How and why The White Stripes‘ 2003 single “Seven Nation Army” became the anthemic chant across multiple sports worldwide can be traced back to a few months after its release. The opening track on The White Stripes’ fourth album Elephant, “Seven Nation Army” was already an international hit, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart, topping the UK indie chart, and reaching the top 10 in several other countries.
Videos by American Songwriter
[RELATED: 3 Songs You Didn’t Know Jack White Wrote for Other Artists]
“Seven Nation Army” was instantly addictive, not for its lyrics, per se, but for Jack White‘s repetitious riff and treading march of Meg White’s drums. The pulsating drum-and-guitar combo made up for the lack of bass and turned “Seven Nation Army” into a go-to chant among sports audiences chanting “oh” or the name of the athlete scoring along to the guitar riff.
Today, “Seven Nation Army” keeps blaring through arenas worldwide during NFL, soccer, and other sports games.
Where It All Began
Shortly after the release of Elephant, “Seven Nation Army” started popping up in audience chants overseas, specifically during international soccer matches. The earliest trace of the song appeared during the Champions League soccer match between AC Milan (Italy) and Club Brugge KV (Belgium) in October 2003.
The audience chanted along to “Seven Nation Army,” and continued when Andrés Mendoza scored a goal and when Club Brugge KV won. The song was so popular that it became the Belgian team’s unofficial theme song.
“Seven Nation Army” resurfaced again during the World Cup win for Italy in 2006 and was also used as a walkout song for the teams during the 2008 UEFA European Football Championship. The song stuck around throughout the years and was played whenever a goal was scored.
Today, “Seven Nation Army” has become ubiquitous in sports worldwide, serving as a theme song for teams and events, including the 2018 FIFA World Cup. T
‘From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell’
Named after what White would call the Salvation Army as a child, “Seven Nation Army” started piecing together after he came up with the riff at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, while on tour in Australia. White thought the riff was the beginning of the perfect James Bond theme song before turning it into a song for The White Stripes. (He eventually wrote and produced the 007 theme song, “Another Way to Die,” and performed it with Alicia Keys for the 2008 James Bond film Quantum of Solace.)
By the time White worked through the lyrics of “Seven Nation Army,” the song started revolving around gossip and the spreading of lies, including stories about who he and his ex-wife, drummer Meg White, were dating.
I’m gonna fight ’em off
A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back
They’re gonna rip it off
Takin’ their time right behind my back
And I’m talkin’ to myself at night
Because I can’t forget
Back and forth through my mind
Behind a cigarette
And the message comin’ from my eyes
Says, “Leave it alone”
Don’t wanna hear about it
Every single one’s got a story to tell
Everyone knows about it
From the Queen of England to the Hounds of Hell
And if I catch it comin’ back my way
I’m gonna serve it to you
And that ain’t what you want to hear
But that’s what I’ll do
A Grammy and a Legacy
At first, the band’s labels in the U.S. and UK also didn’t consider “Seven Nation Army” as a worthy single and wanted the duo to release the Elephant track “There’s No Room For You Here” instead. “Can you imagine not putting ‘Seven Nation Army’ out as a single,” said White to the UK station Radio X in 2010.
In 2004, “Seven Nation Army” won a Grammy for Best Rock Song.
When it comes to the song, said White reflecting on the spread of “Seven Nation Army” throughout the years, its meaning and its feel have usurped its lyrics. “I think some person in music said they thought it was the biggest multicultural hit of all time because there’s no words, that they’re chanting a melody and there’s no need to know the language or to know the words of the song,” said White. “So that kind of gets up there with the ‘Na Na Na Na’ from [The Beatles’] ‘Hey Jude’ or something like that where you don’t need to know any different languages.
White added, “It’s the language of music across the board and that sort of becomes folk music at that point. Who could ask for more than that as a songwriter?”
Photo: Stephen Lovekin/WireImage
