Jack White
“Over and Over and Over”
limited edition one-sided tri-color, 200 something copies pressed, complete with custom picture sleeve that will be slightly different from the standard released version
Do you guys know how pumped I am?
For the record, I first heard this monster riff in 2005 at Jack’s house while he and Meg were recording “Get Behind Me Satan.”
I am pretty sure that the “Blue Orchid” riff pre-dates this one by a few days, but in my mind, they exist hand-in-hand. While “Blue Orchid” smashed that recording process wide open and gave Jack the inspiration to make that album as bad ass as possible, THIS riff, inarguably, is ten times stronger. I feel like Jack was originally calling it “Thermonuclear Counter-Thrust” but maybe I’m just imagining that. I can find no contemporaneous documentation of that name.
There are two takes of demo recordings of this song from 2005 (with the riff played solely on fuzz bass). There are demo recordings from 2007 with the White Stripes trying it in rehearsal leading up to the tracking of the “Icky Thump” album. Imagine the guitar profile more in line with the octave-pedaled presence of the song “Icky Thump” and that’s a good start for understanding the 2007 version. I guess the Raconteurs tried it but I never heard any evidence, same with the Dead Weather. It was apparently the main track that Jack and Jay-Z worked on together in 2009, under the title “Ray Bans” or “Behind My Ray Bans” and although I’ve never heard that working, I’m told to imagine the phrase “Behind my Ray Bans” to coincide with the last five notes of the riff.
As Jack has already said, this had been his white whale. We sincerely considered including the ’07 demo as part of the “Icky Thump X” Vault package last year. I have no recollection of Jack ever previously giving me such an impassioned plea…”I just really think we shouldn’t put this on the Vault” he said. My response was pretty matter-of-factly, “Well, it’s your label, so please don’t feel like you have to convince me.” Maybe he was trying to convince himself?
Regardless, at the end of 2017 when Jack finally had played me this version you hear now, upon the end of the song, I looked at him and said “I’ve been waiting twelve years to hear this song with lyrics.”
The final version of this song is everything I’d ever dreamed it would be. It is my favorite moment on the album, with the coda to “Humoresque” being a close second. I cannot wait to see this monster unleashed unto a sell-out crowd at Little Caesar’s Arena, a stone’s throw away from the Gold Dollar where this whole mess got started.
I’ve got an extra copy of this limited tri-color to give away here. AUTOGRAPHED by Jack White, today, explicitly for this purpose. Don’t use my give-away here as an excuse to miss going to any number of the listening parties we’re throwing at record stores worldwide though. Even though we’re giving away tri-colors at the listening parties, none of those will be autographed. Man we spoil you kids.
As for the giveaway, post a comment, can be about whatever, but maybe talk about a significant wait you’ve endured in life. Can be funny, pithy, in iambic pentameter, whatever. The “best” comment will be solely determined by me. Please chime in by noon central time on Tuesday, March 13th.
***WINNER HAS BEEN CONTACTED***
Valley Forge Military Academy in Wayne PA is where I spent 5 weeks out of every summer growing up. Salinger is alleged to have modeled Pencey Prep from Catcher in the Rye after attending Valley Forge as a kid. The mission statement was to turn out “young men fully prepared to meet their responsibilities, alert in mind, sound in body, considerate of others, and with a high sense of duty, honor, loyalty and courage. Valley Forge implements these goals and gives them structure through the value‘, found in military discipline.” But for me it was just the spot chosen by my parents (both who worked full time) to dump a kid steeped in trouble making over the summer. On an extremely hot and humid day at the swimming pool we all lined up while Sargent Dargetz a red haired freckled pudgy cadet barked orders to our platoon about what was and was not acceptable “pool behavior”. About 200 boys ages 8 to 15 were finally dismissed and immediately the water level of the pool rose and spilled out over the white painted concrete edges. You had to keep your head on a goddamn swivel in that pool. Dunking was the sport of choice and the “Pioneers” (the youngest of the campers) were the easiest targets, more than once I came up barfing water literally on the verge of drowning after being held under for a terrifying amount of time. The cadet counselors were about as caring as a prison warden and almost seemed to relish in the constant attacks and bullying by the “Rangers” the older campers. I had stepped out of the pool and was sitting on my towel outside of the 10ft chain link fence that surrounded the pool talking to DeJorge an extra short Jewish kid from New York who every time I think of I picture Ian MacKaye screaming SMALL MAN BIG MOUTH! He had some seriously sadistic tendencies and looking back I am fairly certain when all grown up someone had their kneecaps broken by this guy. So I am sitting there minding my own business, kids are yelling and laughing in the pool and one of the cadet counselors has this old army issue fire extinguisher that is basically just a big stainless can with a hose that comes off and is pressurized by a small replaceable Co2 canister. I watched as he sprayed kids in the pool but quickly returned my attention to the conversation with DeJorge about having one of the cadets smuggle in Stromboli that night after lights out. So what I didn’t see was the Cadet with the fire extinguisher climb out of the pool and begin digging through his duffel bag to retrieve a new Co2 canister that had run out. If you can picture it, the Co2 canister nipple was pierced by a little needle to pressurize the canister and the bottom snapped into place with five little metal fingers that held it in place. Problem was the replacement Co2 tank didn’t securely snap in place, and when the cadet pulled the trigger, it immediately became an unguided aluminum C02 propelled missile. So there I sat on the grass talking to DeJorge completely unsuspecting. I heard it coming, and it sounded exactly how you would imagine it would sound Psssssssssssssssssssssssssssssstttttttttttttttt. Threading it’s way through 200 swimmers and through a chain link fence some 60 feet away, it would find it’s target. My mouth exploded sending splintering bits of bloody teeth across my white towel. My head snapped back and my top lip dangled like a hotdog that had split open in the microwave. Still in shock my tongue began probing the edges of what was left of my teeth finding nothing but a jagged landscape of open nerves that sent a nauseating level of pain coursing through my mouth with every scream. They had to call Major Mitchell who was the Forge’s on sight Dentist (no cell phones then) who was off the grounds at his home in Wayne, PA. They couldn’t reach him. His wife said he was out running errands and would be “be home soon” So I sat in the infirmary with strict instructions to “only breath through my nose” as I waited for Dr. Mitchell. “Soon” turned out to be almost 5 hours later, I watched the minutes tick off, trying like hell not to breath out my mouth but my nose was so filled with snot from crying that it was inevitable, and eventually the air would pass over the nerves in my teeth and again reminding me, this was the longest wait of my life.
Being broke is such a drag
i was sitting there waiting… waiting, and waiting, it was the longest wait of my life and i’m STILL waiting… THE ULTIMATE WAIT WE ARE ALL WAITING FOR THE WAIT OF ALLLL WAITS IS march 23, 2018 (i think we all know what it’s for…)
I can’t wait to hear this song’s riff chanted at football stadiums across the world!
Seriously, my favorite Jack song in a long time. I’ve had that riff and “My shoulder holds the weight of the world” stuck in my head for months now. Awesome to hear that the rest of the song lived up to high expectations that were stuck in my head. Can’t wait to hear the whole album and I’ll be traveling from SF to Detroit on April 19 to hear and see it in person.
Can’t wait to hear the new record at Zia Records out here in Arizona! Thanks again to Third Man for throwing a kick ass promo and letting the fans hear the goodies before anyone else. Thank you Ben for your infinate wisdom and providing a glimpse into the brain of John Anthony White!
The longest wait i’ve ever endured was on April 18 2014 (the day before RSD @ TMR to see JW do the WFR) Me and my GF walked into the TMR shop and I was so nervous because I was going to propose to her and it seemed like forever while i was waiting to do it! Popped into the photo booth and popped the question! So our engagement is imortalized in photo’s and our awesome weekend was immortalized forever on vinyl! That was my (what seemed like the longest wait ever) but times been flying by since! Thank you for your and Jack’s graciousness Ben. Greatly Appreciated!
The longuest wait I ever endured was a couple of year I got my first guitar (see DA giveaway comment to know the story) I was now able to play and it was time to upgrade to something better than a pawnshop guitar , so I spot a Gibson les paul black beauty,major problem here , i’m 17 and I have as much money as a Chinese farmer, I need a temporary job to pay that guitar , found 1 , I was literally washing shit , I was doing the laundry at an elder center. After that shitty summer I had the money to buy the guitar , but guess what, it wasn’t available at my nearest music store , had to order it from USA…. SO with the patience of a teenager , I wait and wait and wait for a month , cursing every Gibson employee in the meantime. The guitar finally came (YEAAAAH!) guess what again… the UPS guy told me there was customs fees , no money for that , I had to wait again to go pay and bring back my damn guitar the day after (this time my dad loan me the money ouff)
Good thing is the guitar was made for me , today at 33 it’S still my main guitar. r.i.p Gibson
This is not the best comment in the world this is just a tribute