10 Greatest Hard Rock Songs Of The 2000s
2. The White Stripes - “Seven Nation Army”
A band that illustrated what can be done with just guitar and drums, the virtuosic Jack White and effectively understated sister (or wife) Meg White reinvented themselves time and again during their stint as one of the world’s great rock bands. Following their breakthrough White Blood Cells, which saw the band move slowly away from their blues trappings, they returned in 2003 for Elephant, unleashing one of the biggest songs of the era.
“Seven Nation Army” took the daring step of adding bass to the mix, a booming bottom line that defines the song within seconds. From there, Meg adds a trademark basic beat before Jack enters with his lyrically mysterious croon-cum-cackle.
When the chorus hits, though, it all goes wild. Nothing about the riff really changes other than the force with which it’s played, the seven note figure blasting from Jack’s custom Valco Airline. The solo takes things stratospheric, the guitar now howling like a demon as Meg pounds away in unison.
The song became a stadium favourite for a reason - it’s simple, catchy, and an unimaginably huge sound for two quirky Detroiters.