4 Songs That Proved the White Stripes Were Rock’s Last Great Duo

Were The White Stripes the last great rock duo? That’s entirely debatable. However, they’re definitely up there with the greats, especially in the garage rock world. Let’s look at a few songs from The White Stripes’ discography that point toward them being the last great duo of garage rock!

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1. “Seven Nation Army”

We couldn’t leave this legendary anthem off of our list. This song has become a shoo-in stadium song for a reason. It’s unbelievably catchy, bursting at the seams with energy, and has a beat that can’t be… well, beat. All without a chorus, too! “Seven Nation Army” is simply on another level, and plenty of bands during the garage rock revival movement tried to replicate its vibe and failed.

2. “Fell In Love With A Girl”

The White Stripes may have been rock’s last great duo simply because they knew how to slam together a hit song in less than two minutes. There’s no buildup in “Fell In Love With A Girl”, nor do you need any patience to appreciate it. The song is under two minutes of explosive, uptempo alt-rock goodness, and it’s not surprising that it was the first White Stripes tune to make it to the US Modern Rock Tracks chart in 2002.

3. “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)”

This was the song that proved The White Stripes could incorporate virtually any genre into their sound, including country. “You Don’t Know What Love Is (You Just Do As You’re Told)” is a country-rock delight with, once again, one of the most memorable guitar melodies ever. The Eagles could cover this tune and not do as solid of a job as the Whites.

4. “The Hardest Button To Button”

There were rumors for a hot minute that The White Stripes had a secret bassist. That wasn’t the case, obviously, but “The Hardest Button To Button” only added fuel to the fire. The White Stripes were likely the last great rock duo because they were unique masters of their respective instruments. How many bands out there deal with accusations of having a secret member solely because their guitarist is just too good?

Photo by Frank Mullen/WireImage

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