\u201cHi-De-Ho\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite throws the kitchen sink at it on this the third single from 2022\u2019s Fear of the Dawn<\/em>. The song opens with sludgy, chthonian guitar, onto which White layers an operatic vocal sample from early 20th century jazz vaudeville star Cab Calloway. To that is added thundering chords, with the song then picking up in tempo as Q-Tip saunters on to deliver verses that reference Calloway\u2019s 1943\u2019s \u201cHi De Ho Man.\u201d A sort of Frankenstein\u2019s monster of elements if Frankenstein was a sort of turn-of-the-century musical bon vivant, \u201cHi-De-Ho\u201d herks and jerks around, and while its\u00a0unusualness certainly doesn\u2019t make it a bad song, it\u2019s maybe the strangest of all of White\u2019s solo singles.\u00a0\u2014 KATIE BAIN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cQueen of the Bees\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe White Stripes will always be associated with the garage-rock revival above all else, and with good reason. But the duo also found room for twee, childlike deep cuts on each of its records. White\u2019s other projects have mostly eschewed that aesthetic, but on the jaunty \u201cQueen of the Bees,\u201d he channels that legacy with playful instrumentation (clock the sound effect that sounds like an elephant\u2019s trumpet) and colorful, straightforward lyrics (\u201cI wanna hold you like a sloth hugs a tree\u201d). \u2014 ERIC RENNER BROWN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite has always been a master of delivering a pick up line that might not actually be a pick up line but sure seems l<\/em>ike a pick up line (\u201csoon enough you will<\/em> care, by the time I\u2019m done,\u201d from \u201cBall & Biscuit\u201d comes immediately to mind) and here on the fourth single from 2018\u2019s Boarding House Reach<\/em>,\u00a0he advises that \u201cI\u2019ll lay low and turn off the lamps\/come over, you can lick the stamps\u201d over a simmering jazz funk arrangement. These and all the other lyrics on \u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d are a rare instance of White rapping, as he evangelizes out-of-the-box thinking and how \u201canyone creating is a member of the family!\u201d If \u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d is, as such,\u00a0an ode to being different, the song certainly achieves its goal.\u00a0\u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cFear of the Dawn\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe second song on White\u2019s 2022 Fear of the Dawn <\/em>is the sound of all hell breaking loose, as the artist packs every heavy impulse into a tight and rowdy two minutes. The song gallops along as the guitars scream and White basically spits out lyrics that simultaneously land like a threat and a promise: \u201cNo more than two cigarettes\/ Or the light from the match will betray us\/ But in the dark, I can bet\/ You and I won\u2019t regret that it saved us.\u201d This is perhaps a deep cut despite its title track status, so if you\u2019ve been sleeping on it, wake up. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cThat Black Bat Licorice\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tYou can always rely on Jack White to relay some level of jauntiness, a mode he conveys on this Lazaretto <\/em>single. Shimmying, heavy and just a little bit silly, \u201cThat Black Cat Licorice\u201d is at once about a good woman and the nastiness of its titular food item. \u201cI never liked it, I never will!\u201d White proclaims, before commanding the band to \u201cstate the same damn thing with the violin!\u201d in what\u2019s altogether perhaps the grandest song ever written about hating licorice. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cIf I Die Tomorrow\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe title sounds like a James Bond movie \u2014 and that\u2019s a bit fitting for this rumination on mortality and what the dead leave behind. \u201cI begged and I borrowed\/ Everybody\u2019s love and they gave for free,\u201d White sings, \u201cAnd I wish that I could give it back to them.\u201d But while it\u2019s White at his most reflective, the song is also subtly a sonic marvel: its superficially simple acoustic guitar line is undergirded by a wistful Mellotron lick, and when the instrumental bridge blossoms, its unusual star is a Septavox synthesizer, designed specifically for White\u2019s Third Man Records. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\t\u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d is what happens when White doesn\u2019t release a second Acoustic Recordings compilation album \u2013 with his first and only being Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016<\/em>. Released as a B-side companion to \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d (the lead single from 2022\u2019s Fear of the Dawn<\/em>), this softer take helped usher in White\u2019s next album, Entering Heaven Alive<\/em> that arrived just three months later. Yet, \u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d is more than just an acoustic take, it\u2019s a jazzy bluegrass reimagining that replaces all its fuzzy distortion with violins and finger picking, resulting in a bouncy-bordering-on-broody melody. If the original is demanding, this version is rooted in acceptance \u2013 surely a more gentle<\/em> approach toward getting a second chance. \u2014 LYNDSEY HAVENS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cDollar Bill\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tIn the early days of The White Stripes, the band began performing live \u2013 and eventually recorded for release\u00a0\u2013 a garage rock version of Bob Dylan\u2019s take on Scottish folk song \u201cBlackjack Davey.\u201d\u00a0More than 20 years later, listeners will hear the influence of that interpretation on one of the\u00a0repeated\u00a0guitar\u00a0riffs\u00a0in 2026\u2019s \u201cDollar Bill.\u201d\u00a0But the\u00a0track is overflowing with guitar runs that only\u00a0a devout player of White\u2019s caliber could fit into less than three minutes.\u00a0The fury with which White blazes through \u201cDollar Bill\u201d is why he continues to\u00a0make the best rock\u00a0albums every year despite being\u00a0nearly three\u00a0decades into his career.\u00a0\u2014 TAYLOR MIMS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cConnected By Love\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tOne of the most admirable elements of White\u2019s entire catalog is its overt sincerity, an element no more obvious than when he\u2019s singing about love. On this the opening track from 2018\u2019s\u00a0Boarding House Reach<\/em>,\u00a0he sounds like he\u2019s pulling his big feelings from the core of the Earth, demanding that \u201cI KNOW we\u2019re connected by love\u201d as a cacophonous half time arrangement, with its intensity and grandeur, emphasizes this same point.\u00a0\u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cWhat\u2019s the Trick?\u201d<\/h2>\n\nFear of the Dawn<\/em>-era White packed a particular punch, as if the blue hair dye was a reminder and recommitment to his sound \u2013 and fourth album single \u201cWhat\u2019s the Trick?\u201d is classic White, bluesy and urgent with razor-sharp spoken-word delivery that feels refined yet frantic all at once. As White repeatedly asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s the trick? To making my love stick,\u201d it becomes less clear if he\u2019s asking the listener or himself \u2013 and neither party seems to know the answer. \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cHigh Ball Stepper\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\t\u201cHigh Ball Stepper\u201d is an absolute piledriver of a track \u2014 and White doesn\u2019t say a word on it. Released as a the first promotional teaser for Lazaretto<\/em>, the song struts from badass riff to eerie piano lick to screeching guitar solo, seemingly united by the mission statement \u201cHow about some more cool s\u2013t?\u201d It\u2019s the type of wild flex that only a studio whiz like White can pull off. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cOver and Over and Over\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite tapped into Greek mythology for his 2018 single \u201cOver and Over and Over,\u201d leading the song with \u201cThe Sisyphean dreamer,\u201d a reference to the tale of King Sisyphus who drew the ire of the vengeful god Zeus. In the afterlife, Sisyphus faces the eternal punishment of pushing a boulder up a hill just to have it fall as he reaches the top. A few lines later, White sings, \u201cMy shoulder holds the weight of the world,\u201d alluding to the Greek myth of the Titan Atlas who was forced to carry the world on his shoulders as punishment for his rebellion. The song\u2019s drums come crashing down as White sings on the chorus, \u201cover and over,\u201d commenting on how the gods have scorned and relentlessly punished him for his passion. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cCorporation\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite might be one of the most celebrated and successful rock stars of a generation with a dozen Grammy awards to his name and a lauded record label, but he remains a punk rock upholster at heart. On 2018\u2019s \u201cCorporation,\u201d White has mocking words for the corporate sell outs who are garnering praise from their business and marketing practices. The Detroit native practically spits out the lines \u201cYeah, I\u2019m thinking about starting a corporation\/Who\u2019s with me?\/Nowadays, that\u2019s how you get adulation\u201d over a grove that ushered White into an entirely new sonic realm of synthesizers and congas that still feel defiantly punk. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cDerecho Demonico\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tAfter live debuting this track alongside \u201cG.O.D. and the Broken Ribs\u201d as musical guest on Saturday Night Live <\/em>this April \u2013 and performing both as a surprise performer at Coachella later that month \u2013 they became the official lead singles of White\u2019s seventh studio album, Frozen Charlotte<\/em>. And while \u201cG.O.D.\u201d is lyrically seething, \u201cDerecho\u201d \u2013 which translates to \u201cdemonic right\u201d \u2013 is sonically wicked, with its first winding and electrifying instrumental break coming in at the 1:30-minute mark. Underlined by a steadying riff, White lets it rip on this track, making \u201cDerecho\u201d not just the perfect companion to a song like \u201cG.O.D.\u201d but also the perfect way to introduce a classically sharp White album like his latest. \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tSpend some time at one of White\u2019s revival-like live shows and it becomes obvious: in another life, he could\u2019ve been a preacher \u2014 or a convincing snake oil salesman. So in a way, No Name<\/em> standout \u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes\u201d is him achieving his final form. Undergirded by a devilish riff, White delivers a fiery sermon \u2014 albeit, one critiquing the opportunism and deception of religious ideologues. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cTaking Me Back\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe first single from White\u2019s two 2022 albums, \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d is either the last gasp of his late 2010s prog adventures or the first hint of his recent pivot back to more tried-and-true garage rock. White dips into his sonic bag of tricks plenty here \u2014 but strip away all the aural bells and whistles, and it\u2019s easy to imagine \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d as a simple, scuzzy White Stripes song. (In a testament to the song\u2019s malleability, White later reimagined the song as a gypsy jazz ditty, \u201cTaking Me Back (Gently).\u201d) \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWith seven solo studio albums to his name, a piano-driven Jack White song still feels like a rarity and \u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d stands out even more as a single off White\u2019s 2014 album Lazaretto<\/em>. As his second solo album (after six with The White Stripes, two with the Raconteurs and two with the Dead Weather), Lazaretto<\/em> marked White\u2019s most exploratory collection at the time and \u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d taps into a haunting melody that could double as a music sync for a funeral procession. In this case, the deceased is a relationship that White feels one person was fighting enough to save, singing \u201cAnd so there I am, the caretaker of sin\/ To your abandoned and malignant heart.\u201d \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cLove Is Selfish\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tReleased as the official lead single from the contemplative Entering Heaven Alive<\/em>, \u201cLove Is Selfish\u201d is like the sonic sibling of \u201cLove Interruption\u201d \u2013 a bit older, a bit wiser, and with a learned cynicism in matters of the heart. As such, the stripped down \u201cSelfish\u201d is another obvious contender for a second Acoustic Recordings <\/em>album, as the song blends folk, rock and blues while White contemplates the cost of love, singing: \u201cI\u2019ve been trying over the years to\/ Try and overcome these fears, but\/ Nothing I come up with proves I can.\u201d \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cG.O.D.\u201d And The Broken Ribs\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\t\u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs\u201d is like a time machine, taking listeners back to late 1990s and early 2000s White Stripes. White even drops of morsel of band lore with the line \u201cBut you know we can\u2019t live like a sister and a brother\u201d for loyal fans, but, as one of the lead singles off his seventh solo studio album Frozen Charlotte<\/em>, \u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs\u201d still feels fresh. Where the White Stripes excelled in their minimalism, this new track brings in White\u2019s garage rock roots of fuzzy guitars and adds a fuller sound with bass and organ for a ferocious album opener. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cFreedom at 21\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe shuffling percussion and low bass set a snarling, ominous tone for this absolute rager from 2012\u2019s Blunderbuss<\/em>. The guitar riff, arguably one of the most immediately recognizable of White\u2019s entire solo oeuvre, gives attitude to a song about a vindictive woman who abuses White, badly. Rumors have pointed to this one being about his ex bandmate Meg White or his ex wife Karen Elson, but in reality, as White said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian<\/em>, \u201cFreedom at 21\u201d is about bad phone etiquette.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cThe early telephones, the telegraph, you had to treat this technology with respect,\u201d White said in 2012. You can write on the internet for the whole world, you can make comments, but there\u2019s no one telling you that\u2019s impolite or that\u2019s inappropriate.\u201d Honestly, who can\u2019t relate to that? Ever the gentleman, White takes his considerable upset over the fraying social fabric and turns it into this sharp-edged classic. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cThat\u2019s How I\u2019m Feeling\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite\u2019s sixth album No Name <\/em>was released in perfect White fashion \u2013 in that it was totally unconventional. The album was first shared as unmarked vinyl and gifted to Third Man Records customers in Detroit, London and Nashville. Eventually, it was wide-released with a proper title and even a lead single: \u201cThat\u2019s How I\u2019m Feeling.\u201d Given the out-of-the-box way in which No Name <\/em>was released, it\u2019s a bit ironic that its lead single spawned a very classic call-and-response that has become an expected staple in White\u2019s live show, with White beckoning during the song\u2019s catchy riff, \u201cooh<\/em>,\u201d as the crowd answers back, with feeling, \u201coh yeah!<\/em>\u201d\u00a0\u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cSixteen Saltines\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tLeave it to White to make good-love-gone-bad sound so righteous, so intense, so absolutely thrilling. A breakneck ode to a relationship that\u2019s become so warped that White no longer even knows \u201cwho\u2019s jealous, who\u2019s jealous, who\u2019s jealous of who,\u201d this Blunderbuss<\/em> essential takes all of the loud, tight tendencies of the White Stripes catalog and puts them through the White solo machine that\u00a0makes everything a little bit bigger and more widely arranged, but no less ferocious. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cI\u2019m Shakin’\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite\u2019s debut solo album Blunderbuss<\/em> is arguably one of his greatest contributions to the world of recorded music. White\u2019s deep knowledge of rock music come out to play across 13 tracks and \u201cI\u2019m Shakin\u2019\u201d takes us back to 1960. The song \u2013 originally recorded by rhythm and blues artist Little Willie John \u2013 was a jumping record for its time and White respected its origins by turning the intensity all the way up. On this 2012 single, the listener can feel White vibrating through his guitar as he sings the jittery lyrics. With heavenly background vocals from Ruby Amanfu, Laura Matula and White\u2019s now ex-wife Karen Elson, \u201cI\u2019m Shakin\u201d delivers a rock\u2019n\u2019roll rattle that possess the listener to move like a Pentecostal congregation. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cLazaretto\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tWhite established his solo sound on Blunderbuss<\/em> \u2013\u00a0but he proved its potential on his second album, 2014\u2019s Lazaretto<\/em>, and its swaggering title track. For years, he\u2019d teased his infatuation with prog-rock on White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather albums; here, he makes good on it, with a multi-part bilingual epic that seems to capture every sound he\u2019d explored up to that point in less than four minutes. And that\u2019s what makes it special: White\u2019s brand of prog doesn\u2019t sacrifice brevity. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n- \n
\n\u201cLove Interruption\u201d<\/h2>\n\n\n\tThe twistedly tender \u201cLove Interruption\u201d is a far cry from the searing, electrifying rock that is associated with much of White\u2019s catalog. And perhaps that\u2019s why it\u2019s his greatest solo feat. Released as his debut solo single from White\u2019s debut solo album, Blunderbuss<\/em>, which arrived 14 months after the dissolution of The White Stripes, the acoustic track showcases a less-heard side of White, making it all the more special. <\/p>\n\n\tMuch like how the White Stripes\u2019 \u201cWe\u2019re Going to Be Friends\u201d stands out among the duo\u2019s hits, \u201cLove Interruption\u201d does indeed interrupt White\u2019s solo singles, standing as a testament to the skill required to dial it back. And while he isn\u2019t expertly wielding a wicked range of chords, the song\u2019s opening riff is just as recognizable as his punchier singles. Instead of letting his guitar wail, it\u2019s White\u2019s words \u2013 as the sole songwriter \u2013 that are tasked with the heavy lifting here, alongside gentler vocals from White and Ruby Amanfu. Throughout the song, as he goes on about all the ways in which he wants love to consume and ruin him (and remember, this came on the heels of The White Stripes break up) he ultimately holds firm on the chorus, declaring repeatedly: \u201cI won\u2019t<\/em> let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\tNearly 15 years strong into his solo career, it\u2019s clear nothing, not even love, has gotten in his way. \u2014L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/jack-white-solo-singles-ranked\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jack-White-Live-Billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024″] When Jack White performed as musical guest on Saturday Night Live this April, during which he live debuted two new songs \u2014 the two-pack of \u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs \/ Derecho Demonico\u201d \u2014 there was no buzz of a new project on the way. Even when he was added to Coachella\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2048314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2048314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2048314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2048314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2048314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\tWhite throws the kitchen sink at it on this the third single from 2022\u2019s Fear of the Dawn<\/em>. The song opens with sludgy, chthonian guitar, onto which White layers an operatic vocal sample from early 20th century jazz vaudeville star Cab Calloway. To that is added thundering chords, with the song then picking up in tempo as Q-Tip saunters on to deliver verses that reference Calloway\u2019s 1943\u2019s \u201cHi De Ho Man.\u201d A sort of Frankenstein\u2019s monster of elements if Frankenstein was a sort of turn-of-the-century musical bon vivant, \u201cHi-De-Ho\u201d herks and jerks around, and while its\u00a0unusualness certainly doesn\u2019t make it a bad song, it\u2019s maybe the strangest of all of White\u2019s solo singles.\u00a0\u2014 KATIE BAIN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe White Stripes will always be associated with the garage-rock revival above all else, and with good reason. But the duo also found room for twee, childlike deep cuts on each of its records. White\u2019s other projects have mostly eschewed that aesthetic, but on the jaunty \u201cQueen of the Bees,\u201d he channels that legacy with playful instrumentation (clock the sound effect that sounds like an elephant\u2019s trumpet) and colorful, straightforward lyrics (\u201cI wanna hold you like a sloth hugs a tree\u201d). \u2014 ERIC RENNER BROWN<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite has always been a master of delivering a pick up line that might not actually be a pick up line but sure seems l<\/em>ike a pick up line (\u201csoon enough you will<\/em> care, by the time I\u2019m done,\u201d from \u201cBall & Biscuit\u201d comes immediately to mind) and here on the fourth single from 2018\u2019s Boarding House Reach<\/em>,\u00a0he advises that \u201cI\u2019ll lay low and turn off the lamps\/come over, you can lick the stamps\u201d over a simmering jazz funk arrangement. These and all the other lyrics on \u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d are a rare instance of White rapping, as he evangelizes out-of-the-box thinking and how \u201canyone creating is a member of the family!\u201d If \u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d is, as such,\u00a0an ode to being different, the song certainly achieves its goal.\u00a0\u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe second song on White\u2019s 2022 Fear of the Dawn <\/em>is the sound of all hell breaking loose, as the artist packs every heavy impulse into a tight and rowdy two minutes. The song gallops along as the guitars scream and White basically spits out lyrics that simultaneously land like a threat and a promise: \u201cNo more than two cigarettes\/ Or the light from the match will betray us\/ But in the dark, I can bet\/ You and I won\u2019t regret that it saved us.\u201d This is perhaps a deep cut despite its title track status, so if you\u2019ve been sleeping on it, wake up. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tYou can always rely on Jack White to relay some level of jauntiness, a mode he conveys on this Lazaretto <\/em>single. Shimmying, heavy and just a little bit silly, \u201cThat Black Cat Licorice\u201d is at once about a good woman and the nastiness of its titular food item. \u201cI never liked it, I never will!\u201d White proclaims, before commanding the band to \u201cstate the same damn thing with the violin!\u201d in what\u2019s altogether perhaps the grandest song ever written about hating licorice. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe title sounds like a James Bond movie \u2014 and that\u2019s a bit fitting for this rumination on mortality and what the dead leave behind. \u201cI begged and I borrowed\/ Everybody\u2019s love and they gave for free,\u201d White sings, \u201cAnd I wish that I could give it back to them.\u201d But while it\u2019s White at his most reflective, the song is also subtly a sonic marvel: its superficially simple acoustic guitar line is undergirded by a wistful Mellotron lick, and when the instrumental bridge blossoms, its unusual star is a Septavox synthesizer, designed specifically for White\u2019s Third Man Records. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d is what happens when White doesn\u2019t release a second Acoustic Recordings compilation album \u2013 with his first and only being Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016<\/em>. Released as a B-side companion to \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d (the lead single from 2022\u2019s Fear of the Dawn<\/em>), this softer take helped usher in White\u2019s next album, Entering Heaven Alive<\/em> that arrived just three months later. Yet, \u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d is more than just an acoustic take, it\u2019s a jazzy bluegrass reimagining that replaces all its fuzzy distortion with violins and finger picking, resulting in a bouncy-bordering-on-broody melody. If the original is demanding, this version is rooted in acceptance \u2013 surely a more gentle<\/em> approach toward getting a second chance. \u2014 LYNDSEY HAVENS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tIn the early days of The White Stripes, the band began performing live \u2013 and eventually recorded for release\u00a0\u2013 a garage rock version of Bob Dylan\u2019s take on Scottish folk song \u201cBlackjack Davey.\u201d\u00a0More than 20 years later, listeners will hear the influence of that interpretation on one of the\u00a0repeated\u00a0guitar\u00a0riffs\u00a0in 2026\u2019s \u201cDollar Bill.\u201d\u00a0But the\u00a0track is overflowing with guitar runs that only\u00a0a devout player of White\u2019s caliber could fit into less than three minutes.\u00a0The fury with which White blazes through \u201cDollar Bill\u201d is why he continues to\u00a0make the best rock\u00a0albums every year despite being\u00a0nearly three\u00a0decades into his career.\u00a0\u2014 TAYLOR MIMS<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tOne of the most admirable elements of White\u2019s entire catalog is its overt sincerity, an element no more obvious than when he\u2019s singing about love. On this the opening track from 2018\u2019s\u00a0Boarding House Reach<\/em>,\u00a0he sounds like he\u2019s pulling his big feelings from the core of the Earth, demanding that \u201cI KNOW we\u2019re connected by love\u201d as a cacophonous half time arrangement, with its intensity and grandeur, emphasizes this same point.\u00a0\u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n Fear of the Dawn<\/em>-era White packed a particular punch, as if the blue hair dye was a reminder and recommitment to his sound \u2013 and fourth album single \u201cWhat\u2019s the Trick?\u201d is classic White, bluesy and urgent with razor-sharp spoken-word delivery that feels refined yet frantic all at once. As White repeatedly asks, \u201cWhat\u2019s the trick? To making my love stick,\u201d it becomes less clear if he\u2019s asking the listener or himself \u2013 and neither party seems to know the answer. \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\u201cHigh Ball Stepper\u201d is an absolute piledriver of a track \u2014 and White doesn\u2019t say a word on it. Released as a the first promotional teaser for Lazaretto<\/em>, the song struts from badass riff to eerie piano lick to screeching guitar solo, seemingly united by the mission statement \u201cHow about some more cool s\u2013t?\u201d It\u2019s the type of wild flex that only a studio whiz like White can pull off. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite tapped into Greek mythology for his 2018 single \u201cOver and Over and Over,\u201d leading the song with \u201cThe Sisyphean dreamer,\u201d a reference to the tale of King Sisyphus who drew the ire of the vengeful god Zeus. In the afterlife, Sisyphus faces the eternal punishment of pushing a boulder up a hill just to have it fall as he reaches the top. A few lines later, White sings, \u201cMy shoulder holds the weight of the world,\u201d alluding to the Greek myth of the Titan Atlas who was forced to carry the world on his shoulders as punishment for his rebellion. The song\u2019s drums come crashing down as White sings on the chorus, \u201cover and over,\u201d commenting on how the gods have scorned and relentlessly punished him for his passion. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite might be one of the most celebrated and successful rock stars of a generation with a dozen Grammy awards to his name and a lauded record label, but he remains a punk rock upholster at heart. On 2018\u2019s \u201cCorporation,\u201d White has mocking words for the corporate sell outs who are garnering praise from their business and marketing practices. The Detroit native practically spits out the lines \u201cYeah, I\u2019m thinking about starting a corporation\/Who\u2019s with me?\/Nowadays, that\u2019s how you get adulation\u201d over a grove that ushered White into an entirely new sonic realm of synthesizers and congas that still feel defiantly punk. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tAfter live debuting this track alongside \u201cG.O.D. and the Broken Ribs\u201d as musical guest on Saturday Night Live <\/em>this April \u2013 and performing both as a surprise performer at Coachella later that month \u2013 they became the official lead singles of White\u2019s seventh studio album, Frozen Charlotte<\/em>. And while \u201cG.O.D.\u201d is lyrically seething, \u201cDerecho\u201d \u2013 which translates to \u201cdemonic right\u201d \u2013 is sonically wicked, with its first winding and electrifying instrumental break coming in at the 1:30-minute mark. Underlined by a steadying riff, White lets it rip on this track, making \u201cDerecho\u201d not just the perfect companion to a song like \u201cG.O.D.\u201d but also the perfect way to introduce a classically sharp White album like his latest. \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tSpend some time at one of White\u2019s revival-like live shows and it becomes obvious: in another life, he could\u2019ve been a preacher \u2014 or a convincing snake oil salesman. So in a way, No Name<\/em> standout \u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes\u201d is him achieving his final form. Undergirded by a devilish riff, White delivers a fiery sermon \u2014 albeit, one critiquing the opportunism and deception of religious ideologues. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe first single from White\u2019s two 2022 albums, \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d is either the last gasp of his late 2010s prog adventures or the first hint of his recent pivot back to more tried-and-true garage rock. White dips into his sonic bag of tricks plenty here \u2014 but strip away all the aural bells and whistles, and it\u2019s easy to imagine \u201cTaking Me Back\u201d as a simple, scuzzy White Stripes song. (In a testament to the song\u2019s malleability, White later reimagined the song as a gypsy jazz ditty, \u201cTaking Me Back (Gently).\u201d) \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWith seven solo studio albums to his name, a piano-driven Jack White song still feels like a rarity and \u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d stands out even more as a single off White\u2019s 2014 album Lazaretto<\/em>. As his second solo album (after six with The White Stripes, two with the Raconteurs and two with the Dead Weather), Lazaretto<\/em> marked White\u2019s most exploratory collection at the time and \u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d taps into a haunting melody that could double as a music sync for a funeral procession. In this case, the deceased is a relationship that White feels one person was fighting enough to save, singing \u201cAnd so there I am, the caretaker of sin\/ To your abandoned and malignant heart.\u201d \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tReleased as the official lead single from the contemplative Entering Heaven Alive<\/em>, \u201cLove Is Selfish\u201d is like the sonic sibling of \u201cLove Interruption\u201d \u2013 a bit older, a bit wiser, and with a learned cynicism in matters of the heart. As such, the stripped down \u201cSelfish\u201d is another obvious contender for a second Acoustic Recordings <\/em>album, as the song blends folk, rock and blues while White contemplates the cost of love, singing: \u201cI\u2019ve been trying over the years to\/ Try and overcome these fears, but\/ Nothing I come up with proves I can.\u201d \u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs\u201d is like a time machine, taking listeners back to late 1990s and early 2000s White Stripes. White even drops of morsel of band lore with the line \u201cBut you know we can\u2019t live like a sister and a brother\u201d for loyal fans, but, as one of the lead singles off his seventh solo studio album Frozen Charlotte<\/em>, \u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs\u201d still feels fresh. Where the White Stripes excelled in their minimalism, this new track brings in White\u2019s garage rock roots of fuzzy guitars and adds a fuller sound with bass and organ for a ferocious album opener. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe shuffling percussion and low bass set a snarling, ominous tone for this absolute rager from 2012\u2019s Blunderbuss<\/em>. The guitar riff, arguably one of the most immediately recognizable of White\u2019s entire solo oeuvre, gives attitude to a song about a vindictive woman who abuses White, badly. Rumors have pointed to this one being about his ex bandmate Meg White or his ex wife Karen Elson, but in reality, as White said in a 2012 interview with The Guardian<\/em>, \u201cFreedom at 21\u201d is about bad phone etiquette.<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cThe early telephones, the telegraph, you had to treat this technology with respect,\u201d White said in 2012. You can write on the internet for the whole world, you can make comments, but there\u2019s no one telling you that\u2019s impolite or that\u2019s inappropriate.\u201d Honestly, who can\u2019t relate to that? Ever the gentleman, White takes his considerable upset over the fraying social fabric and turns it into this sharp-edged classic. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite\u2019s sixth album No Name <\/em>was released in perfect White fashion \u2013 in that it was totally unconventional. The album was first shared as unmarked vinyl and gifted to Third Man Records customers in Detroit, London and Nashville. Eventually, it was wide-released with a proper title and even a lead single: \u201cThat\u2019s How I\u2019m Feeling.\u201d Given the out-of-the-box way in which No Name <\/em>was released, it\u2019s a bit ironic that its lead single spawned a very classic call-and-response that has become an expected staple in White\u2019s live show, with White beckoning during the song\u2019s catchy riff, \u201cooh<\/em>,\u201d as the crowd answers back, with feeling, \u201coh yeah!<\/em>\u201d\u00a0\u2014 L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tLeave it to White to make good-love-gone-bad sound so righteous, so intense, so absolutely thrilling. A breakneck ode to a relationship that\u2019s become so warped that White no longer even knows \u201cwho\u2019s jealous, who\u2019s jealous, who\u2019s jealous of who,\u201d this Blunderbuss<\/em> essential takes all of the loud, tight tendencies of the White Stripes catalog and puts them through the White solo machine that\u00a0makes everything a little bit bigger and more widely arranged, but no less ferocious. \u2014 K.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite\u2019s debut solo album Blunderbuss<\/em> is arguably one of his greatest contributions to the world of recorded music. White\u2019s deep knowledge of rock music come out to play across 13 tracks and \u201cI\u2019m Shakin\u2019\u201d takes us back to 1960. The song \u2013 originally recorded by rhythm and blues artist Little Willie John \u2013 was a jumping record for its time and White respected its origins by turning the intensity all the way up. On this 2012 single, the listener can feel White vibrating through his guitar as he sings the jittery lyrics. With heavenly background vocals from Ruby Amanfu, Laura Matula and White\u2019s now ex-wife Karen Elson, \u201cI\u2019m Shakin\u201d delivers a rock\u2019n\u2019roll rattle that possess the listener to move like a Pentecostal congregation. \u2014 T.M.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tWhite established his solo sound on Blunderbuss<\/em> \u2013\u00a0but he proved its potential on his second album, 2014\u2019s Lazaretto<\/em>, and its swaggering title track. For years, he\u2019d teased his infatuation with prog-rock on White Stripes, Raconteurs and Dead Weather albums; here, he makes good on it, with a multi-part bilingual epic that seems to capture every sound he\u2019d explored up to that point in less than four minutes. And that\u2019s what makes it special: White\u2019s brand of prog doesn\u2019t sacrifice brevity. \u2014 E.R.B.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n \n\tThe twistedly tender \u201cLove Interruption\u201d is a far cry from the searing, electrifying rock that is associated with much of White\u2019s catalog. And perhaps that\u2019s why it\u2019s his greatest solo feat. Released as his debut solo single from White\u2019s debut solo album, Blunderbuss<\/em>, which arrived 14 months after the dissolution of The White Stripes, the acoustic track showcases a less-heard side of White, making it all the more special. <\/p>\n \n\tMuch like how the White Stripes\u2019 \u201cWe\u2019re Going to Be Friends\u201d stands out among the duo\u2019s hits, \u201cLove Interruption\u201d does indeed interrupt White\u2019s solo singles, standing as a testament to the skill required to dial it back. And while he isn\u2019t expertly wielding a wicked range of chords, the song\u2019s opening riff is just as recognizable as his punchier singles. Instead of letting his guitar wail, it\u2019s White\u2019s words \u2013 as the sole songwriter \u2013 that are tasked with the heavy lifting here, alongside gentler vocals from White and Ruby Amanfu. Throughout the song, as he goes on about all the ways in which he wants love to consume and ruin him (and remember, this came on the heels of The White Stripes break up) he ultimately holds firm on the chorus, declaring repeatedly: \u201cI won\u2019t<\/em> let love disrupt, corrupt or interrupt me.\u201d <\/p>\n \n\tNearly 15 years strong into his solo career, it\u2019s clear nothing, not even love, has gotten in his way. \u2014L.H.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n [analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/lists\/jack-white-solo-singles-ranked\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" [analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Jack-White-Live-Billboard-1548.jpg?w=1024″] When Jack White performed as musical guest on Saturday Night Live this April, during which he live debuted two new songs \u2014 the two-pack of \u201cG.O.D. And The Broken Ribs \/ Derecho Demonico\u201d \u2014 there was no buzz of a new project on the way. Even when he was added to Coachella\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2048314","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048314","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2048314"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2048314\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2048314"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2048314"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2048314"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cQueen of the Bees\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cIce Station Zebra\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cFear of the Dawn\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cThat Black Bat Licorice\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cIf I Die Tomorrow\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cTaking Me Back (Gently)\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cDollar Bill\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cConnected By Love\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the Trick?\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cHigh Ball Stepper\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cOver and Over and Over\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cCorporation\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cDerecho Demonico\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cArchbishop Harold Holmes\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cTaking Me Back\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cWould You Fight For My Love?\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cLove Is Selfish\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cG.O.D.\u201d And The Broken Ribs\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cFreedom at 21\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s How I\u2019m Feeling\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cSixteen Saltines\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cI\u2019m Shakin’\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cLazaretto\u201d<\/h2>\n
\u201cLove Interruption\u201d<\/h2>\n