10 Songs That Changed Rock History
9. Seven Nation Army - The White Stripes
Once the nu metal scene started to die out, it felt like rock didn't have much to be proud of anymore. After all, when the biggest exposure in the public eye is the disaster of Woodstock '99 and the censoring of songs because of 9/11, the genre wasn't really the best topic of conversation anymore. While we did see germs of something coming down the line, Seven Nation Army made us stand up and pay attention again.
That's not to say this is even the greatest White Stripes song. Ever since the days of De Stijl and White Blood Cells, Jack White had already started his vision for stripping things down to rock's bare essentials. The only reason why this one works so well was the power of that riff, which has become iconic at this point. Originally wanting to use it for a James Bond theme, Jack used a fuzzy plug in to simulate a bass on his guitar and led rock into the next generation.
Even people who don't have a clue about rock and roll can probably hum a few bars of this song, becoming a staple of every sporting event the world over for the past decade. Other than the actual riff, this was proof that rock didn't have to be flashy. Keep it simple and keep the focus on the song.