“You got a reaction,” proclaims the opening lyric of “Blue Orchid” by the White Stripes, and the song makes good on that promise. Based around a punishing octave riff courtesy of Jack White and buoyed by Meg White’s boisterous beat, the track is a highlight of the duo’s catalog. “Blue Orchid” also points to the theatrical persona the guitarist would later cultivate as a solo artist. Read about this aughts alternative classic and learn how to get its sound with the BOSS Katana.
About the Song
Enigmatic to the core, the White Stripes drenched the release of “Blue Orchid” in layers of mystery. As a whole, the group’s fifth album, Get Behind Me Satan, was rife with new instrumentation and an experimental bent. True to form, even the single’s packaging was mysterious. The band released three versions, all with different images of subjects in White Stripes garb—only one of which was the group.
Despite the album’s new vibe, the heave-ho of “Blue Orchid” pointed to the group’s garage rock history and calcified the collection. Jack admitted as much to NPR, claiming it “saved” the record with its 11th-hour arrival. “Everything was going wrong. It seemed like it was cursed left and right,” he told interviewer Terry Gross. “That riff came out in the middle of recording, and I wrote that song. It turned everything around.”
"The heave-ho of 'Blue Orchid' pointed to the group's garage rock history and calcified the collection."
Breaking it Down
Jack based the thick riff at the center of “Blue Orchid” around the G minor pentatonic scale, layering the recording with a slew of effects. Like much of the White Stripes’ material, the minimalist arrangement gives “Blue Orchid” its personality. Where others would add, this duo eliminates, allowing the empty spaces in the riff to do the bulk of the work. In this case, the octave effect gives the impression of a bass when there is none—an “icky thump,” to namecheck the duo’s 2007 opus.
After an oscillating intro, the guitar and Meg’s insistent kick drum transport the listener into the group’s two-toned universe. Jack’s disembodied falsetto begins the dialogue, weaving around the burly guitar part. The song introduces no new sections, only a subtle shift in the riff as Jack taunts, “How dare you? How old are you now anyway?”
"Where others would add, this duo eliminates, allowing the empty spaces in the riff to do the bulk of the work."
Learn the Licks
In a video on the Marty Music channel, Marty Schwartz teaches the song and how to manipulate its wild octave tone. Using a patch for BOSS Katana that emulates the barely contained sound, the teacher walks through the parts in his down-to-earth style.
Schwartz finishes the lesson with a bluesy flourish that hints at the sound’s other potential applications. A canny comment mentions that the patch works great for “Space Truckin'” by Deep Purple. Similarly, it takes little to imagine hours of Tom Morello-inspired hijinks. Download the “White Orchids” patch and plumb the depths of this unorthodox tone.
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"White Orchids" Patch for BOSS Katana
- In the style of “Blue Orchid” by the White Stripes
- Uses Heavy Octave effect to emulate guitar sound
