"Little Black Submarines" is a song by American
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
band
the Black Keys
The Black Keys are an American rock duo formed in Akron, Ohio, in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The duo began as an independent act, recording music in basements and self-producing their ...
. It is the fourth track from their 2011 studio album, ''
El Camino'', and was released as the album's fourth single on October 8, 2012. The song begins as a quiet
acoustic ballad before transitioning to a loud,
hard rock
Hard rock or heavy rock is a loosely defined subgenre of rock music typified by aggressive vocals and distorted electric guitars. Hard rock began in the mid-1960s with the garage, psychedelic and blues rock movements. Some of the earliest hard ...
arrangement in the second half. Critics praised the song and called it one of the highlights from ''El Camino''. The song was a success on rock radio, reaching number two on the
Alternative Songs
Alternative Airplay (formerly known as Modern Rock Tracks (1988–2009) and Alternative Songs (2009–2020)) is a music chart in the United States that has appeared in ''Billboard'' magazine since September 10, 1988. It ranks the 40 most-played ...
chart in the US and the
Alternative Rock and Active Rock charts in Canada. The group filmed a music video with director Danny Clinch at the Springwater Supper Club and Lounge, a
dive bar
A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. ...
in Nashville, Tennessee. "Little Black Submarines" was certified gold in America.
Writing and recording
"Little Black Submarines" originated as a song recorded by guitarist
Dan Auerbach
Daniel Quine Auerbach (; born May 14, 1979) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer, best known as the guitarist and vocalist of The Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio. As a member of the group, Auerbach has ...
and producer
Brian Burton
Brian Joseph Burton (born July 29, 1977), known professionally as Danger Mouse, is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer. He came to prominence in 2004 when he released ''The Grey Album'', which combined vocal performances from J ...
that saw several alterations. The band recorded it "four or five different ways" before playing it in a sparse, acoustic arrangement.
The group had a louder version of the song, but since they felt it "wasn't completely working",
they spliced it after the acoustic version to create a
mix
Mix, mixes or mixing may refer to:
Persons & places
* Mix (surname)
** Tom Mix (1880-1940), American film star
* nickname of Mix Diskerud (born Mikkel, 1990), Norwegian-American soccer player
* Mix camp, an informal settlement in Namibia
* Mix ...
with two contrasting sections.
According to drummer
Patrick Carney
Patrick James Carney (born April 15, 1980) is an American musician and producer best known as the drummer of the Black Keys, a blues rock band from Akron, Ohio.
Early life
Carney's father, Jim, is a retired reporter for the '' Akron Beacon Journ ...
, the
harder-rocking second half was the first time that the band played that arrangement. He said, "That whole ending is the first take we played, just figuring out what we're doing and riffing on that idea. That's why that part of the album feels the loosest. It's how Dan and I play. It's live in the studio, just guitar and drums, with the instruments bleeding into each other."
Auerbach called the electric portion of "Little Black Submarines" the "closest representation of our live show than anything we've done before". The song concludes with a guitar solo that Auerbach described as his "jock-
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...
moment".
Music video
The music video for "Little Black Submarines" was directed by
Danny Clinch
Danny Clinch (born 1964) is an American photographer and film director.
Biography
Born in Toms River, New Jersey, Clinch graduated from Toms River High School East in 1982. After attending Ocean County College, he attended the New England Scho ...
and filmed during the group's live performance at the Springwater Supper Club and Lounge, a small
dive bar
A dive bar is typically a small, unglamorous, eclectic, old-style drinking establishment with inexpensive drinks; it may feature dim lighting, shabby or dated decor, neon beer signs, packaged beer sales, cash-only service, and a local clientele. ...
in Nashville, Tennessee.
The venue, formerly a
speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an illicit establishment that sells alcoholic beverages, or a retro style bar that replicates aspects of historical speakeasies.
Speakeasy bars came into prominence in the United States d ...
, was the first place in the city to obtain a liquor license. Auerbach said, "It's a really cool building. It's been there forever. It's got a lot of history. It's one of three or four different little small dive bars in town. It's special because it's so old." The Black Keys allowed a small number of fans into the venue for filming of the one song before deciding to play an entire show.
They originally had a storyline in mind for the video but ultimately abandoned the idea in favor of a conventional performance video. Auerbach said, "We all just sort of kind of mutually agreed that it should probably just be the performance and not any of the other extra stuff. Luckily we had live footage so we turned it into a live video. We just sort of said 'You know, it was fun kind of performing here at a small club with the fans. Why don't we just have it be that?'" The video premiered on September 4, 2012.
An
autostereoscopic
Autostereoscopy is any method of displaying stereoscopic images (adding binocular perception of 3D depth) without the use of special headgear, glasses, something that affects vision, or anything for eyes on the part of the viewer. Because headg ...
version of the video was featured on Nintendo Video for the 3DS on the premiere date.
Reception
Upon ''El Camino''s release, "Little Black Submarines" was acclaimed by critics, many of whom compared it to the sound of
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
. ''
Entertainment Weekly
''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...
'' said that it was the album's "best surprise", calling it an "edge-of-sanity epic" and "a crate-digger thriller that starts as a quiet
acoustic hymn, then explodes. They don't make vintage
folk-rock heavy metal like they used to—if they ever used to. And that's a very good thing."
''
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' called the song "more ambitious" than the album's other tracks and said that it "start
out in Johnny Cash territory before exploding into a
psycho-
blues
Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...
freakdown." ''
Spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
'' said that in the song's second half, it "mushroom-clouds into electric warrior destruction".
Kitty Empire of ''
The Observer
''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...
'' called the song's first half an "unremarkable acoustic ballad" but said of the second half, "Auerbach's guitar and Carney's drums erupt triumphantly in full lairy Zeppelin mode".
''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' wrote that one could "easily hear Led Zeppelin in 'Little Black Submarines', an acoustic blues that gets run over halfway through by electric riffs and brutish drums, Carney doing a hilariously great junkyard
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove,J ...
".
''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...
'' called the song epic and said that it "transforms mid-song from moody acoustic reflection to full-blown Led Zep
blues-rock barrage".
Popmatters
''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
said the lyrics "speak a line so true it's as if it's been part of our collective unconscious for years, but it just took Dan Auerbach to bring it out. The line is simple but crushingly true, sung over a '
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled ''Led Zeppelin IV'') ...
'-esque progression: 'I should have seen it glow, but everybody knows that a broken heart is blind.' That line rings in your head for hours after the album even finishes, even as it's crushed into furious oblivion just as
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...
would have asked." ''
The Austin Chronicle
''The Austin Chronicle'' is an alternative weekly newspaper published every Thursday in Austin, Texas, United States. The paper is distributed through free news-stands, often at local eateries or coffee houses frequented by its targeted demogr ...
'' was more critical, calling the song "a 'Stairway to Heaven' moment that falls a few stories short".
Accolades
In a 2011 end-of-year ranking, ''Rolling Stone'' selected "Little Black Submarines" as the 18th-best song of the year, calling it a "wintry folk ballad
hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
erupts into a wind-whipped burner with a sugar crusted psych-rock chorus". The following year, the publication's readers voted the song the ninth-best of 2012.
Personnel
*Dan Auerbach – vocals, guitar, bass
*Patrick Carney – drums, percussion
*Brian Burton – piano, organ
*Ashley Wilcoxson, Leisa Hans, Heather Rigdon – backing vocals
Charts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
Certifications
References
{{Authority control
The Black Keys songs
Songs written by Dan Auerbach
Songs written by Patrick Carney
Rock ballads
2010s ballads
Torch songs
Songs about depression