After releasing several singles and three albums within the Detroit independent music underground, The White Stripes rose to prominence in 2002, as part of the garage rock revival scene. Their successful albums White Blood Cells and Elephant drew them attention from a large variety of media outlets in the United States and the United Kingdom.
The White Stripes used a low-fidelity, do-it-yourself approach to writing and recording. Their music features a melding of punk and blues influences and a raw simplicity of composition, arrangement, and performance. The duo is also noted for their fashion and design aesthetic which features a simple color scheme of red, white, and black.
The White Stripes' discography consists of six studio albums, two extended plays (EP), one video album, 26 singles and fourteen music videos. The band has sold approximately 12 million albums worldwide, 2 million in the US alone, and their latest three albums have each won a Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album.
On February 2, 2011, the band announced on their website that they had disbanded.
Official band website: www.whitestripes.com
The Union Forever
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
For there is no true love
It can't be love
For there is no true love
Sure I'm C.F.K.
But you gotta love me
The cost no man can say
But you gotta love me
Well I'm sorry but I'm not
Interested in gold mines,
Oil wells, shipping or real estate
What would I liked to have been?
Everything you hate
'Cause it can't be love
For there is no true love
It can't be love
For there is no true love
There is a man
A certain man
And for the poor you may be sure
That he'll do all he can
Who is this one?
Whose favorite son?
Just by his action has the traction
Magnets on the run
Who likes to smoke?
Enjoys a joke?
And wouldn't get a bit
Upset if he were really broke?
With wealth and fame
He's still the same
I'll bet you five you're not alive
If you don't know his name
You said the union forever
You said the union forever
You cried the union forever
But that was untrue girl
'Cause it can't be love
For there is no true love
It can't be love
For there is no true love
The lyrics of The White Stripes' song The Union Forever have a unique interpretation that can be open to many different possibilities. The opening lines, "It can't be love, for there is no true love" suggest a cynical view of love or perhaps the absence of love entirely. The song immediately goes into Jack White's reference to C.F.K. which is a reference to Charles Foster Kane, the singer of Orson Welles's Citizen Kane. These references to Citizen Kane throughout the song, including the line "You said the union forever, you cried the union forever, but that was untrue girl" suggest that the song is a commentary on the corruption and falsehoods of power and politics.
Jack White goes on to list the things he is not interested in acquiring, such as "gold mines, oil wells, shipping or real estate" and instead claims that he wants to be "everything you hate". This can be interpreted as a desire to rebel against societal expectations and norms, and adopt an alternative way of living. The section discussing the "certain man" is a reference to a character in Citizen Kane, but can also be viewed as a critique of the cult of personality and how easily people can be swayed by those they admire. The song ends on the same cynical note with the refrain "it can't be love, for there is no true love".
Line by Line Meaning
It can't be love
This relationship cannot be defined as love
For there is no true love
Because true love does not exist
Sure I'm C.F.K.
I may be seen as a controversial figure
But you gotta love me
Still, you cannot help but love me
The cost no man can say
The price of loving me cannot be determined
But you gotta love me
Regardless of what it costs, you cannot help but love me
Well I'm sorry but I'm not
I apologize, but I am simply not interested in
Interested in gold mines,
The pursuit of wealth through mining gold,
Oil wells, shipping or real estate
Oil exploration and extraction, shipping, or buying and selling land
What would I liked to have been?
I would have preferred to be
Everything you hate
Everything that you cannot stand
'Cause it can't be love
This relationship cannot be defined as love
For there is no true love
Because true love does not exist
There is a man
There exists a certain individual
A certain man
Specifically, this particular individual
And for the poor you may be sure
I guarantee you that this individual will do everything in his power to help the less fortunate
That he'll do all he can
This individual will do everything in his power
Who is this one?
Who could this be?
Whose favorite son?
Who is beloved by all?
Just by his action has the traction
This individual's actions alone have the ability to gain support and influence
Magnets on the run
Similar to how magnets attract and repel, this individual has a magnetic personality that draws others to him and also causes some to turn away
Who likes to smoke?
What is this individual's preferred habit?
Enjoys a joke?
Does this individual like to have a good laugh?
And wouldn't get a bit
This individual would not be even slightly
Upset if he were really broke?
Unhappy or stressed out if he were to be completely broke financially?
With wealth and fame
Despite having riches and renown
He's still the same
This individual has remained unchanged
I'll bet you five you're not alive
I am so sure of this individual's popularity and name recognition that I will bet that you do not exist if you do not know who he is
If you don't know his name
If you are not aware of who this individual is
You said the union forever
You assured me that our relationship would last forever
You said the union forever
You made the same promise again
You cried the union forever
You passionately declared to me that we would be together forever
But that was untrue girl
But it turned out to be false, my dear
'Cause it can't be love
This relationship cannot be defined as love
For there is no true love
Because true love does not exist
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Peermusic Publishing
Written by: PEPE GUIZAR, JACK WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Robyn
on Candy Cane Children
The meaning of this song is basically saying the older you get, the less fun Christmas becomes usually do to adulthood. The lines "don't you know your name?...", probably refers to the adults telling kids to grow up as if they're saying "Do you know how old you are? You're getting too old for this stuff." Probably why he put the lines "nobody knows how to talk to children". Also, he puts the lines "think again" after a thought of one of the kids thinking of wishing to participate in Christmas activities. As if they're thinking "Yeah I probably AM too old for this.." "364 more tears girl" the sadness of getting older. Not participating feels like a missed opportunity and causes even more sadness..