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
You
The White Stripes Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When pushed and pulled and pressured, you still don't hide
But it's for someone else's benefit, not for what you wanna do
Until I realize that you've realized, I'm gonna say these words to you
Yeah, you don't know what love is, you do as you're told
Just as a child of ten might act, but you're far too old
You're not hopeless or helpless, and I hate to sound cold
I can see a man can't help but win any problems that may arise
But in his mind there can be no sin if you never criticize
You just keep on repeating all those empty "I love yous"
Until you see you deserve better, I'm gonna lay right in to you
Yeah, you don't know what love is, you do as you're told
Just as a child of ten might act, but you're far too old
You're not hopeless or helpless, and I hate to sound cold
But you don't know what love is
No, you don't know what love is
No, you don't know what love is, you just do as you're told
Yeah, do as you're told
Yeah
The White Stripes's song "You" is a scathing critique of someone who has lost their sense of self and individuality in a relationship. The song implies that the person being addressed is putting on a front of being respectable and strong when in reality, they are bending to the will of their partner. The lyrics suggest that the person being addressed is not living life for themselves but for someone else's benefit. The first stanza implies that the person being addressed is only strong and confident when others are pushing and pulling at them to be so. The second stanza suggests that the person is blindly following what their partner wants rather than acting on their own desires. This is highlighted in the line "You're not hopeless or helpless, and I hate to sound cold, but you don't know what love is, you just do as you're told." The lyrics imply that the person being addressed has lost sight of their own identity and is living to please someone else.
The meaning of "You" is further driven home by the repetition of the chorus. The lyrics "Yeah, you don't know what love is, you do as you're told; Just as a child of ten might act, but you're far too old; You're not hopeless or helpless, and I hate to sound cold; But you don't know what love is, you just do as you're told" are repeated multiple times throughout the song. This repetition emphasizes the central message of the song: that the person being addressed has lost their sense of self and is blindly following what their partner wants.
In conclusion, "You" is a powerful song that underscores the importance of maintaining a sense of self in relationships. The lyrics of the song suggest that one should not lose sight of their own identity and should not blindly follow what their partner wants.
Line by Line Meaning
In some respects I suspect you've got a respectable side
I believe you have a good side to you.
When pushed and pulled and pressured, you still don't hide
Even when you are pressured, you remain honest.
But it's for someone else's benefit, not for what you wanna do
However, your honesty is for the benefit of others, not for yourself.
Until I realize that you've realized, I'm gonna say these words to you
Until you recognize your lack of understanding, I will continue to express my thoughts to you.
Yeah, you don't know what love is, you do as you're told
You lack an understanding of love and simply follow instructions.
Just as a child of ten might act, but you're far too old
Your behavior resembles that of a ten-year-old, despite your age.
You're not hopeless or helpless, and I hate to sound cold
However, you are not beyond help or incapable. I hate to be harsh.
I can see a man can't help but win any problems that may arise
I can see that you have the ability to overcome any problem that comes your way.
But in his mind there can be no sin if you never criticize
However, you never see fault in yourself if you are not criticized.
You just keep on repeating all those empty 'I love yous'
You frequently repeat the phrase 'I love you' without any true meaning behind it.
Until you see you deserve better, I'm gonna lay right in to you
Until you recognize that you deserve more, I will continue to be harsh with you.
Yeah, do as you're told
You simply follow orders given to you.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Pam
[Lyrics]
In some respects I suspect
You've got a respectable side
When pushed and pulled and pressured
You seldom run and hide
But it's for someone else's benefit
Not for what you wanna do
Until I realize that you've realized
I'm gonna say these words to you
Yeah, you don't know what love is
You do as you're told
Just as a child at ten might act
But you're far too old
You're not hopeless or helpless
And I hate to sound cold
But you don't know what love is
You just do as you're told
I can see your man can't help but win
Any problems that may arise
But in his mind there can be no sin
If you never criticize
You just keep on repeating
All those empty I love you's
Until you say you deserve better
I'm gonna lay right into you
Yeah, you don't know what love is
You just do as you're told
Just as a child at ten might act
But you're far too old
You're not hopeless or helpless
And I hate to sound cold
But you don't know what love is
No, you don't know what love is
No, you don't know what love is
You just do as you're told
Yeah, you do as you're told, yeah
Eric Foster
This album is filled with absolute bangers.
El Wray
I have discovered "Icky Thumb" for myself way too late and I´ve come to the conclusion, I missed out on what is possibly their best album. And God knows, I love "Elephant" like crazy.
JußtJammin 777
You mean "hits" as us Americans say
Nergal_Slayer
One of their best. They were something special. They don't make them like this anymore.
FF
What are you even talking about? This came out 15 years ago. Chill
Nergal_Slayer
@FF 15 years can be half a life. Can't I live in nostalgia for a second? It's none of your business really.
FF
@Nergal_Slayer I never said you couldn’t be nostalgic? Yikes, screw your business. “They don’t make them like this anymore” sounds ignorant as hell. Don’t be that person
Michael Pordan
nor they did before
LittleLady Angel
The thing about Meg is this, any time you see her (in interviews, music videos, etc..) out from behind the drums she's this shy, innocent and awkwardly cute girl, behind a drum set she turns into instant sexual energy, I don't think anyone else can possibly pull that off! She is amazing and beautiful and talented. (I'm a girl and I totally envy you meg! <3 )
Ana Tarte
12 years later.....i love this band and jack....I was really sad when they separated.
But yes I totally agree. The way she looks at him....pure fire. I thinks the chemistry between them was unique. From all the girlfriends I see them have a special bond. I love that Jack admirr women and respect them , you see his videos and you can tell he is a gentleman.