The Raconteurs: Steady, As She Goes

The Raconteurs: Steady, As She Goes is an infectious pop rock tune that announced the band's emergence on the music scene in 2006.

Band Lineup and History

The Raconteurs is made up of Jack White, Brendan Benson, Jack Lawrence, and Patrick Keeler. White and Benson share vocal and guitar duties, with Lawrence on bass and backing vocals, and Keeler on drums/percussion. White and Benson also contribute synthesizers and keyboards respectively.

The Raconteurs first gained notice because of band member Jack White. As part of The White Stripes, and the duo's creative lead, he is a popular figure in modern garage rock. However, he also shows his musical diversity with projects such as producing and performing on Loretta Lynn's 2004 country release Van Lear Rose.

However, the band is more a gathering of friends than a Jack White side project. It all began when White and Benson collaborated on the song that became "Steady As She Goes." Realizing they had stumbled on something interesting, they gathered Lawrence and Keeler to round out the band. With everyone involved in other bands and musical projects, they recorded whenever they found a spare moment in 2005.

"Steady As She Goes" was the first single off the band's 2006 album Broken Boy Soldiers. The band released their second album, Consolers of the Lonely, in early 2008. In a unique marketing move, the band announced the release only a week before it appeared in stores and on download sites. In addition, this date was less than a month after the album was finished in its entirety. The band claimed that they wanted fans to have access to the album as quickly as possible and also to give them a chance to listen to the songs without any preconceived notions caused by marketing and reviews.

In Australia, the band is known as The Saboteurs, due to a conflict with a band already performing under the name The Raconteurs.

Enjoying The Raconteurs: Steady, As She Goes

Lyrics

You can find music lyrics for the song at most popular lyrics sites, such as elyrics.net and A-Z Lyrics Universe. SongMeanings also includes a discussion of the song in an open comments section.

CD and Vinyl

Broken Boy Soldiers is currently out of print, so if you're looking to purchase the entire album, you will need to search for remaining copies at stores or find it used. Amazon also stocks import versions of the CD. For vinyl fans, "Steady As She Goes" was also released as a seven-inch single. Tower Records stocks this release, or you should be able to find it at local music stores specializing in vinyl.

MP3 and Streaming Audio

• Listen to the entire album at Rhapsody, Download.com, and mp3.com.
• Download the single at iTunes.
• eMusic offers an acoustic version of the track.

Video

There were two music videos produced for The Raconteurs: Steady, As She Goes. One version was directed by The Malloys, and provides an inventive take on childhood diversions. As they perform the track, the band members participate in an old-fashioned soapbox derby, mixing adult characters and a childish setting. Clothing choices, a classic good-versus-evil storyline with antics straight out of old-fashioned melodramas, and a yellowish tone to the film give the entire piece a nostalgic feel. Small details, such as an IV of Kool-Aid for an injured driver and Paul Reubens as a nefarious pit crew member, add to the fun. The second video directed by Jim Jarmusch is a more traditional clip featuring the band performing the song. However, it still has a distinctive look, with a grainy, hand-held home video feel and an old farmhouse locale. Both versions of the video are featured on The Raconteurs website and MySpace page. The online version of Rolling Stone magazine also offers a video recording of a live version of the song.