Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is a song by the American rock band the White Stripes. It was released on July 1, 2002 by V2 in the United States. The song was written by Jack White around the time of their debut album, and was composed by Jack and Meg White for the band's third album, White Blood Cells.

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"
Single by the White Stripes
from the album White Blood Cells
Released	July 1, 2002 (2002-07-01)
Recorded	February 2001 (2001-02)[1][2]
Studio	Easley-McCain Recording (Memphis, Tennessee)
Genre	Alternative rock blues rock indie rock garage rock
Length	3:04
Label	V2 XL
Composer(s)	Jack White, Meg White
Lyricist(s)	Jack White
Producer(s)	Jack White
The White Stripes singles chronology
"Fell in Love with a Girl" (2002) "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" (2002) "We're Going to Be Friends" (2002)
Music video
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" on YouTube

In all territories, the record was released as the album's third single. It was first released in the United States in July 2002, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and 63 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was later released in the United Kingdom and Australia in September 2002, reaching number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. Music critics praised the song's heavy riffs, primitive drum beats, and Jack and Meg's chemistry.

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is considered one of the best songs by the White Stripes. It is an enduring work of the band, being covered and remixed by several artists including Jimmy Page and "Weird Al" Yankovic.

Composition

"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is an alternative rock and garage rock song that runs for a duration of 3 minutes and 4 seconds. It is written in the time signature of common time, with a mid tempo of 80 beats per minute.^[3] The key of the two guitars range from A to D major. Jack White's vocal range spans from G₄ to A♯₅.^[4] Meg White makes extensive use of the crash cymbal, hi-hat, kick drum, and snare drum in the choruses, and introduces the floor tom, tom drum and ride cymbal in the pre-choruses and verses.^[5]

Lyrically, "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is about a man who is abandoned by his lover, and struggles to deal with the aftermath and the wreckage of their home.^[6] The song has often been speculated to be based on the end of Jack White and Meg White's marriage, but neither have commented on the matter.^[7]

Music video

The music video for this song, directed by Michel Gondry,^[8] depicts Jack coming back to his trashed London house and surveying reckless destruction. While he goes from room to room, video of the party events that led to the decimation (and of his and Meg's relationship before he left) is projected over the scenery, until in the final scene she leaves him.

Reception

In a review of the song for AllMusic, Tom Maginnis describes "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" as a "grimy rocker", noting it as a display of the duo's "keen understanding of musical dynamics".^[3] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian ranked it as the greatest White Stripes song, calling it "incredibly exciting" and "the sound of a band who are abundantly aware how special they are [...] It couldn’t be the work of anyone else."^[9] Paste and Stereogum ranked the song number three and number five, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest White Stripes songs.^[10][11]

Track listings

All lyrics written by Jack White, except where noted; all music is composed by Jack and Meg White, except where noted. The live singles were recorded in 2002 at Maida Vale Studios in England,^[12] and the DVD release features an interview with Arthur P. Dottweiler.^[13]

7"

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"		3:04
2.	"Stop Breaking Down - Live At The BBC Studios Maida Vale"	Robert Johnson	5:38

CD

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"		3:04
2.	"Suzy Lee - Live At The BBC Studios Maida Vale"		4:13
3.	"Stop Breaking Down - Live At The BBC Studios Maida Vale"	Robert Johnson	5:38

DVD

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"	3:04
2.	"Arthur P. Dottweiler"

Personnel

Personnel are taken from the UK single CD liner notes:^[14]

• Jack White – guitar, vocal
• Meg White – drums

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2002) Peak position Scotland (OCC)[15] 26 UK Singles (OCC)[16] 25 UK Indie (OCC)[17] 3 US Alternative Airplay (Billboard)[18] 19

Year-end charts Chart (2002) Position US Modern Rock Tracks (Billboard)[19] 63

Release history

Region	Date	Format(s)	Label(s)	Ref.
United States	July 1, 2002	Active rock alternative radio	V2	[20]
United Kingdom	September 2, 2002	7-inch vinyl CD	XL	[21]
Australia	September 23, 2002	CD		[22]

Covers and samples

• Mandolinist Chris Thile covered "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" on his 2006 album How to Grow a Woman from the Ground in a bluegrass style.^[23]
• Nina Persson covered this song in the 2006 film Om Gud Vill (God Willing).
• Jack White performed this song with Jimmy Page and the Edge in the 2009 documentary It Might Get Loud.^[24]
• The main riffs and vocal patterns were borrowed in "Weird Al" Yankovic's 2009 White Stripes style parody "CNR".^[25]
• The song was made available to download on May 23, 2011, for play in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, along with standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.^[26][27]