Fact Finder - Music

Fact
The 'Seven Nation Army' Pitch Shift
Category
Music
Subcategory
Hit Songs
Country
United States
Description
The White Stripes' 'Seven Nation Army' features one of the most recognizable riffs in rock history. While it sounds like a bass guitar, the duo actually consisted only of a guitarist (Jack White) and a drummer (Meg White). To achieve the deep, growling sound of the riff, Jack White played a semi-acoustic Kay Hollowbody guitar through a DigiTech Whammy pedal set to an octave down. The song's title was inspired by White's childhood mispronunciation of 'The Salvation Army.' Originally, the riff was just a backup idea White held onto in case he was ever asked to write a James Bond theme. The song has since transcended its indie-rock roots to become a global sporting anthem, chanted in stadiums from the FIFA World Cup to the NFL. Its simplicity—using only seven notes in the main riff—made it universally accessible and culturally immortal.