American rock musician Jack White – from The White Stripes fame – said that he wrote the band’s Grammy Award-winning song Seven Nation Army in just 10 seconds.
Speaking to Oxford city photographer Marc West ahead of his show at Oxford Union earlier this week, the 49-year-old spoke about the power of his music connecting to people and the future of AI.
The internationally acclaimed singer songwriter appeared at Oxford University’s esteemed debating society, Oxford Union, on Thursday afternoon (February 27).
When asked whether AI was “friend or foe to creativity”, White said: "I think if you have to choose, I'm always going to have to be on the side of soulful, actual struggle, you know, from a real human being.
“It's not just the sound or the melody of a song – it's the idea of hearing the inner voice of that artist.”
“When I release control, the good things start to happen.
“Seven Nation Army was a thing I wrote in 10 seconds, but you never know what people will connect with. If you think it must be someone else's song, those are the great songs.”
Released in 2003, Seven Nation Army was the opening track on the White Stripes fourth studio album, Elephant.
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The song charted in multiple countries and received widespread critical acclaim, with praise being given to its distinctive riff and drumbeat.
While White has spoken previously about the guitar riff being composed at the Corner Hotel in Melbourne, the track itself was recorded at recorded at Toe Rag Studios in Hackney, London.
White went on to win 12 Grammy Awards among other accolades, while Rolling Stone included him on their 2010 and 2023 lists of the greatest guitarists of all time.
While in Oxford, White also spoke to Marc West about his creative concern for future generations, adding: “I worry about the next generations, they're not idle enough to get obsessed about anything.”
