In the documentary It Might Get Loud, Jack White is shown putting a record on a turntable. He sits, listening intently, as we hear Son House’s “Grinnin’ in Your Face.” After a few bars the camera zooms in on the record cover and we hear Jack’s voiceover: “By the time I was about 18, somebody played me Son House. That was it for me.”
He elaborates that the song has been his favorite since the first time he heard it, and he was taken in by the simplicity of the music. “I didn’t know that you could do that, just singing and clapping.”
The White Stripes will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this weekend, in part because because they inspired so many bands, but also because they also wore their inspirations on their sleeve. Their most famous cover is their take on Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, but Son House has featured prominently in the White Stripes and Jack White’s solo catalogues, including “Grinnin’ in Your Face,” “Death Letter,” and “John the Revelator.” The last of these, itself a cover of Blind Willie Johnson, appears on the same Son House album White plays in the documentary and also features only voice and clapping.
“John the Revelator” first appears in the White Stripes catalog on their self-titled debut, tucked into the explosive “Cannon,” providing a counterpoint to the heavy, crashing drums and riffs preceding it. It’s still an electrified and galloping version of the original, but tucked in between the heavier White Stripes song, it provides a respite. It’s a nice nod to the man who Jack says “meant everything” and it’s an interesting cover. But it would be another four years before the song reached its zenith.
In 2003, the White Stripes released their fourth album in five years. Although they had made a name for themselves on alt-rock radio with 2001’s White Blood Cells, Elephant was their true breakthrough, thanks in large part to “Seven Nation Army,” still their most streamed song and one now regularly heard chanted in sports arenas across the globe. In April 2003, the band was invited by Conan O’Brien for a residency on his late night show for a full week. They played their new hits as well as “Jolene,” but on Friday, April 25th, they went back to their sophomore album for inspiration and unleashed one of the greatest performances in tv history.
“Let’s Build a Home” is a blistering minute and a half-long song that’s pure garage rock. As the Conan performance gets going, the energy feels incredibly high as Jack launches into the two chord riff, letting out a wild-man welp followed by Meg White entering on drums. Jack’s repeated “woo” in the chorus feels unhinged, but is only a taste of what’s to come, as his performance includes standing on Meg’s kick drum as well as singing to the floor during the solo. We’re about a minute into the performance and already it’s clear something electric is happening with these two. Jack is a ball of lightning while Meg is on the kit vibing and grooving. “Let’s Build a Home” ends and Jack transitions to the next song, a cover of “Goin’ Back to Memphis.” The song is often misattributed to the Soledad Brothers, who were signed to Jack’s label, but the song was first released by an earlier iteration of the band, Henry and June.
This feature could expand to be Two Great Covers, but considering the obscurity of the source material it’s unlikely anyone’s heard any cover of “Goin’ Back to Memphis” prior to the Stripes version. In their Conan performance, the bluesy walking guitar line provides a brief resting moment as Jack takes a breather. It’s not long though before he’s amping back up, screaming “YES MA’AM” more and more insistently as Meg’s drumming crescendos and Jack again furiously mashes his guitar for another wicked solo.
“Alright Meg… we got one chance left” he begs as he walks back to the drum kit. We again see the power in this duo: Jack is all over the place, virtuosic, a spastic ringleader; Meg, following his lead but providing the steady backbone to give structure to the otherwise chaotic jumble. As the song approaches yet another solo, Jack wanders off stage to Conan’s desk sitting in the dark. The camera swings to follow, accidentally catching another camera in frame and the lights hastily come up. This feels unplanned for the Conan crew as Jack lays his guitar across the desk and plays his slide like a pedal steel guitar, jabbing at the pickups with his pick. As he finishes the solo and picks up his guitar he steps on the cable and disconnects it. The snarling feedback is silenced and we hear only Meg keeping time as Jack throws his guitar to the ground.
That’s it, right? Performance is over? Meg starts to hit a few outro crashes but as Jack steps into her view she picks the beat back up. Was “John the Revelator” on the set list? Or did Jack realize that with nothing but singing and drums that he could finish with the Son House tune? They’ve played the combination of “Let’s Build a Home” into “Goin’ Back to Memphis” live many times, but in the other performances it appears that after the final solo Jack and Meg have an epic rock and roll breakdown for an outro. In any case, the final addition here feels impromptu, but Meg and Jack make this shift as naturally and in sync as a single musician. Jack leans forward with an exaggerated step, as he sets or maybe tries to find the beat, and he grabs the mic. For the next 16 seconds, we get Jack shouting the lyrics while Meg drums, both appearing to be in an absolute flow state. When the camera cuts to Meg’s face, mouthing the words Jack is singing, she looks like a woman possessed. Finishing the song, Jack throws down the microphone with a final “YES MA’AM!” He wanders around the stage, too amped up to focus on Conan who has returned to the stage.
That 16 seconds played as a standalone clip would hardly be worth listening to, but, in context, it’s the all-time greatest cover of “John the Revelator,” full of the chaos surrounding this performance, full of the influence of Son House, and full of the history of making music and art. The White Stripes show in this performance what made them so unstoppable as a duo.
“I didn’t know that you could do that.” It’s a suitable line for the performance that’s just been witnessed.
Follow our complete Rock and Roll Hall of Fame series here! All week long we’ll be sharing covers by/of every artist inducted: Cyndi Lauper, Chubby Checker, Joe Cocker, The White Stripes, Salt n Pepa, Bad Company, Soundgarden, and Warren Zevon!
