Ball and Biscuit

"Ball and Biscuit"
Song by the White Stripes
from the album Elephant
ReleasedApril 1, 2003
RecordedApril–May 2002[1]
StudioToe Rag, London
Genre
Length7:19
Label
ComposersJack White, Meg White
LyricistJack White
ProducerJack White

"Ball and Biscuit" is a song by American rock duo the White Stripes from their fourth studio album, Elephant (2003). The eighth track on Elephant, it was written and produced by Jack White and composed by the duo. Musically, "Ball and Biscuit" is a hard rock song with lyrics inspired by the seventh son of a seventh son concept. It is the longest studio recording by the band, lasting over seven minutes.

Recording

"Ball and Biscuit" is the eighth track on Elephant, the fourth studio album by the White Stripes.[2]

Composition

"I don’t really know what happened. We were about to record 'Ball And Biscuit'. All was peaceful and calm when, suddenly, it was as if the devil got into me and I could not hear anything except guitars. Fat, dirty, ear-destroying guitar sounds. It was as if some higher power said to me that now, Jack White, is the time to start playing guitar solos."

–Jack on the story behind "Ball and Biscuit".[3]

"Ball and Biscuit" commits to the structure of traditional 12-bar blues, a three-chord format in which the first line of each verse is repeated and then answered.[4] Its lyrics follow the perspective of a self-purported seventh son as he apparently courts a woman. He mentions that it is quite possible that he is the girl's "third man" and that the girl is ambivalent towards him, but he persistently tries to impress her with his claim to be a seventh son. "My whole vision of the song was a girl passing by and me thinking these things," said Jack.[5]

The Seventh Son is based on the American folk legend version of the belief that the seventh son of a seventh son would be granted supernatural powers, which the character of the song claims to possess in the form of superhuman strength. This may have been inspired by similar folklore in the Blues and derivatives, or by Jack White's own family situation, being the seventh and final son in a family of ten children.[6] The phrase "Ball and Biscuit" refers to the STC Coles 4021 microphone, nicknamed the "Apple and Biscuit" or "Ball and Biscuit" microphone, which was used at Toe Rag Studios during the Elephant recording sessions. [7]

Release

"Ball and Biscuit" was never released as a standalone single, but it was promotionally released in October 2020—ahead of The White Stripes Greatest Hits compilation album—and earned a visualizer in 2023.[8][9][10]

On October 10, 2020, Jack White performed a version of the song on Saturday Night Live after stepping in and replacing Morgan Wallen on short notice.[11]

Reception

"Ball and Biscuit" has generated a significant amount of commentary even though it was never released as a single. In her review of Elephant, Kitty Empire described the song as "...astonishing, with Jack White playing on his knees, his sexual promises punctuated by liquid guitar emissions."[12] In 2011, the Washington Post's David Malitz described the song as "perhaps the White Stripes' definitive statement".[13] It was voted in a 2012 Rolling Stone Reader's Poll to be the greatest Jack White song "by a landslide".[14] In 2025, VICE's Jake Uitti deemed "Ball and Biscuit" the best track on Elephant, the "most perfect" White Stripes song, and wrote that Jack "sounds mature and the band's drummer Meg White is pocket-perfect. She is the key to the band, the secret, the way into the music. Jack with his self-seriousness and Meg with her sharp-yet-daydreaming vibes."[15]

Legacy

"Ball and Biscuit" has been used numerous times in popular culture. It was featured in as the background music for the Captain Morgan advertisement "Glass".[16] It was used in the beginning of the film The Social Network (2010).[17]

Bob Dylan performed the song live at a concert in Detroit, Michigan on March 17, 2004, for which he was joined by White (making a surprise appearance).[18] An audience recording of the performance was briefly made available to stream on the White Stripes' official website in March 2004.[19] A soundboard recording of the performance received an official release as a 7-inch single in the fourth quarter of 2023 via White's Third Man Records.[20]

References

  1. ^ Blackwell, Ben (2023). Elephant UHQR (booklet). Third Man Records.
  2. ^ "Elephant". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  3. ^ True, Everett (August 1, 2004). The White Stripes And The Sound Of Mutant Blues. Omnibus Press. p. 231. ISBN 978-0-85712-211-7.
  4. ^ "Understanding the 12-Bar Blues". PBS. 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  5. ^ True, Everett (March 4, 2010). The White Stripes And The Sound Of Mutant Blues. Omnibus Press. p. 226. ISBN 978-0-85712-211-7.
  6. ^ Des Barres, Pamela (June 22, 2009). "The Seventh Son". Blurt. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
  7. ^ James, Daniel (October 2003). "Liam Watson & Toe Rag Studios". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  8. ^ Monroe, Evan Minsker, Jazz (2020-10-06). "The White Stripes Announce Greatest Hits, Share Live Video". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2024-07-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "The White Stripes Share Archival "Ball and Biscuit," Prep 'Greatest Hits' Compilation". Jambands. 2020-10-08. Retrieved 2024-07-10.
  10. ^ "Music Videos Archives". whitestripes.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  11. ^ Hussey, Allison (October 11, 2020). "Watch Jack White Perform the White Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit" on SNL". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  12. ^ Empire, Kitty (April 13, 2003). "Reds, Whites and blues". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  13. ^ Malitz, David (February 3, 2011). "'The White Stripes belong to you now': Jack and Meg White break up the band". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
  14. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Best Jack White Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  15. ^ Uitti, Jake (February 12, 2025). "The Single Best Song on Every White Stripes Album". Vice. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
  16. ^ "Captain Morgan's "Glass"". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  17. ^ "The Social Network #7 Movie CLIP - Guys That Row Crew (2010) HD". YouTube. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
  18. ^ Attwood, Tony (July 17, 2019). "Why does Dylan like Jack White's "Ball and Biscuit"?". Untold Dylan. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
  19. ^ "Online Performances (bobdylan.com)". Searchingforagem.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
  20. ^ Harrison, Scoop (October 5, 2023). "Jack White to Release Bob Dylan Collaborative Performance of "Ball and Biscuit"". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
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