Seven Nation Army
A 2003 rock song by the White Stripes, built around a distinctive low-register guitar riff that became a widely adopted stadium chant.
Jack White: An American musician, singer, songwriter, and producer best known as the White Stripes’ guitarist and vocalist. He wrote and performed the song, using an octave effect to give its riff a bass-like sound.
2000s in music: The musical trends, recordings, and industry developments of the years 2000 through 2009. The song helped define the decade’s garage-rock revival sound.
Football chant: A rhythmic song or slogan performed by spectators at a football match. Supporters adapted the riff into a chant that needs no lyrics or instruments.
2004 Brit Awards: The 2004 British music awards ceremony recognizing achievements in popular music. The White Stripes performed the song at the ceremony, bringing its riff to a broad television audience.
Seven Nation Army (chant): A wordless crowd chant adapted from the main riff of the White Stripes’ song. The chant is a public, participatory reuse of the recorded song’s melody.
Meg White: An American drummer best known as one half of the rock duo the White Stripes. Her restrained drumming anchors the song’s sparse arrangement.
Garage rock revival: A resurgence of raw, stripped-down rock associated with bands including the White Stripes in the early 2000s. The song emerged as the revival brought guitar-driven rock back into mainstream attention.
Stadium anthem: A song widely played or sung at sporting venues to energize crowds. Its simple melody and steady pulse make it effective in large stadiums.
Rock music: A broad popular-music genre centered on amplified instruments, strong rhythms, and song-based forms. The track became a major early-2000s rock hit while retaining a deliberately minimal arrangement.
We Will Rock You: A 1977 Queen song built around a stomp-stomp-clap rhythm designed for audience participation. Both songs invite stadium crowds to join in, but this song’s melody carries the chant.