Ball and Biscuit

2003 song by The White Stripes

"Ball and Biscuit"

Song by The White Stripes
from the album  Elephant
Released| April 1, 2003
Recorded| April–May 2002[1]
Studio| Toe Rag, London
Genre|

* Blues rock
* hard rock

Length| 7:19
Label|

* V2
* XL
* Third Man

Composer(s)| Jack White, Meg White
Lyricist(s)| Jack White
Producer(s)| Jack White

"Ball and Biscuit" is the eighth track on the album Elephant by American alternative rock band The White Stripes.[2] At over 7 minutes long, it is the longest studio recording by the band.

## Composition

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Elephant (album).

"Ball and Biscuit" commits to the structure of traditional 12-bar blues, a three-chord format in which the first line of each verse is repeated and then answered.[3] Its lyrics follow the perspective of a self-purported seventh son as he apparently courts a woman. He mentions that it is quite possible that he is the girl's "third man" and that the girl is ambivalent towards him, but he persistently tries to impress her with his claim to be a seventh son.

The Seventh Son is based on the American folk legend version of the belief that the seventh son of a seventh son would be granted supernatural powers, which the character of the song claims to possess in the form of superhuman strength. A recollection of similar folklore is frequently found in the Blues and derivatives; notably, Willie Dixon sang a blues song entitled "The Seventh Son". Additionally, the use of the Seventh Son may have been inspired by Jack White's own family situation, being the seventh and final son in a family of nine children.[4] The title could refer to the STC Coles 4021 "Ball and Biscuit" microphone that was used at Toe Rag Studios during the Elephant recording sessions.[5]

## Reception

[edit]

"Ball and Biscuit" has generated a significant amount of commentary even though it was never released as a single. It was, however, voted in a Rolling Stone Reader's Poll to be the greatest Jack White song "by a landslide".[6] In her review of Elephant, Kitty Empire described the song as "...astonishing, with Jack White playing on his knees, his sexual promises punctuated by liquid guitar emissions."[7] In 2011, the Washington Post's David Malitz described the song as "perhaps the White Stripes' definitive statement."[8] In 2025, VICE's Jake Uitti deemed "Ball and Biscuit" the best track on Elephant, the "most perfect" White Stripes song, and wrote, "(Jack) White sounds mature and the band's drummer Meg White is pocket-perfect. She is the key to the band, the secret, the way into the music. Jack with his self-seriousness and Meg with her sharp-yet-daydreaming vibes."[9]

"Ball and Biscuit" has been used numerous times in popular culture. It was featured in as the background music for the Captain Morgan advertisement "Glass".[10] It was used in the beginning of the film The Social Network (2010).[11]

On October 10, 2020, Jack White performed a version of the song on Saturday Night Live after stepping in and replacing Morgan Wallen on short notice.[12]

## Bob Dylan version

[edit]

Bob Dylan performed the song live at a concert in Detroit, Michigan on March 17, 2004, for which he was joined by White (making a surprise appearance).[13] An audience recording of the performance was briefly made available to stream on The White Stripes' official website in March 2004.[14] A soundboard recording of the performance received an official release as a 7-inch single in the fourth quarter of 2023 via White's Third Man Records.[15]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Blackwell, Ben (2023). Elephant UHQR (booklet). Third Man Records.
2. ^ "Elephant". AllMusic. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
3. ^ "Understanding the 12-Bar Blues". PBS. 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2025. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
4. ^ Des Barres, Pamela (June 22, 2009). "The Seventh Son". Blurt. Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
5. ^ James, Daniel (October 2003). "Liam Watson & Toe Rag Studios". Sound on Sound. Archived from the original on January 22, 2025. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
6. ^ "Readers' Poll: The Best Jack White Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 11, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
7. ^ Empire, Kitty (April 13, 2003). "Reds, Whites and blues". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
8. ^ Malitz, David (February 3, 2011). "'The White Stripes belong to you now': Jack and Meg White break up the band". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 9, 2017.
9. ^ Uitti, Jake (February 12, 2025). "The Single Best Song on Every White Stripes Album". Vice. Retrieved March 14, 2025.
10. ^ "Captain Morgan's "Glass"". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
11. ^ "The Social Network #7 Movie CLIP - Guys That Row Crew (2010) HD". YouTube. 31 May 2011. Retrieved 2021-06-01.
12. ^ Hussey, Allison (October 11, 2020). "Watch Jack White Perform the White Stripes' "Ball and Biscuit" on SNL". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on January 22, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
13. ^ Attwood, Tony (July 17, 2019). "Why does Dylan like Jack White's "Ball and Biscuit"?". Untold Dylan. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
14. ^ "Online Performances (bobdylan.com)". Searchingforagem.com. Retrieved March 6, 2021.
15. ^ Harrison, Scoop (October 5, 2023). "Jack White to Release Bob Dylan Collaborative Performance of "Ball and Biscuit"". Consequence. Archived from the original on December 7, 2024. Retrieved October 6, 2023.

* v
* t
* e

The White Stripes

* Jack White
* Meg White

Studio albums|

* The White Stripes (1999)
* De Stijl (2000)
* White Blood Cells (2001)
* Elephant (2003)
* Get Behind Me Satan (2005)
* Icky Thump (2007)

Live albums|

* Under Great White Northern Lights

Compilation albums|

* The White Stripes Greatest Hits

Video albums|

* Under Blackpool Lights
* Under Great White Northern Lights / Under Nova Scotian Lights

Singles|

* "Let's Shake Hands"
* "Lafayette Blues"
* "The Big Three Killed My Baby"
* "Hand Springs"
* "Hello Operator"
* "Lord, Send Me an Angel"
* "Party of Special Things to Do"
* "Hotel Yorba"
* "Fell in Love with a Girl"
* "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground"
* "We're Going to Be Friends"
* "Candy Cane Children"
* "Seven Nation Army"
* "I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself"
* "The Hardest Button to Button"
* "There's No Home for You Here"
* "Jolene (Live Under Blackpool Lights)"
* "Blue Orchid"
* "My Doorbell"
* "The Denial Twist"
* "Icky Thump"
* "Rag and Bone"
* "You Don't Know What Love Is (You Just Do as You're Told)"
* "Conquest"

Other songs|

* "Ball and Biscuit"
* "In the Cold, Cold Night"
* "300 M.P.H. Torrential Outpour Blues"

Related articles|

* Discography
* Songs
* Awards and nominations
* The Raconteurs
* The Dead Weather
* The Upholsterers
* The Go
* Two-Star Tabernacle
* Aluminium
* Third Man Records

* Category

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