Deep Thoughts: Jim H on "Blue Orchid"
The White Stripes: "Blue Orchid"
Mr. White has described the new album "Get Behind Me, Satan", partly, as an exploration of "the ideal of truth." The blue orchid is the unachievable ideal of orchid breeders. Scientists believe it can not be achieved without serious genetic engineering to speed up the mutations. So, of course, scientists and certain breeders are trying to do exactly that. Why? Because they can.
Jack (and Meg, I assume) doesn't like this ("how dare you") as it goes against his ideal of truth: "you're given a flower/but I guess there's no pleasing you." But he's also talking about his own work and describing why he makes music the way he does. The word "reaction" in the song itself recalls Count Five's "Psychotic Reaction", an "ideal" among garage rock enthusiasts. Perhaps he is talking directly to other contemporary so-called "garage" bands who are leaving a "sour taste" on the lips. Perhaps he's also responding to critics who put great value on artist's "evolving" (The White Stripes evolve but on their own terms) and his recording label who may be balking at the non-commercial aspects of The White Stripes ("You're given a flower / but I guess there's no pleasing you"). He then warns that he isn't "just teasing you", he's deadly serious about the artistic direction he wants to take. In fact, it's interesting that they sing at the end "get behind me" since the title of the album is Get Behind Me Satan. Is the demon Jack is wrestling with being defined here?
In the cover for the single, the band uses "stand-ins" (above) for what is a recreation of the supposed cover photo for the new album, "Get Behind Me Satan". This again reflect the disdain towards bands and labels that they see as phonies who might as well hire stand-ins to do their music (and maybe some of them do). I have seen another version of this picture in which a white orchid is placed at the bottom which I think is a better photo for this single. This seems more appropriate than what I found on Amazon as the white orchid on a single entitled "Blue Orchid" is an elegant middle finger at "Satan"...
Links::
- A (not typical) thoughtless review of this track from Pitchfork
- The song is available for download (99 cents) at iTunes & probably elsewhere
- Developed from comments previous made on escape grace
posted by Jim H @ 8:40 AM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Something else to consider is that people who have heard the entire album (it was played in England to an audience of rock crits, apparently) have said the other cuts don't sound at all like "Blue Orchid"... so chew on that.
And there I was hoping it was going to be a tribute to Martin Bramah...
That's right - I never thought of that connection. Fuck me.
I think you give Jack WAY too much credit by reading WAY too much into his lyrics. I have news for you - he's just stringing shit together. There may be some thoughts there, but he's not much of a lyricist.
Surprise!
Hey, I didn't really believe there was a Martin Bramah connection.
There's a grain of truth in what you say and I don't think that the notion that he is "stringing shit together" - I think his songs start wtih the riff and maybe a little melody and then the lyrics are "fitted" into the song unlike, say, the way John Darinelle seems to do it. But I do stand by my intepretation of what he means by the blue orchid and what he's saying about The White Stripes and others with this song. I don't think there is "WAY" too much being read into the lyrics.
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