Fall is here and school is back in session, so now is a perfect time to revisit The White Stripes’ 2001 classic “We’re Going To Be Friends,” a sparse acoustic song about children walking to school and learning and growing. The song also appears on Jack White’s new compilation album Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016, and his recent performance of the track on the seminal UK music show Later… with Jools Holland was gorgeous.
On the stage with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, White poignantly conveyed the sense of longing nostalgia for simpler times, singing about chasing ants and worms, and having your height marked against the wall to chart your development. It’s a perfect ode to the innocent clarity of childhood that hasn’t grown any less powerful with age… much like childhood memories.
The episode, the premiere of its 49th series, had a stacked line-up, which included Kings of Leon, M83, and Sting, as well as Jimmy Page, who co-starred in the 2009 guitar-centric documentary It Might Get Loud with White (and U2 guitarist The Edge). White sat in on Page’s interview (more like in the background, really) and while White likely grew up learning Led Zeppelin guitar riffs, Page acknowledged that he’s a “great fan” of White’s as well.
The set of songs included on Acoustic Recordings 1998-2016 is clearly an emotional group for White, as he was nearly moved to tears a few days ago when he performed a medley of “Love Is the Truth” and “You’ve Got Her in Your Pocket” on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon:
Featured image:Â BBC
