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Get Behind Me Satan
2005 studio album by the White Stripes From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Get Behind Me Satan is the fifth studio album by the American rock duo the White Stripes. It was released in June 2005, with V2 and Third Man handling distribution in the United States, and XL and Third Man handling international distribution. It was recorded in Jack White's home between February and March 2005, and Jack produced the whole album.
Described as the "most misunderstood entry in the White Stripes discography", Get Behind Me Satan musically diverts from the band's previous works with experimental production and lyrics that reference truth and actress Rita Hayworth. The album was promoted with early previews to journalists and releasing "Blue Orchid", "My Doorbell" and "The Denial Twist" as singles. It was not released in a vinyl format until 2015, as the band wanted to record a separate live version which never came to fruition. In the years following its release, Get Behind Me Satan has continued to be reissued.
Get Behind Me Satan charted within the top ten of nine countries, reaching number three on both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart. The album received positive reviews from music critics, who praised its experimentation but some felt its production was too constricted. It received two nominations at the 2006 Grammy Awards, winning Best Alternative Album.
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Background and recording
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Get Behind Me Satan was conceived at a time when the White Stripes had felt "betrayed" and "burned" by close friends within the Detroit music scene such as Jason Stollsteimer, a member of the Von Bondies, which Jack White had got into an altercation with in December 2003,[1] and Jim Diamond, who had filed a lawsuit against the band in October 2004, wanting partial owning rights of the masters and royalties of their first two albums.[2][3][4]
Jack had begun writing and recording demos for Get Behind Me Satan on a microcassette recorder throughout 2004 and early 2005.[5][6] He had written around 35 songs during this period with many of the songs that would be recorded for the album either having been completely written or partially written during the sessions.[7][8]
Get Behind Me Satan was recorded in around two weeks throughout late February and mid-March 2005 at Jack's home in Indian Village,[9][10] which was referred to as Third Man Studios in the press release and liner notes for the album.[11][12] The band considered the sessions to be cursed as the tape machine and microphones would malfunction and water would drip from the ceiling.[3][8] The reported cost of recording the album was under $10,000.[8]
Matthew Kettle, who had been mixing the band's live shows, recorded Get Behind Me Satan on a Studer 8 track tape machine.[13] Six Coles 4038 microphones were exclusively used for the recording of the album.[14][15] A Steinway grand piano was rented in order to achieve a fuller sound.[13] The foyer served as the main recording space with the piano in the foyer and the drums situated on the second floor stair landing.[13][14][16]
The album cover and photos featured in the album liner notes were taken by Ewen Spencer during a five-day shoot at Jack’s home.[11][17] On the twentieth anniversary of the album's release, Jack revealed that the object he held on the cover is a drugstore glass container that contains a unknown white powder and is meant to represent temptation.[18] Mixing was completed at Ardent Studios by John Hampton and Jack in late-March, with mastering completed by Howie Weinberg at Masterdisk, two weeks prior to the release of the first single.[12][19]
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Music and lyrics
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Deemed the "most misunderstood entry in the White Stripes discography",[20] Get Behind Me Satan is basic in production but marks a distinct change from its 2003 guitar-heavy predecessor, Elephant. With its reliance on piano-driven melodies and experimentation with marimba,[21] the album plays down the punk and garage rock[22][23][24] influences that dominated earlier White Stripes albums and has been described as an alternative rock, blues rock, blues,[25][26] pop,[27][28] and country[26] album. Jack plays with different technique than in the past, replacing electric guitar with piano, mandolin, and acoustic guitar on all but three tracks, as his usual riff-conscious lead guitar style is overtaken by a predominantly rhythmic approach. Meg White expands her instrumentation with percussion bells, maracas and tambourines alongside her drumming.[29]
Jack stated in an interview on the radio show Fresh Air that "truth is the number one theme throughout the album Get Behind Me Satan."[13] Relating that point to the album's multiple reference to movie actress Rita Hayworth, White said she became an "all-encompassing metaphor" for the album since she changed her last name from something that revealed her Latina heritage, and the way celebrity was cast upon her.
White further told Rolling Stone, "Rita Hayworth became an all-encompassing metaphor for everything I was thinking about while making the album. There was an autograph of hers—she had kissed a piece of paper, left a lip print on it, and underneath it said, 'My heart is in my mouth.' I loved that statement and wondered why she wrote that. There was also the fact that she was Latino and had changed her name. She had become something different, morphed herself and was trying to put something behind her. And there was the shallowness of celebrity when it's thrown upon you. All of that was going around in these songs; what had been thrown on me, things I'd never asked for. Every song on that album is about truth."[30]
The album's title refers to a well-known line from the story of the Temptation of Jesus which is later repeated against the disciple Simon Peter, in Matthew 16:23 of the New Testament. In the King James Version, the quotation is slightly different: "Get thee behind me, Satan".[31] Jack stated in an interview with Mojo the possible interpretations of the album title, "It can mean, you're either for me or against me. And if you're not going to help me, get out of my way. Or maybe it relates to the Devil's music, and having the Devil back you up while you're playing it. Or, perhaps it relates to aiming for the truth, for doing the right thing, and telling the Devil to take his temptations away."[3]
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Songs
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Tracks 1–7
Recorded near the end of the album sessions, Jack has stated in multiple interviews that "Blue Orchid" saved the album.[3][7][13] When Jack had conceived the song, he said that the song made him want to play festivals. Basic tracking was done on March 10, 2005, with vocal overdubs completed on a later date.[32] The song was released as the first single for the album six weeks after it was written on April 18, 2005.[33][34] An Electro-Harmonix polyphonic octave generator guitar pedal was used on the track in order to achieve a heavier guitar sound, although they were limited by the amount of tracks on the tape they could use.[35]
"The Nurse" is an experimental song, which features Jack playing a Musser M500 Concert Grand Soloist marimba.[36][37] The song was first tracked with marimba and drums, with electric guitar and additional drums later overdubbed in order to mask a poor tape edit.[13] Jack was initially hesitant about the song due to the overdubs. When Jack let Brendan Benson hear an early mix of the song, Benson said it sounded like "some Brian Wilson shit."[34][38] Jack has said that the song is about someone he had been in love with for over a decade.[39]
"My Doorbell" was released as the second single for the album on July 11, 2005.[40] The song has been described as being reminiscent of Motown music.[3][41] The song was recorded in two takes.[42]
"Little Ghost" is a bluegrass song which features Jack playing mandolin. Jack had written the song in ten minutes at a friend’s house.[13] The song was under consideration for being the third single.[43]
"The Denial Twist" was the third and final single off the album, released on October 31, 2005.[44] The song took the most amount of time to record, with three takes having been recorded throughout the sessions.[38][45] The song features electric bass and Jack’s brother, Eddie Gillis, playing tambourine and shakers.[29][46][47]
"White Moon" is a ballad and is one of two songs that mention Rita Hayworth.[21] On the first take of "White Moon", near the end of the song, a rack of bells can be heard crashing which was unintended. A second take was recorded with a guide vocal with the intent for it to be overdubbed later, but the first take would be ultimately chosen as it fit the tone of the album.[6] The song was originally titled "White Moon and the Red Headed Guest".[48]
Tracks 8–13
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"Instinct Blues" is a blues rock song that is about sexual frustration.[49]
"Passive Manipulation" is the shortest song recorded by the band and features Meg on vocals. The song is written from a female perspective.[13]
"As Ugly As I Seem" is an acoustic folk song that features Jack singing and playing an acoustic guitar and Meg playing hand drums.[50][23]
"Take, Take, Take" is about a fan who meets Rita Hayworth at a bar and keeps asking things from her.[8] The song has been interpreted as the band’s feelings towards celebrity life,[29][51] although Jack told Mojo that the song is about "parents not teaching their kids manners."[3] Jack had written as many as 9 or 10 verses, but had to cut some of them as the song would have been too long.[35]
The closing track, "I'm Lonely (But I Ain't That Lonely Yet)", was written shortly before the sessions, after Jack called Loretta Lynn, in which Lynn made a joke about Meg saying that "I’m lonely, but I ain’t that lonely yet." Lynn told Jack that he could use the line for a song.[13] The first take of "I'm Lonely" was recorded with mandolin, piano, Jack on vocals, and Meg on drums. A second take with only Jack singing and playing piano was chosen for the album.[42]
Outtakes
"Ain't No Sweeter Than Rita Blues", an instrumental track, was released on a 7-inch single alongside Under Amazonian Lights through a Third Man Records Vault subscription in 2015.[52]
"City Lights" is a folk song that was written for the album,[53][54] with two takes having been recorded.[38] The track was forgotten about until the master tapes for the album were revisited for the 2015 vinyl reissue of the album. The track was completed with Dominic Davis playing upright bass for the track and released on Jack's acoustic compilation, Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016 on September 9, 2016.[55][56] In 2025, an alternate studio take and home demo was released on Get Behind Me Satan XX.[20]
"Over and Over and Over" was initially demoed using a fuzz pedal on an electric bass. Two takes of the song were recorded for the album, but it ultimately went unreleased.[45][20] Jack later attempted the song on Icky Thump and with his other side projects. The song was eventually re-recorded in 2017 and released as the third single for Jack's third solo album, Boarding House Reach on March 1, 2018.[57] A home demo and a studio outtake of the song was released on Get Behind Me Satan XX.[20]
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Release
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The tracklist and release date of the album was announced on April 12, 2005.[58][59] On the following day, a listening event was held exclusively for music journalists at Splashlight Studios in New York City.[60][61] Get Behind Me Satan was then released worldwide on June 6, 2005 by XL and Third Man and on June 7, 2005 in the United States by V2 and Third Man.[43]
Exclusive vinyl copies of Get Behind Me Satan were made exclusively for music journalists to review, and 600 records were released collectively by XL Recordings and V2 Records simultaneously; these have become rare and coveted collector's items.[62] The White Stripes intended to re-record the album in January 2006 at Joe Gubay's Studio in New Zealand for a commercial vinyl release, but the studio no longer had the recording equipment to make it possible.[63] As a result, Get Behind Me Satan was the only album by the White Stripes not to be commercially released on vinyl for ten years.
For Record Store Day 2015, Third Man Records released a limited vinyl edition with a lenticular gatefold sleeve, pressed on red and white vinyl; a commercially released version with standard artwork pressed on standard black vinyl was released later that year.[64] Ahead of the album's 20th anniversary, the White Stripes announced a deluxe reissue of Get Behind Me Satan with alternative takes, demos, and live recordings of its tracks.[65] On June 27, 2025, a limited edition vinyl reissue of Get Behind Me Satan and a music video for "Red Rain" were released, to celebrate the album's twentieth anniversary.[66]
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Critical reception
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Get Behind Me Satan received positive reviews from music critics; review aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalized score of 81 out of 100 based on 38 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[77] AllMusic's Heather Phares gave the album 4 out of 5 stars, praising the experimentation but noting that "As eclectic as Get Behind Me Satan is, it isn't perfect: the energy dips a little in the middle, [...] "it takes awhile to unravel and appreciate."[78] Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone was similarly positive in his review and wrote, "Get Behind Me Satan could be a rock & roll remake, starring Jack and Meg as the doomed lovers. Satan, you got served."[79] NME's Alex Needham deemed it a "very brave record" and called the White Stripes "the real, strange, artistic deal. It'll be a long time before Jack and Meg sell their souls."[29]
Contrastingly, David Browne of Entertainment Weekly gave Get Behind Me Satan a C+ and opining that "Too many of the tunes — and Jack's lyrics — are undercut by lurching, half-finished arrangements." He believed Jack was "trying too hard to be eccentric" and "nearly incomprehensible".[80] Spin's Chuck Klosterman praised "Blue Orchid" but criticized the experimentation and themes, likening the album to "an art film that ignores narrative".[81]
At the 48th Annual Grammy Awards in 2006, Get Behind Me Satan won for Best Alternative Album and was nominated for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("My Doorbell").[82] Also in 2006, the album was included in 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die, edited by Robert Dimery;[83] it was removed the next year. It was voted the sixth best album of the year in the 2006 Village Voice Pazz & Jop critic poll, with "My Doorbell" being voted as the year's ninth best single.[84][85] Rolling Stone also ranked it the third best album of the year in 2006.[86]
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Commercial performance
Get Behind Me Satan entered the US Billboard 200 and UK Albums Chart at number three, and entered the top ten of seven other territories. It sold over 920,000 copies in the United States, receiving a gold certification from the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[87][88] It was certified platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA), British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and Music Canada (MC) for its respective sales in Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada.[89][90][91]
Get Behind Me Satan was supported by three singles. "Blue Orchid", the album's lead single, became their second US Billboard Hot 100 single, their second top ten entry on the UK singles chart, and their first number one single on the Canadian Hot 100.[92][93] The album's second and third singles, "My Doorbell" and "The Denial Twist", also reached the top ten in the United Kingdom and charted on the Modern Rock Charts.[94][95]
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Legacy
The cover of Get Behind Me Satan was used in the 2006 Gilmore Girls episode "I Get a Sidekick Out of You", with Lane and Zach in Meg and Jack's positions, respectively.[96] That same year, "Instinct Blues" was featured in Michel Gondry's film The Science of Sleep.[97] The cover was also used for the 2008 Ozy and Millie calendar as both the front cover and for the month of January, with two characters replacing Jack and Meg.[citation needed]
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Track listing
All lyrics are written by Jack White; all music is composed by Jack and Meg White.
Notes
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Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes and single releases.[11][46][56]
The White Stripes
- Jack White – guitar, vocals, piano, bass, mandolin, marimba, tambourine, songwriting, production, mixing
- Meg White – drums, vocals, percussion, bells, triangle, bongos
Additional personnel
- Eddie Gillis – tambourine and shakers
- Howie Weinberg – mastering
- Roger Lian – sequencing
- John Hampton – mixing
- Adam Hill – assistant mixing
- Matthew Kettle – engineering
Artwork
- Arthole – layout
- "The Third Man" – design
- Ewen Spencer – photography
- Nick Pavey – photo assistant
Charts
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Certifications
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References
External links
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