The White Stripes are a band based in childhood. Fake brother and sister Jack and Meg White sang songs about explosions, telephones, school, bugs and soda pop. They grew, both musically and commercially, with each record. From 1999 to 2007 they released six albums kids of every age can relate. With simple song structures and seemingly rudimentary playing, their catalogue could be considered mostly nursery rhymes.

The first record, aptly titled The White Stripes, is actually a great soundtrack to confront and end a toddler’s tantrum. Sonically and lyrically, there’s something in each and every song that a young person can connect with and, hopefully, calm down.

“Jimmy the Exploder”

The first song on the first record is the blueprint for everything to come. And it happens to sound like a toddler’s tantrum. It’s loud and energetic before getting a little slower and quieter and gets loud and energetic once again. It’s about exploding apples and also about that monkey jumping on the bed. It’s a song that can shock a toddler in a tantrum out of their trance.

“Stop Breaking Down”

A plea from a parent to a child with a drum beat everyone can play on their thigh.  

“The Big Three Killed By Baby”

This is a song about cars. Tell the kid this is a song about cars. Toddlers love cars.

“Suzy Lee”

The fourth song on the record is the first slow-ish song on the record. By this point, the tantrum should be gone. If it’s not, totally OK, a different pace may help slow things down. Also, this song features slide guitar by Johnny Walker of the Soledad Brothers. Use it as a teaching moment. Kids need to learn about slide guitar.

“Sugar Never Tasted So Good”

Kids love sugar. Point out to the angry toddler this song is about sugar. If you’re worried that might make them even more upset since you probably don’t want to give them sugar, point out the lyrics about puppets. That should distract them. If that doesn’t do it, wait until Jack sings about babies and tell them the song is about a baby puppet that ate too much sugar.  

“Wasting My Time”

The song is about a phone call. Remind your child they can call grandma or grandpa or whoever calms them down once they calm down.

“Cannon”

Another teaching song. Point out the bridge of the song, when they go into “John the Revelator,” how it’s like another song inside this song. Isn’t that neat? Did they know songs could sound so different in the same song? Did they know most everything in music has been lifted from blues musicians like Son House?

“Astro”

If your kid’s name is Jasper, Lily or Jackson, they’re going to love this song. If your kid has a mom, your kid will most likely enjoy this song about a dance, or whatever you want to make Astro about.

“Broken Bricks”

By the ninth song, the tantrum should be over. If not, lean into the chaos with one of the more chaotic songs on the record. Maybe the hardware Meg plays during the pre-choruses could be a distraction?

“When I Hear My Name”

What’s your child’s name? Have them say their name. Where’s your child’s face? Have them point to their face.

“Do”

Does your child ever feel sad? Well, this song about how sometimes people feel sad and helpless. And what is a tantrum but strong feelings of sadness and helplessness?

“Screwdriver”

The first song the band ever wrote begins with the singer letting the listener know it’s a Tuesday. Does your child know the days of the week? Maybe you can teach them the days of the week. If that doesn’t work, remind them the song is called screwdrivers. Toddlers love tools. If that doesn’t work, the outro is all about feelings. Remind them you’re listening to this record because they have big feelings.

“One More Cup of Coffee”

Toddlers want to do everything adults do. That includes drinking coffee. Ask your toddler how they like their coffee. Ask your toddler about their preferred Dylan era.

“Little People”

Come on, this is a nursery rhyme. Since every line repeats, have them repeat with Jack after the first and third lines of the each verse. Active listening, baby.

“Slicker Drips”

Focus on the lines, “A floor below me / A ceiling above,” and start asking questions about what’s below them and what’s above them. You may want to skip the last minute of the song, not because of any bad words, but because it gets a little hectic and loud and if you’re still dealing with a tantrum during song 15 of 17, you may want less sound. 

“St. James Infirmary Blues”

This song sure sounds different! Pianos are different than guitars! What other instruments sound like pianos? Does an accordion sound like a piano? Would your toddler like to listen to some Weird Al?

“I Fought Piranhas”

We’re closing with a song tangentially about water which is good enough to bring up bath time. Isn’t bath time nice? Baths are good for calming down. The nice slide guitar in this song and a nice bath should soothe any tantrum away. 

Hopefully this works. If not, there are five more child friendly albums in the Stripes’ catalogue that should make any kid a little more reasonable. 

Recommend If You Like is not owned or funded by a billionaire or even a millionaire. We do have a Patreon. Even sites owned by billionaires and millionaires have Patreons so please don’t hold that against us. And we’re paying all of our writers, photographers and graphic designers. So please consider our Patreon. If you can't afford to become a patron, please sign up to our mailing list. It's free and we're asking here instead of a pop-up. Pop-ups are annoying.