Maps of Music

De Stijl (2000)

Where the lyrics of De Stijl take you, and where it was really made.

The duo's two members divorced in March 2000, yet they kept working together and presented themselves as siblings.

Place unknown

Do you know where this album was recorded, or where its cover was shot? Tell us and we will add it to the map.

Jack and Meg White divorced in March 2000, but kept working together and continued living together
They presented themselves as siblings
The album was conceived before the divorce
The title comes from Jack's admiration for furniture designer Gerrit Rietveld; the band had visited the Rietveld Schröder House
The album is dedicated to Rietveld and Blind Willie McTell

Cover art sets Jack and Meg against an abstract background of rectangles and lines in red, black and white
Uses common elements from the aesthetics of its namesake movement

1	You’re Pretty Good Looking (for a Girl)	1:50
2	Hello Operator	2:36
3	Little Bird	3:07
4	Apple Blossom	2:13
5	I’m Bound to Pack It Up	3:10
6	Death Letter	4:30
7	Sister, Do You Know My Name?	2:52
8	Truth Doesn’t Make a Noise	3:15
9	A Boy’s Best Friend	4:22
10	Let’s Build a Home	1:58
11	Jumble, Jumble	1:54
12	Why Can’t You Be Nicer to Me?	3:22
13	Your Southern Can Is Mine	2:29

The White Stripes was an American rock duo formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1997.
The group consisted of Jack White (guitar, keyboards, piano, vocals) and Meg White (drums, percussion, vocals).
The duo began as part of the Michigan underground garage rock scene.
Their debut single "Let's Shake Hands" was released on vinyl in February 1998.
In 1999 they signed with Sympathy for the Record Industry and released their self-titled debut album.

White Blood Cells (2001) brought the band commercial success and placed it at the forefront of the garage rock movement.
Elephant (2003) won the band its first Grammy Awards and produced the signature song "Seven Nation Army".
Get Behind Me Satan (2005) experimented with piano and marimba.
Icky Thump (2007), the sixth and final album, returned to blues and punk influences.
The band went on hiatus in 2007 and officially ceased recording and performing in February 2011.
The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2025.

Critics gave generally positive reviews, noting its simplicity and its fusion of blues and scuzzy garage rock
AllMusic: Heather Phares said the album blends the Stripes' arty leanings with enough rock muscle to back up the band's ambitions
Pitchfork: William Bowers wrote that the album contained thunderous, honky-soulful, lacerating pop at various stages of evolution
Rolling Stone: Jenny Eliscu called it feisty and clever and praised the drumming, guitar and vocal performances
New York Times: Ann Powers described the album as what many hip rock fans consider real music
Sold moderately upon release

A sleeper hit that gained a following after the White Stripes grew popular outside Detroit
Since considered a cult classic
The media response strongly influenced White Blood Cells, leading Jack to move away from creating blues music on that album

Jack later judged the home recording a mistake, citing domestic distractions, and preferred the conditions of White Blood Cells and Elephant.
Jack overdubbed piano and acoustic guitar to test the difference between live and studio performance; later he felt it was too much.
The McTell dedication came from the fact that his early career overlapped with the birth of the De Stijl movement, which led to the belief that both members were art students.
A 350-pound peppermint-striped amplifier was too heavy to tour and appeared only on the Late Show with David Letterman in 2002.
Radio host Dominique Payette sued over a nine-second clip used in Jumble, Jumble; the case was settled out of court.
The B-side of Hello Operator is a cover of Dolly Parton's Jolene.