunnel slows in unison. During the video, when the song begins to intensify, the lights in surrounding the triangles flash and other effects build up as well. Images of walking skeleton soldiers also appear toward the middle and end of the video.
[edit] Cover versions
"Seven Nation Army" has been covered or remixed by numerous acts which include:
- A Perfect Circle
- AFI
- Amp[7]
- Apathy
- Audioslave[8]
- Benny Benassi
- Blues Explosion[9]
- Digitalism
- Duran Duran on their 2008 European Tour.
- Fat Freddy's Drop
- Foo Fighters
- Frankie Hi-NRG MC
- HARD-Fi
- Her Next Friend
- Insomnia Band
- Jamie Cullum
- Joss Stone
- K.I.Z.
- Kate Nash
- Living Colour[10]
- Maroon 5
- Metallica as part of a jam
- N*E*R*D
- No Remorse
- Nostalgia 77 featuring Alice Russell on the 2005 album The Garden[11]
- The Oak Ridge Boys
- Rihanna at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards
- Rodrigo y Gabriela
- Staplehead
- The BossHoss[12]
- The Dynamics[13]
- The Flaming Lips[14]
- The Hives
- The Twang
- The Veronicas
- The Vitamin String Quartet
- Umphrey's McGee as part of a medley jam
- Vivek Shraya
- Vyvienne Long
[edit] Sporting usage
The song is popular in sporting venues and stadiums, particularly amongst association football fans. The song was probably first used as a football anthem on October 22 2003 by the so-called "Blue Army", the fans of FC Bruges, when Andres Mendoza scored the first and only goal in the UEFA Champions League match against AC Milan.
Fans of Heart of Midlothian FC, adopted the tune during the Scottish Cup 2004/05 4-0 semi final demolition of Hibernian, singing "Ohhh the Hibees are gaaay-aaay". Hibs fans replied to the song by singing their own version about former Hearts player Paul Hartley with the words "Ohhh Paul Hartley is gaaay-aaay"
Italian football fans and ultras picked the song up when AS Roma played in and against Club Brugge for the UEFA Cup [15]. They often chant the song's signature guitar riff ever since, most notably during Italy's campaign in the FIFA World Cup 2006. About 10 million Italians, all across the nation, were supposedly singing the song during celebrations following the final victory.
Liverpool fans were the first to catch on to the riff in England, using it to chant 'Javier Mascherano'. Tottenham Hotspur fans chant for Giovani Dos Santos, Chelsea fans chant for Juliano Belletti and Peterborough United use it for Gabriel Zakuani.
The song was also played at the opening of every game in the UEFA Euro 2008 Football Tournament, although not in its entirety.[16] and was adopted by fans attending the tournament as a terrace chant.
F.C. Porto use the riff of the song in chanting Mariano González
Fans of Australian A-League side Melbourne Victory also sing the guitar riff after their Melbourne scores a goal.
Olympiacos CFP fans, chant the riff for the Argentinian players of the team Luciano Galletti, Fernando Belluschi, as well as for the team's coach Ernesto Valverde.
In Egypt, Ultras Ahlawy, the hardcore group supporting Egypt's Al Ahly use the riff after goals scored.
The song is also very prevalent at Penn State Nittany Lions sporting contests, especially for American football and basketball games. Spectators first chant the chorus, then the band joins in after a couple verses.
It is also a popular chant in the beer tents at the Oktoberfest beer festival in Munich. This song was played in the 2005/6 VB Cricket series, in particular when batsman Adam Gilchrist was walking out to bat.
On July 26, 2008, for his Welterweight title fight against Antonio Margarito, former junior welterweight and welterweight champion Miguel Cotto used this song during his entrance to the ring in what turned out to be one of the best fights of 2008.
Starting in the 2008 season, the Penn State Nittany Lions band has begun to play the song, and students have picked it up as an unofficial second fight song. In American college basketball, the St. John's Red Storm band plays a version of the song before tip-off, and the Purdue Boilermakers "Boiler Brass" perform it before the second half of home games.
[edit] Single track listing
- "Seven Nation Army"
- "Good to Me" (Brendan Benson)
- "Black Jack Davey"(Traditional)
The 7" single only contains the first two tracks.
[edit] Chart performance
| Chart (2003) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian ARIA Charts | 17 |
| Austrian Singles Chart | 18 |
| Italian Singles Chart | 3 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 22 |
| Dutch Mega Top 50 | 22 |
| UK Singles Chart | 7 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 76 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks | 12 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks | 1 |
[edit] References
- ^ Bruckner's 5th Symphony, 1st movement; for example, listen after 3:35
- ^ "True believers: The White Stripes live out their rock-and-roll fantasy". Boston Phoenix. April 17, 2003. http://bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/top/documents/02827372.htm. Retrieved on 2008-01-07.
- ^ RockList.net (2005). "Q magazine - 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks Ever!". rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/qlistspage3.htm#Guitar%20Tracks. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ RockList.net (2005). "The Greatest Tracks Of The Decade 1996 – 2006". rocklistmusic.co.uk. http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/nme_writers.htm#Tracks%20Of%20The%20Decade. Retrieved on 2007-06-27.
- ^ Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time
- ^ "spreadit.org music". http://music.spreadit.org/vh1-top-100-hard-rock-songs/. Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrRPPSrV8kg
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmVPD1qak2c
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCYkPzgYPuQ
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3w9bDp6tRiA
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DnrTQngkjLE
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w7VY-peoI4E
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdAP8M7-5Ro
- ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHsLZ7zYKsQ
- ^ Sports Illustrated staff writer (2006)."Totti's time" SportsIllustrated.com (accessed July 11, 2006)
- ^ Seven Nation Army: the indiest football anthem ever?, The Guardian, 18 June 2008.
[edit] External links
- White Stripes.net. Retrieved September 9, 2005.
- White Stripes.net FAQ Retrieved September 17, 2005.
| Preceded by "Send the Pain Below" by Chevelle |
Billboard Modern Rock Tracks number-one single July 12, 2003 |
Succeeded by "Just Because" by Jane's Addiction |
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