10 Greatest Rock Music Cover Songs Of The 2000s
5. I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself - The White Stripes
Dusty Springfield and The White Stripes might not seem like they’d fit together all that well, but it turns out they make a great pair, as demonstrated by this single from 2003.
I Just Don’t Know What to Do with Myself, penned by legendary songwriting pair Burt Bacharach and Hal David and a hit for Springfield in 1964, was the second single released from The White Stripes’ album Elephant. Whilst the original is a sweet croon about Dusty lamenting a lost love, Jack and Meg’s take is… well, it’s different.
Beginning as just a soft guitar riff with occasional percussion accompaniment, the Stripes’ version slowly gains momentum, before launching into a full-on alternative rock number by the end. White’s singing is slow and deliberate, as well as extremely creepy, as the music is almost intentionally off-putting.
It’s as if they went out of their way to make it sound as different from the original as possible.
With their own unique flare, the Stripes turned a bona fide soul classic into a screeching beast of a rocker, which takes some serious skill.