Icky Thump (3:46)
1,581,962 plays (268,475 listeners)
“Icky Thump” is a Grammy Award-winning song recorded by the American alternative rock band The White Stripes. Written by Jack White, it is the first single released from Icky Thump.
The name of the track comes from the Northern England exclamation “Ecky Thump,” roughly meaning “what the heck?” The title was then changed to “Icky” so that “teenagers would understand it better back in America,” in the same way Led Zeppelin took out the “a” so Americans wouldn’t call them ‘Lead Zeppelin’ (pronounced ‘leed’)” . The phrase was popularized in an episode of The Goodies.
Though grounded to a greater degree than the Get Behind Me Satan singles in straightforward garage rock, the song differed radically from previous White Stripes singles in its unusual construction: angular tempo-changes, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and chaotic improvised snake-charming solos, played on a Univox synthesizer.
The song deals with the topic of immigration [7]. The song itself seems to criticize the current immigration policy, something seen also in the video. It is thus the first political White Stripes track since “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” off The White Stripes.
The lyrics talk about someone (perhaps Jack White himself) taking a trip to Mexico in a wagon, easily crossing the border to Mexico, as opposed to the difficulties illegal Mexican immigrants face while crossing northwards. It then mentions a Mexican lady giving him a bed to sleep in, then tying him up and holding him hostage. When finally able to escape, White decides to start doing his own house chores (referring, most likely, to the hiring of illegal immigrants as very low paid house servants).
The name of the track comes from the Northern England exclamation “Ecky Thump,” roughly meaning “what the heck?” The title was then changed to “Icky” so that “teenagers would understand it better back in America,” in the same way Led Zeppelin took out the “a” so Americans wouldn’t call them ‘Lead Zeppelin’ (pronounced ‘leed’)” . The phrase was popularized in an episode of The Goodies.
Though grounded to a greater degree than the Get Behind Me Satan singles in straightforward garage rock, the song differed radically from previous White Stripes singles in its unusual construction: angular tempo-changes, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, and chaotic improvised snake-charming solos, played on a Univox synthesizer.
The song deals with the topic of immigration [7]. The song itself seems to criticize the current immigration policy, something seen also in the video. It is thus the first political White Stripes track since “The Big Three Killed My Baby,” off The White Stripes.
The lyrics talk about someone (perhaps Jack White himself) taking a trip to Mexico in a wagon, easily crossing the border to Mexico, as opposed to the difficulties illegal Mexican immigrants face while crossing northwards. It then mentions a Mexican lady giving him a bed to sleep in, then tying him up and holding him hostage. When finally able to escape, White decides to start doing his own house chores (referring, most likely, to the hiring of illegal immigrants as very low paid house servants).
Video
Added by mojodylan
White Stripes at the O2 festival London. Big screen version of Icky Thump
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Albums featuring this track
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Icky Thump
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Shouts
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ACDCfuckinrocks wrote:
I love it. Our immigration system needs to be fixed,now.
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alvareo wrote:
Awesome.
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BuriedMyHero wrote:
Hellyea!!
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JanisKaroline wrote:
echt gute musik,die die beiden da machen!!!!!
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smooveman wrote:
juhu
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fixthegreat wrote:
The whitestripes are ok but they are somewhat overrated. I like Jack White solo better
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Micky89 wrote:
Crazy Stuff! OO
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bibi_ist_indie wrote:
like it!°
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alaska_s wrote:
thats not the album version
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cherry93x wrote:
very good track I'm surprised I heard it at my friend's house and couldn't forget it
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Jellypop1 wrote:
it is a good song and that guitar riff is great.., but it is a little bit anoying with all those sounds that keep repiting over and over agian... [2]
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bilgee0629 wrote:
fantasting band!!! www.suntheme.blogspot.com
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DrHouse8888 wrote:
very nice !!!
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tom121180 wrote:
well, this is a fu***** good song..
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canuckx wrote:
well you can't be a pimp and a prostitute too.
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TheOnlyRoc wrote:
I was surprised this song actually gets radio play. this is too good for the radio.
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Strider47 wrote:
F*cking awesome track!
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bigoune wrote:
frakkin awesome album
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Lilientiger wrote:
Love love love love them!!
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Roy_McLure wrote:
LOVE IT!
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Recent Activity
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kingofrock28 and Final_Starman loved The White Stripes – Icky Thump. 1 hour ago
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kingofrock28 added Icky Thump to kingofrock28’s library. 1 hour ago
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kingofrock28 added Icky Thump to the playlist. 1 hour ago
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LuisAGarcia and xSub21x loved The White Stripes – Icky Thump. 3 hours ago
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Ronstermint added Icky Thump to the playlist. yesterday evening
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Ronstermint, Orbitlynx, Monocranium and 4 other people loved The White Stripes – Icky Thump. yesterday evening
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Koxta23 added Icky Thump to Koxta23’s library. yesterday morning
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Koxta23 added Icky Thump to the playlist. yesterday morning
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auburnautumn tagged Icky Thump with ‘music for the revolution’. yesterday morning
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LexiFSAS wrote about Icky Thump in New Opinions of Last.fm's Top 50. yesterday morning
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