The Packers and Lions’ Thanksgiving Day matchup is already chock full of flavor. How could it not be? NFC North jousts tend to captivate, particularly when there are postseason implications at stake. Doing so in front of a raucous Turkey Day audience only adds to the allure.
The NFL took notice, opting to turn the fixture into a spectacle. There will be food. There will be fireworks. And there will be a distinctive soundtrack authored by one of the Motor City’s greatest musical sons.
Ford Field will play host to Detroit-born musician and 12-time Grammy Award winner Jack White. The multi-instrumentalist sits in the annals of garage rock artists past and present. He’ll get a chance to show why in front of his hometown crowd.
With that, here’s what you need to know about White, the man tasked with being the centerpiece of the Lions and Packers’ halftime break.
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Who is Jack White?
Widely considered one of the greatest guitarists in history, Jack White is a Detroit-based musician who came to prominence as the guitarist and lead vocalist for The White Stripes.
The 50-year-old is a musical savant, learning how to play the piano, keyboards, bass and drums. Still, he's at his best when he's wielding his guitar.
White was a student of Detroit's underground music scene in the 1990s. He founded The White Stripes with then-wife Meg in 1997. The duo achieved international fame in 2001 with the release of their third album, "White Blood Cells." The project received widespread acclaim, charting for 53 weeks. It is viewed as fundamental to ushering in the revival of garage rock. In 2003, The White Stripes released "Elephant", marked by its single "Seven Nation Army." There's a good chance that you have heard White's guitar riff at sporting contests — it is arguably sports' most iconic anthem.
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The White Stripes disbanded in 2011. White has enjoyed a wondrous solo career in the years since. He's a member of the Library of Congress' National Recording Preservation Foundation and his second solo album, "Lazaretto", yielded more first-week vinyl sales than any project since 2014.
White's name returned to the spotlight in recent years, with the release of his critically-acclaimed sixth solo album, "No Name" in 2024. Earlier this year, White was inducted in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The White Stripes.
A well-known Lions fan, White will attempt to serenade his hometown faithful during its latest Thanksgiving bout.
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Jack White age
Jack White is 50 years old. He'll turn 51 on July 9.
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Jack White songs, lyrics
"Seven Nation Army" will almost certainly feature in White's set list. Other tunes expected to get some shine include "Fell In Love With a Girl", "We're Going to Be Friends" and "Lazaretto."
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Seven Nation Army
I'm gonna fight 'em offA seven nation army couldn't hold me backThey're gonna rip it offTakin' their time right behind my backAnd I'm talkin' to myself at nightBecause I can't forgetBack and forth through my mindBehind a cigarette
And the message comin' from my eyesSays, "Leave it alone"
Don't wanna hear about itEvery single one's got a story to tellEveryone knows about itFrom the Queen of England to the Hounds of HellAnd if I catch it comin' back my wayI'm gonna serve it to youAnd that ain't what you want to hearBut that's what I'll do
And the feelin' comin' from my bonesSays, "Find a home"
I'm goin' to WichitaFar from this opera forevermoreI'm gonna work the strawMake the sweat drip out of every poreAnd I'm bleedin', and I'm bleedin', and I'm bleedin'Right before the LordAll the words are gonna bleed from meAnd I will think no more
And the stains comin' from my bloodTell me, "Go back home"
Fell In Love With a Girl
Fell in love with a girlI fell in love once and almost completelyShe's in love with the worldBut sometimes these feelings can be so misleadingShe turns and says, "Are you alright?"I said, "I must be fine 'cause my heart's still beating""Come and kiss me by the riverside, yeah""Bobby says it's fine, he don't consider it cheating now"
Red hair with a curlMello-Roll for the flavor and the eyes for peepin'Can't keep away from the girlThese two sides of my brain need to have a meetingCan't think of anything to do, yeahMy left brain knows that all my love is fleetingShe's just looking for something new, yeahSaid it once before but it bears repeating now
Can't think of anything to do, yeahMy left brain knows that all my love is fleetingShe's just looking for something new, wellSaid it once before but it bears repeating now
Fell in love with a girlI fell in love once and almost completelyShe's in love with the worldBut sometimes these feelings can be so misleadingShe turns and says, "Are you alright?"I said, "I must be fine 'cause my heart's still beating""Come and kiss me by the riverside, yeah""Bobby says it's fine, he don't consider it cheating now"
Can't think of anything to do, yeahMy left brain knows that all my love is fleetingShe's just looking for something new, wellI said it once before but it bears repeating now
We're Going To Be Friends
Fall is here, hear the yell
Back to school, ring the bell
Brand new shoes, walking blues
Climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we are gonna be friends
I can tell that we are gonna be friends
Walk with me, Suzy Lee
Through the park and by the tree
We will rest upon the ground
And look at all the bugs we found
Safely walk to school without a sound
Safely walk to school without a sound
Here we are, no one else
We walk to school all by ourselves
There's dirt on our uniforms
From chasing all the ants and worms
We clean up and now it's time to learn
We clean up and now it's time to learn
Numbers, letters, learn to spell
Nouns, and books, and show and tell
Playtime, we will throw the ball
Back to class, through the hall
Teacher marks our height against the wall
Teacher marks our height against the wall
And we don't notice any time pass
We don't notice anything
We sit side by side in every class
Teacher thinks that I sound funny
But she likes the way you sing
Tonight I'll dream, while I'm in bed
When silly thoughts go through my head
About the bugs and alphabet
And when I wake tomorrow, I'll bet
That you and I will walk together again
I can tell that we are gonna be friends
Yes, I can tell that we are gonna be friends
Lazaretto
My veins are blue and connectedAnd every single bone in my brain is electricBut I dig ditches like the best of 'emYo trabajo duroComo en madera y yesoComo en madera y yeso
And even God herself has fewer plans than meBut she never helps me out with my scams for free, thoughShe grabs a stick and then she points it at meWhen I say nothing, I say everythingYeah, when I say nothing, I say everything
They threw me down in a lazarettoBorn rottin', bored rottenMaking models of people I used to knowOut of coffee and cotton
And all of my illegitimate kids have begottenThrown down to the wolves, made feral for nothingQuarantined on the Isle Of ManAnd I'm trying to escape any way that I can, ohAny way that I can, oh
Damn, I have no time left, time is lostNo time at all, throw it in a garbage canAnd I shake God's handI jump up and let her know when I canThis is how I'm gonna do it
They wanna blow down the prisonThey're lighting fires with the cash of the massesAnd like the dough, I don't fall downI'm so Detroit, I make it rise from the ashes
Yeah, that's it