The Switch and the Spur

Album: Consolers of the Lonely (2008)
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Songfacts®:

  • On the cover of Consolers of the Lonely, The Raconteurs are depicted as a traveling band in the Old West. They went with a Western theme on this song as well, with a story about an outlaw who breaks from from jail. Along with the Mariachi horns, this creates the feel of an old Western movie. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • This song manages to get the word "Appaloosa" into the lyrics. An appaloosa is a kind of horse known for it's distinctive spotted coat. It was a popular breed in Western lore.
  • This song started off as an isolated piano riff that according to Q Magazine September 2008 Jack White had been "trying to find a home for since 2004." Co-frontman Brendan Benson finished the song off. White told Q Magazine September 2008, "that song alone is enough to make me realize that's why we're in this band and why we're writing songs together."

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