Tynan's Anger

SONGS OF THE DECADE #34

[For more info, read the Ground Rules of The Song of The Decade List]

The White Stripes - Fell In Love With A Girl (2002)



Like a perfect storm, NME, MTV and music critics left and right all came together on White Blood Cells, a trifecta that has almost never been accomplished to the same level this decade. Even more impressive was that all these forces came together over a video that cynics would have loved to dismiss as a novelty. The only problem was the following: the sense joy that "Fell In Love With a Girl" produced could overcome any gimmick; the songwriting and skill was too tight, and the thrill of a young band coming into the limelight was really hard to ignore.

The songs on White Blood Cells still hold up nearly a decade later, even if it sounds less like a front-to-back album like it once did. Yet the fact that the White Stripes could follow up "Fell In Love With a Girl," a track that sounded so perfect as a chart-topper, with the 50 second fame poem "Little Room" showed this was not your ordinary MTV rock band. Considering that Jack White is still working maniacally, selling topping charts and not losing critical support, is as good a sign as any that he's earned the initial hype, with a longevity most bands would kill for.

Of course, it all had to start somewhere, so why not start with the most universal musical emotion of all? Bring out the legos.

Labels: 2000s, fell in love with a girl, lists, pop music, songs of the decade, the white stripes