Hand Springs

"Hand Springs" was released as a single by The White Stripes in 2000 (see 2000 in music). The song was coupled with "Cedar Pointe '76" by the Dirtbombs and the 2000 copies came free with copies of the pinball fanzine Multiball. Between interludes of raucous, power chord-dominated riffage and crash cymbal bashing, Jack White calmly recounts the details of one particularly fateful day over a palm-muted open low E string and the rhythmic ticking of eighth notes on Meg White's hi-hat. In the song, Jack takes his girlfriend to a bowling alley and treats her to a Coke to atone for an earlier argument, but soon notices her flirting with a boy playing pinball. Out of fear of losing her, he drops a bowling ball through the pinball machine ("Are you quick enough to hit this ball, Mr. Clean?"), but despite his subsequent apology, he finds his girlfriend leaving with the other boy nonetheless. Noting that he had just thrown everything away, Jack muses "isn't it all just a big game?"

"Hand Springs" was later featured on the 2000 compilation Hot Pinball Rock, Vol. 1.

Also, a large number of copies of the "White Blood Cells" album were packaged with a bonus DVD that included audio tracks of "Hand Springs" (as well as "Lafayette Blues").

Track listing

 * 1) "Hand Springs"