Production and release
"Love Interruption" was recorded at Third Man Studio in Nashville, Tennessee on December 7, 2011. Multiple versions of the song were created during its production: one with a full backing band and another that did not feature drums. The latter was ultimately used in the final version of the track. This recording was created in a single take, while the clarinet and bass clarinet were added after the live session. "Love Interruption" was the first single White released after rock duo the White Stripes, of which he was a member, broke up in 2011. On January 30, 2012, White announced his debut album ''Blunderbuss (album), Blunderbuss'' along with the release of its lead single, "Love Interruption"; a free audio streaming, stream of the song was offered on his website. The track was released for music download, digital download outside of Europe on January 31 at 12:00a.m. (Eastern Standard Time (North America), EST). On February 7, it was released as a 7-inch vinyl single with the B-side "Machine Gun Silhoutte". "Love Interruption" and its B-side were made available for digital download in Europe on February 25 at 12:01a.m. (Greenwich Mean Time, GMT). The song was released through Third Man Records, Columbia Records, and XL Recordings.Composition and lyrics
''Rolling Stone'' described "Love Interruption" as a blues ballad, and Joe Robinson of ''Diffuser.fm'' characterized it as "Gospel music, gospel-infused Americana (music), Americana". The song is two minutes and 36 seconds in length, and it consists of White harmonizing with Ruby Amanfu, creating a melody that utilizes elements of country soul. It features the bass clarinet and a prominent Wurlitzer electric piano—played by Emily Bowland and Brooke Waggoner, respectively—while acoustic guitar chords work alongside the piano to drive the song. According to sheet music published by Universal Music Publishing Group, the song is written in the key (music), key of E major in common time, with a tempo of 96 beats per minute. In an interview with Dimitri Ehrlich and Buzz Aldrin for the magazine ''Interview (magazine), Interview'', White explained that the song's title refers to love's tendency to "get... in the way of itself", elaborating: "We want things so much that we sabotage them". He was cautious about the use of the word "love", believing that he would have to differentiate it from its use in other songs. To that end, "Love Interruption" features "gory" lyrics in which a narrator expresses desires to be treated violently by "love": "I want love to roll me over slowly, stick a knife inside me and twist it all around". ''Pitchfork (magazine), Pitchforks Ryan Dombal viewed the line "I won't let love disrupt, corrupt, or interrupt me anymore" as an indication that the song is "a form of self discipline" rather than "some wikt:masochistic, masochistic fantasy".Reception
The song was met with favorable reviews from music criticism, critics. Jon Dolan of ''Rolling Stone'' gave the song a rating of 3.5 out of 5 stars, describing it as a "loopy little soul sketch" and stating that the song's "organ spritz and puppy-eyed Casio bassoon evoke 'Son of a Preacher Man'". He spoke favorably of Amanfu's vocals, finding that her "harried backing warble fits [the] song". Jem Aswad of ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' described "Love Interruption" as "an unusual but tantalizing lead track" and concluded that it "leaves you lusting for more." Rebecca Schiller of ''NME'' described the song as "a drumless, minimalist affair based on the chord progression of the Beta Band's 'Dry The Rain'". She said that the track's "intensity is in the lyrics and its powerful, repetitive chorus" and remarked, "I've heard it three times and I can't get a second of it out of my head." Critics drew comparisons between "Love Interruption" and music produced under White's previous musical projects, especially the White Stripes. ''Spin (magazine), Spins David Marchese found the song to differ from White's previous "thunderous rock" sound, while Aswad commented that it resembles "deeper cuts on the last few White Stripes albums". Citing the song's instrumentation, Michael Roffman of ''Consequence of Sound'' said that "Love Interruption" "didn't necessarily relive those feelings of seeing" the White Stripes. Schiller found that the "jolliness" on songs produced under the Dead Weather and the Raconteurs is absent on "Love Interruption", as is any "trademark [White] riffing". Dolan stated that the song "adds an awkwardly personal wrinkle to the White Stripes' errant primitivism".Promotion and other usage
An accompanying music video for "Love Interruption", which White directed, was uploaded to Vevo and White's YouTube channel on February 14, 2012. Described by ''Billboards Jillian Mapes as a "hazy, self-directed performance clip", the video consists of White and Amanfu singing "Love Interruption" alongside a backing band. A dog is briefly present at the beginning of the video. As of August 2018, it has over 16 million views on YouTube. The song has been featured in setlists for White's live performances. On the March 3, 2012 episode of ''Saturday Night Live'', White performed "Love Interruption" with Amanfu and his all-female backing band the Peacocks. In 2013, he performed the song at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards alongside the same band. During a concert in London in 2014, White dedicated a performance of the song to touring drummer Isaiah "Ikey" Owens, who had died of a heart attack during the tour. White also performed the song at a 2015 concert in Madison Square Garden that featured Q-Tip (musician), Q-Tip. In March 2018, he included "Love Interruption" in the setlist for his first live performance since 2016, a concert at Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee. Later that year, he performed "Love Interruption" at Lollapalooza. James Wolpert covered "Love Interruption" for his audition for The Voice (U.S. season 5), season 5 of the American version of ''The Voice (U.S. TV series), The Voice''. The song was later covered by the band First Aid Kit (band), First Aid Kit when they appeared on Triple J's radio program in 2014. ''Consequence of Sounds Alex Young described the cover as a "twangy rendition" of the song. "Love Interruption" also appears on the singer's 2016 compilation album ''Acoustic Recordings 1998–2016''.Track listing
;Digital download and 7-inch single #"Love Interruption" #"Machine Gun Silhouette"Personnel
Credits adapted from the liner notes of the single's vinyl release. ;"Love Interruption" *Jack White – lead vocals, acoustic guitar, writer (music and lyrics), producer, mixing *Ruby Amanfu – background vocals *Brooke Waggoner – Wurlitzer electric piano *Emily Bowland – clarinet, bass clarinet *Vance Powell – mixing, recording *Joshua V. Smith – assistant in mixing and recording ;"Machine Gun Silhouette" *Jack White – vocals, background vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, writer (music and lyrics), producer, mixing *Brooke Waggoner – piano *Mindy Watts – background vocals, assistant in mixing and recording *Fats Kaplin – fiddle *Ryan Koenig – background vocals *Bryn Davies (musician), Bryn Davies – upright bass *Olivia Jean – drums *Master Combs – feathers *Vance Powell – mixing, recording *Bob Jones – writer (lyrics) *Joshua V. Smith – assistant in recordingCharts
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
External links
* {{authority control 2012 singles Americana music Blues songs Songs written by Jack White Jack White songs Third Man Records singles 2012 songs 2010s ballads