“Sixteen Saltines” – Jack White
It’s been three years since Jack White appeared on my year-end list. Which is significant because he appeared on my favorites list, one way or another, every year from 2003 to 2009.1
His first solo album, Blunderbuss, is excellent, and it was difficult to pick a track to represent it. In the end I went with the most White Stripes-y song of the bunch.2 This was also a song that garnered White a fair amount of criticism, as some suggested the lyrics were indicative of some serious lady issues by White at best or were anti-woman at worst.
Maybe I’m missing something, but I always hear this as a light hearted, tongue-in-cheek song about the holes men dig for themselves when we get obsessed with a particular lady. “Spiked heels make a hole in a lifeboat”? We put ourselves in that position, fellas. Jack’s just shining a light on the troubles out hormones can get us into.
But he does have some issues, make no mistake. Fortunately he’s turned those issues into great rock ’n’ roll for over a decade.
This video is pretty f-ed up, though.