“Seven Nation Army” Served by the White Stripes, the Flaming Lips and Ben l’Oncle Soul
It’s hard to imagine modern rock ’n’ roll without Jack White. The guy is a guitar wizard and one half of the White Stripes, an influential band responsible for taking bare-bones, blue-eyed soul to the masses. And he didn’t stop there; he created two other bands, the Raconteurs and the Dead Weather, and founded his own label, Third Man Records, which churns out vinyl nonstop.
Though the song has been covered to death, a couple of bands have managed to capture its essence and make it their own.
Undoubtedly one of the Stripes’ greatest achievements is the anthemic, riff-heavy jam “Seven Nation Army.” Released on Elephant, the band’s fourth album, in 2003, the song was an instant chart-topper and won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.
Legendary alt-rockers the Flaming Lips covered the song in 2005 for their Late Night Tales compilation album, part of a series that puts out compilations by a variety of artists, DJs and bands, like Belle & Sebastian and MGMT.
The Lips replaced the lyrics with those of “Moving to Florida” by noise rockers Butthole Surfers, and retitled the song “Harry Potter’s and George W. Bush’s Severed Head Army Mix,” swapping old names like LBJ for newer ones like Colin Powell. Lead singer Wayne Coyne barks out the lyrics in a gruff voice, while the famous riff is scuzzed up and paired with the shrill scream of an ambulance.
Changing the mood of the song completely is French soul singer Ben l’Oncle Soul, a rising star in the R&B world who only just released his eponymous debut album through Motown Records in 2010.
His version is completely stripped of the guttural guitar riffs and pounding drums. Instead it’s full of his beautiful, buttery voice, backed by playful trumpets and organ trills.
Keep it loud
