"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is a song by the American rock band the White Stripes. It was released on July 1, 2002 by V2 in the United States. The song was written by Jack White around the time of their debut album, and was composed by Jack and Meg White for the band's third album, White Blood Cells.
In all territories, the record was released as the album's third single. It was first released in the United States in July 2002, reaching number 19 on the Billboard Alternative Airplay chart and 63 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks charts. It was later released in the United Kingdom and Australia in September 2002, reaching number 25 on the UK Singles Chart. Music critics praised the song's heavy riffs, primitive drum beats, and Jack and Meg's chemistry.
"Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is considered one of the best songs by the White Stripes. It is an enduring work of the band, being covered and remixed by several artists including Jimmy Page and "Weird Al" Yankovic.
Lyrically, "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" is about a man who is abandoned by his lover, and struggles to deal with the aftermath and the wreckage of their home.[6] The song has often been speculated to be based on the end of Jack White and Meg White's marriage, but neither have commented on the matter.[7]
Music video
The music video for this song, directed by Michel Gondry,[8] depicts Jack coming back to his trashed London house and surveying reckless destruction. While he goes from room to room, video of the party events that led to the decimation (and of his and Meg's relationship before he left) is projected over the scenery, until in the final scene she leaves him.
Reception
In a review of the song for AllMusic, Tom Maginnis describes "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground" as a "grimy rocker", noting it as a display of the duo's "keen understanding of musical dynamics".[3]Alexis Petridis of The Guardian ranked it as the greatest White Stripes song, calling it "incredibly exciting" and "the sound of a band who are abundantly aware how special they are [...] It couldn’t be the work of anyone else."[9]Paste and Stereogum ranked the song number three and number five, respectively, on their lists of the 10 greatest White Stripes songs.[10][11]
Track listings
All lyrics written by Jack White, except where noted; all music is composed by Jack and Meg White, except where noted. The live singles were recorded in 2002 at Maida Vale Studios in England,[12] and the DVD release features an interview with Arthur P. Dottweiler.[13]
The main riffs and vocal patterns were borrowed in "Weird Al" Yankovic's 2009 White Stripes style parody "CNR".[25]
The song was made available to download on May 23, 2011, for play in the Rock Band 3 music gaming platform in both Basic rhythm, and PRO mode which takes advantage of the use of a real guitar / bass guitar, along with standard MIDI-compatible electronic drum kits / keyboards in addition to vocals.[26][27]
↑ Jack, White; Stripes, The White (February 18, 2013). "Dead Leaves and the Dirty Ground". Musicnotes.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2025.
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