Hotel Yorba

"Hotel Yorba" is the lead single from White Blood Cells, by American garage rock band the White Stripes, and their first single to be released commercially. It was released on November 12, 2001.

"Hotel Yorba"
Single by the White Stripes
from the album White Blood Cells
B-side"Rated X"
ReleasedNovember 12, 2001 (2001-11-12)[1]
RecordedMay 2001[2][3]
Genre
Length2:10
LabelXL
Songwriter(s)Jack White
Producer(s)Jack White
The White Stripes singles chronology
"Party of Special Things to Do"
(2000)		 "Hotel Yorba"
(2001)		 "Fell in Love with a Girl"
(2002)

Built in 1926, the Hotel Yorba is a former hotel in southwest Detroit that can be seen along I-75 near the Ambassador Bridge to Canada. The single version of the song was recorded in room 206 of the building which is now used as government subsidized housing.[12] Jack says that, as a child, he heard a rumor that the Beatles had stayed there—a rumor that, although false, he loved.[13]

The White Stripes shot much of the song's music video outside the hotel, but were denied permission to film inside; it's rumored the duo is banned for life from the hotel.[14]

The song was used for a deleted scene in the 2002 movie 28 Days Later. The scene does not appear on the DVD, while the song itself is featured on the soundtrack CD released by XL Records.

The single was reissued on opaque red vinyl for Black Friday Record Store Day in 2012 by Third Man Records and later released on standard black vinyl.

Critical reception

Paste and Stereogum ranked the song number seven and number four, respectively, on their lists of the greatest White Stripes songs.[15][16]

Track listing
7-inch
No.TitleLength
1."Hotel Yorba" (Live) 
2."Rated X" (Live) (Loretta Lynn cover) 
CD
No.TitleLength
1."Hotel Yorba" 
2."Rated X" (Live) 
3."Hotel Yorba" (Music video) 

Music video
The Hotel Yorba from Fort Street.

The music video, directed by Dan John Miller and shot by longtime filmmaker/collaborator Kevin Carrico, combines footage of Meg and Jack playing inside what is presumed to be the Hotel Yorba, lounging on a porch in a city neighborhood, and being part of a wedding ceremony in a cathedral. Actress/model Tracee Mae Miller is featured in multiple scenes: when Jack marries her in a cathedral (actually Jack's childhood parish, where he played an altar boy to Donald Sutherland's character in "The Rosary Murders" — the two would later appear together in "Cold Mountain"), when they are sitting on the porch, and when they are walking through the woods (on Belle Isle). During the marriage ceremony, Meg is tied to Jack with a rope that links from his waist to hers. They are also tied together when Jack and Miller are walking through the woods and sitting on the local porch.

After a full day's shooting (quite literally at midnight), there was just enough film left in the camera to do an impromptu, one-take video for "We Are Going To Be Friends" in which Meg actually falls asleep and is awakened by Jack at the end.

References
  1. "New Releases – For Week Starting November 12, 2001: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. November 10, 2001. p. 29. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  2. Maerz, Jennifer (June 5, 2001). "Sister? Lover? An Interview with The White Stripes". whitestripes.net. Archived from the original on June 11, 2010. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  3. Jack White Art & Design https://jackwhiteartanddesign.com/work/graphic-design/the-white-stripes-hotel-yorba/attachment/tws-hotel-yorba-2/. Retrieved October 13, 2023. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Jack White in Cleveland: His genius in 7 songs". Cleveland.com. September 15, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  5. "8 Great Country Songs by Non-Country Artists: The White Stripes, The Beatles, Tom Waits and more : Exclusives". Music Times. March 31, 2014. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  6. "The White Stripes' 10 Best Songs : Music : Lists : The White Stripes : Paste". Pastemagazine.com. February 3, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  7. Port, Ian S. (May 19, 2016). "R.I.P. The White Stripes, 1997-2011: An Appreciation | All Shook Down". Sfweekly.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  8. "The White Stripes - White Blood Cells (album review )". Sputnikmusic.com. November 28, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  9. Tom Maginnis. "Hotel Yorba - The White Stripes | Song Info". AllMusic. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  10. Eakin, Marah (May 5, 2014). ""Hotel Yorba" is a life-affirming garage rock classic · Hear This · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  11. "B/W: The White Stripes - Hotel Yorba • Hearing Double". Hearingdouble.net. June 20, 2014. Archived from the original on May 29, 2018. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  12. Everett True (2004). The White Stripes and the Sound of Mutant Blues. Omnibus Press. p. 126. ISBN 0-7119-9836-1.
  13. Edwards, Gavin (November 13, 2003), "Heartbreak Hotel". Rolling Stone. (935):32
  14. "Hotel Yorba by The White Stripes | Song Stories | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 26, 2014. Retrieved June 7, 2021.
  15. Moore, Bo (February 4, 2011). "The 10 Best White Stripes Songs". Paste. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
  16. Williott, Carl (February 26, 2014). "The 10 Best White Stripes Songs". Stereogum. Retrieved May 27, 2023.
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