Classic songs: ‘We’re Going to Be Friends’ by The White Stripes.

The first thing that pops into my head when I think of The White Stripes is probably their striking visuals, especially the strict use of red, white and black aesthetic. It’s followed by the myth Jack and Meg White created claiming to be siblings to shield their personal life as a divorced couple. Next, their minimalist set up (electric guitar and tribal drums) and finally their giant rock anthem, Seven Nation Army. Ok, maybe not exactly in that order but close enough anyway. More recently, I’ve been taking a deep dive into The White Stripes catalogue moving past it being just background listening to exploring their evolution, choices and lyrical themes. 

The one thing that intrigues me about The White Stripes, and I briefly alluded to it in my take on their song The Hardest Button to Button, is how Jack White is so deeply in tune with his childlike self. In a lot of what he did there was a creative philosophy which was rooted in childhood innocence. Take for instance the title of Seven Nation Army which came from a childlike misunderstanding when Jack as a kid in Detroit mispronounced the “Salvation Army” as “The Seven Nation Army.” Even The White Stripes entire visual and thematic framework with its strict use of red, white and black visuals and how it was often paired with peppermint candy swirls is childlike in design, innocence and simplicity. Meg White’s minimalist 3 or 4-piece drum kit was often exhibit number one, intentionally resembling the joyful, playful nature of the band. Interestingly, Meg’s classic peppermint-themed drum kit setup often had a candy swirl design painted on the resonant front heads of the bass drum and toms. 

Still on the subject of Meg White, she fully embraced her youthful enthusiasm behind her drum kit. It is often said her primitive, unpolished beat clashed with traditional expectations of what it is to be a contemporary drummer. Yet Jack was fiercely protective of Meg’s minimalist and raw approach. He once said: “I would often look at her onstage and say, I can’t believe she’s up here. I don’t think she understood how important she was too the band and to me and to the music. She was the antithesis of a modern drummer. So childlike and incredible and inspiring.” By approaching their art and music with this sense of wonder and fun, they were able to reject the trappings of modern rock and its excesses.

The one song above all others that best exemplifies The White Stripes childlike spirit is We’re Going to Be Friends from their breakthrough album, White Blood Cells (2001). Jack White wittingly wrote the song as a tender, nostalgic ode to childhood friendship. His two central characters were a young boy and a girl named Suzy Lee who meet at school and form a special bond of trust, joy and natural curiosity. The clever thing about this song is that White has the listeners inclusion in mind. The song’s imagery is vivid (maybe a little idealistic) as White paints a clear picture of friendship and the innocence of a typical school day. He mentions things like “brand new shoes,” “Nouns and books, and show and tell,” “There’s dirt on our uniforms,” and “Teacher marks our height against the wall.” It’s hard not to embrace its pure sincerity something White feared when he first wrote it because he thought listeners would think he was being sarcastic or ironic.

As I’ve illustrated thus far the song is playful for a number of reasons. But importantly, it unrolls with ease with Jack White’s gentle guitar fingerpicking on his electric hollowbody, while Meg provides her most subtle discharge on the drum kit, tapping the snare drum ever so gently. Moreover Jack White sings softly with warmth, channeling his most Paul McCartney-esque vocal performance. In many ways, We’re Going to Be Friends feels like a song McCartney could have written and sung. Interestingly, Jack White’s appreciation for McCartney is well known, especially the raw, DIY nature of McCartney’s first solo album.      

Since its release in 2001 Jack and Meg White performed countless emotionally-charged acoustic performances of the song in elementary schools, shows and other places for no good reason. Jack White even wrote a children’s picture book based on the classic Whites Stripes song with illustrator Elinor Blake in 2017. In short, We’re Going to Be Friends is The White Stripes at their most unadulterated, and therefore, their best.