This is the best song from Jack White’s 2014 Lazaretto album, and it was the centerpiece of the show last time I saw him play. It’s mostly acoustic, thus has to stand on its own sans bombastic guitar flourishes. Don’t get me wrong, I like Jack’s bombastics, but it’s good to let a song speak for itself, and Temporary Ground has a lot to say.
Gosh, I do seem to write about Jack White a lot; in particular about his recent recordings and a recent concert. Here’s why: He shares a lot of my ideas about how songs should be written, how rock&roll ought to be played, and how to record it. Also, he’s like thirty years younger than me, so I anticipate him providing part of my minimum required electric-music dosage into my grave.
Back to the song, which is a lilting melodic number; recent performances have featured acoustic violin and pedal-steel guitar, but it’s perfectly possible that the next time Jack goes out on the road, he’ll package it up as a guitar anthem or a-capella chant, he’s like that. The lyrics don’t add up to much but have some phrases that sound good floating over the acoustic backdrop.
This is part of the Song of the Day series (background).
Links · Spotify, Amazon, iTunes, live video - strong camera work and with his tiny perfect violinist, intimate studio take, good live sound.
