A recent release from artist Jack White with contribution by Ruby Amanfu caught my attention with the simplicity of its instruments and the seemingly contradictory character of its lyrics. “Love Interruption,” for me, is an impressive interpretation of the powerful emotion of love and how much influence it can have over all other emotions and the actions, positive and negative, it can evoke from people. The music in this song is simple and complementary of the powerful lyrics, which I feel is unique and attractive. Here’s the official video:
Jack White performed this song at the 2013 Grammy Awards along with the song, "Freedom at 21", which are both songs on his most recently released album, "Blunderbuss". White's performance was well received; according to an article from the New York Daily News, though he didn't win any awards, sales for "Blunderbuss" showed a 123% increase the week after the event.
According to Wikipedia, White has been a part of many musical projects since the early 1990's; the first of his own being the band, "The White Stripes", started in 1997, in which he sang and played guitar and piano while his (former) wife, Meg White, played the drums. They released six albums and many popular notable songs before ending the band in 2011, including "Seven Nation Army", and "Icky Thump", as shown in the following video:
White also started his own record label, Third Man Records in 2001 and was also the founder of the bands, "The Raconteurs" in 2006 and "The Deadweather" in 2009 . More information on Jack White's extensive and diverse projects, collaborations and achievements can be found at: http://www.pastemagazine.com/blogs/lists/2011/07/awesome-things-about-jack-white.html
"Love Interruption" is vastly different in style from "Icky Thump". First, the role of instruments in each song are opposing; The lyrics are meant to stand out, only complemented by the subtlety of instruments in "Love Interruption", while the use of instruments are much more powerful in "Icky Thump". I listen to "Icky Thump" for the rhythm and "Love Interruption" for the lyrics.
Music is defined by Dictionary.com as "an art of sound in time that expresses ideas and emotions in significant forms through the elements of rhythm, melody, harmony, and color."
The music of "Love Interruption" is faint and the rhythm is almost non-existent, with no drums, these characteristics help to express the seriousness of the topic of the song; love and its sometimes extreme effects on people's other emotions and actions.
I feel that music is important in our culture because it helps us express those ideas and emotions in a new and creative way and also allows us to identify our feelings with those evoked in music and lyrics. As I stated in my introduction, I apply the messages of music to situations in my life; creating a personal soundtrack to my reality and to my dreams. Music also inspires me to create new dreams and goals. I am not alone in this, Psychology Today summarizes that music is used by many people to spur creativity, increase energy levels, and increase motivation.
The lyrics of "Love Interruption" reflect the trend of increasing the expression of emotion in our culture. Today we seem to be more comfortable with expressing our emotions and are encouraged to do so. Emotion, specifically dramatic emotion has become a form of entertainment; the "drama" or sometimes, "reality" genres in movies and television and various music genres are often associated with various emotions. I feel that "Love Interruption" is targeted towards the younger generation, whom are more comfortable with expressing themselves. One stereotype that some people may find offensive in White's song is the generalization that love can lead to pessimism and spite. However each person defines love differently as their experiences differ, so I don't feel that any real judgement can be made about the meaning of the song.
Weaknesses of White's song are the lack of instrumental presence, but audiences who are listening for the lyrics would find this to be a strength. In my opinion, the song is good and memorable because it delivers a clear message. I have not listened to a lot of Jack White's music, but this song caught my attention because of its simplicity and it has inspired me to look into more of his recent releases. In contrast, the music he produced with "The White Stripes" and even a song from his most current album "Freedom at 21" have more of an instrumental presence and are memorable because of that strong presence. Metacritic.com featuring critics from "The Guardian", Billboard.com and "Rolling Stone" give "Blunderbuss" an average rating of 83 out of 100, also noting the intensity of many of the lyrics.
I purchased "Love Interruption" on iTunes a couple of months ago, after looking into more of the history of Jack White and his diverse music career I am planning to purchase the rest of the album and share it with friends whom I feel would find the lyrics meaningful and relevant.
Jack White is a man who has accomplished many things during his music career, he is powerful in presence with his lyrics and instruments, and has become an addition to my personal music collection and will continue to be part of it. Writing this review has inspired me to further research other artists in my personal collection to add to the respect I have for their talent in writing and/or producing music.
