Blue Orchid

"Blue Orchid" is the first track by the American alternative rock band the White Stripes from their album Get Behind Me Satan, and the first single to be released from the album. The song was released six weeks after it was written.[1] Although it was suspected that Jack White wrote the song about his breakup with Renée Zellweger, he has denied this claim. Lyrically, "Blue Orchid" is about White's longing for classical entertainment industries and the turmoil that the newer industries sent him through.[3]

For other uses, see Blue Orchid (disambiguation).

"Blue Orchid"
Single by the White Stripes
from the album Get Behind Me Satan
B-side"The Nurse"
WrittenEarly 2005[1]
ReleasedApril 18, 2005 (2005-04-18)
StudioThird Man (Detroit, Michigan)[2]
Genre
Length2:37
Label
Songwriter(s)Jack White
Producer(s)Jack White
The White Stripes singles chronology
"Jolene (Live Under Blackpool Lights)"
(2004)		 "Blue Orchid"
(2005)		 "My Doorbell"
(2005)
Music video
"Blue Orchid" on YouTube

"Blue Orchid" was released to US rock radio on April 18, 2005. Commercially, the song topped the Canadian Singles Chart in June 2005 and reached the top 10 in the United Kingdom, peaking at number nine on the UK Singles Chart the same month. In the United States, the song reached number 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number seven on the Modern Rock Tracks chart. Elsewhere, the song was a top-twenty hit in Denmark and Norway. The music video, directed by Floria Sigismondi, was ranked number 21 on Yahoo!'s list of the "Top 25 Spookiest Videos" in 2005.

Background

The recorded sound is produced by playing a guitar into an Electro-Harmonix creation, the Polyphonic Octave Generator (POG). Live, the sound is produced by a bass-rich guitar tone, used in combination with Whammy Pedal and the POG to create the heavily metallic sounding breaks of the song ("How dare you, how old are you now anyway" and "get behind me, get behind me now anyway").[4]

The single comes in three editions, each with different additional tracks. All three covers feature two people dressed up as the White Stripes, but are noticeably different people. The first CD and the 7-inch feature the couple in the same order as Get Behind Me Satan, with "Jack" on the right. The second CD version features "Jack" on the left.

In an NPR interview, Jack White referred to "Blue Orchid" as the song that saved the album.[5] He has denied that the song relates to the ending of his relationship with Renée Zellweger.[3]

Music video

The video for "Blue Orchid" was ranked on Yahoo!'s "Top 25 Spookiest Videos" ranking in 2005, charting at number 21.[6] It features Karen Elson, a model who would marry Jack White soon after the shoot. The video, which was directed by Floria Sigismondi, ends with a horse, its hooves raised in the air, about to stomp on Elson, but just before the hooves land on her, the video quickly goes black, ending.

Track listings

Charts

Certifications
Region CertificationCertified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[27] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history
Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States April 18, 2005
V2 [28]
Australia May 30, 2005
  • 7-inch vinyl
  • CD
 XL [29]
United Kingdom [30]

Covers and remixes

"Blue Orchid" has been remixed by High Contrast on the album Fabric Live 25. It is the first track on the second disc of the album. It features the main guitar riff accompanied by a largely drum and bass inspired backing beat. The vocals from the song, "You took a white orchid, you took a white orchid and turned it blue" are repeated at various points throughout the track.

The song is used as the theme song for the Australian Radio Show Wil & Lehmo on Triple M; it is also used briefly in the trailer for the 2008 documentary It Might Get Loud, in which Jack White features with other musical artists The Edge and Jimmy Page. The song can also be heard in the movie, The Green Hornet, which is directed by Michel Gondry who also directed many other music videos for the White Stripes. Part of the song is also played in the second episode of Forces of Nature, a 2016 science documentary series aired on BBC One. The song was also briefly used in the Hulu miniseries adaption of Looking for Alaska.

The song is also playable in the music video game Guitar Hero 5.[31]

The song is featured in the trailer for the fifth season of the animated comedy Rick and Morty.

References
  1. Kohn, Daniel (December 3, 2020). "Archivist Ben Blackwell Reveals the Stories Behind Their Greatest Hits". SPIN. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  2. Perez, Rodrigo (April 12, 2005). "White Stripes Dancing with the Devil? We'll Find Out June 7". MTV. Retrieved September 17, 2023.
  3. Benson, Ian (June 30, 2015). "Jack White's Oddball Masterpiece: The White Stripes' Last Real Hurrah". Alternative Press. Retrieved September 23, 2020.
  4. "Big Muff Users and Their Pedal Boards". Kitrae.net. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  5. "A White-Striped Trip: 'Get Behind Me Satan'". Npr.org. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  6. "Top 25 Spookiest Videos". Yahoo!. 2005. Archived from the original on October 26, 2005. Retrieved June 20, 2022.
  7. Blue Orchid (US 7-inch single sleeve). The White Stripes. V2 Records. 2005. 63881-27832-7.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  8. Blue Orchid (UK 7-inch single sleeve). The White Stripes. XL Recordings. 2005. XLS 216.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  9. Blue Orchid (US maxi-CD single liner notes). The White Stripes. V2 Records, Third Man Records. 2005. 63881-27833-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. Blue Orchid (UK CD1 liner notes). The White Stripes. XL Recordings, Third Man Records. 2005. XLS 216CD1.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. Blue Orchid (UK CD2 liner notes). The White Stripes. XL Recordings. 2005. XLS 216CD2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. "Issue 798" ARIA Top 100 Singles. National Library of Australia. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  13. "The White Stripes Chart History (Canadian Digital Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  14. "R&R Canada Rock Top 30" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1613. July 1, 2005. p. 57. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
  15. "The White Stripes – Blue Orchid". Tracklisten. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  16. "The White Stripes – Blue Orchid" (in French). Les classement single. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  17. "The White Stripes – Blue Orchid" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  18. "The White Stripes – Blue Orchid". VG-lista. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  19. "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  20. "The White Stripes – Blue Orchid". Singles Top 100. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  21. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  22. "Official Independent Singles Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 6, 2023.
  23. "The White Stripes Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  24. "The White Stripes Chart History (Alternative Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  25. "The White Stripes Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved May 24, 2018.
  26. "The Official UK Singles Chart 2005" (PDF). UKChartsPlus. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
  27. "British single certifications – White Stripes – Blue Orchid". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  28. "Going for Adds" (PDF). Radio & Records. No. 1602. April 15, 2005. p. 27. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  29. "The ARIA Report: New Releases Singles – Week Commencing 30th May 2005" (PDF). ARIA. May 30, 2005. p. 29. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 19, 2005. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
  30. "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. May 28, 2005. p. 51.
  31. Joystiq Staff (July 8, 2009). "The complete Guitar Hero 5 track list". Engadget. Retrieved May 25, 2018.
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