My Sunday Song – “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes

For My Sunday Song #463, we are going to talk the still applicable song today, “Icky Thump” by The White Stripes. Why do I say still applicable today? Well, the song is about immigration and was written back in the George Bush administration in 2007. As you know, immigration is a hot topic today with all the ICE raids and Border Patrol operations (who were recently in Charlotte arresting a lot of people). It is a topic that I don’t see going away anytime soon. The song was released on April 26, 2007 and went to #26 on the Billboard Hot 100 and even #1 on the Alternative Charts going Platinum selling over a 1 million copies. Very successful for sure.

The song was written by Jack and Meg White and they were really having fun this track. The title, ‘Icky Thump’ comes from a Northern English phrase called ‘Ecky Thump’ which are both euphemisms for the word ‘Hell’. I guess that means the song means Hell Hell. Jack is a staunch Democrat and was completely against all the immigration talk back in the day and wanted to remind everyone that the Whites in the U.S. were immigrants at one time too. If they have a problem with immigration they should kick themselves out for that very reason. He was pointing out the hypocrisy of it all. This whole idea of the song is still relevant today.

The song is about a guy that takes a trip to Mexico and has no problems going South into Mexico (unlike those trying to go North into the U.S.). He meets a woman who houses him and feeds him, but she then assaults him and holds him hostage. Which I am sure he greatly deserved. A very weird song lyrically, but the flow is something only Jack White can do.

Musically, it is pure garage rock with lots of distortion. Jack makes his guitar speak a language that is hard to fathom how he does it, In case you are wondering, Jack used a 1959 Univox synth and during the solo he used Zvex Wooly Mammoth and a DigiTech Whammy pedal to get that really cool sound. Meg’s drums were a constant pounding beat like a marching army. It is a rip roaring track that is everything I love about The White Stripes. It is amazing that these two people can make so much incredible music.

Give the song a listen and let me know what you think. I’m not trying to start a discussion around immigration, I simply wanted to highlight a cool track by a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band, rightfully deserved. It is an argument that will not change anyone’s mind no matter what side of the fence you sit on so no point in talking about the wrongs or rights of what is going on now.

“Icky Thump”

Ah, icky thump, who’da thunk?
Sitting drunk on a wagon to Mexico
Ah well, what a chump
Well, my head got a bump when I hit it on the radio
Redhead señorita looking dead
Came and said, “Need a bed?” in Español
I said, “Gimme a drink of water
I’m gonna sing around the collar, and I don’t need a microphone”

Icky thump with a lump in my throat
Grabbed my coat, and I was freaking, I was ready to go
And I swear besides the hair she had one white eye
One blank stare, looking up, lying there
On the stand near her hand was a candy cane
Black rum, sugar cane, dry ice and something strange
La la la la la la la
La la la la la la la

White Americans, what? Nothing better to do
Why don’t you kick yourself out? You’re an immigrant too
Who’s using who? What should we do?
Well, you can’t be a pimp and a prostitute too
Icky thump, handcuffed to a bunk
Robbed blind, looked around, and there was nobody else
Left alone, I hit myself with a stone
Went home and learned how to clean up after myself

Written by Jack White & Meg White