The meaning behind The White Stripes Icky Thump

When Jack White was married to British model Karen Elson, he heard her use the term “ecky thump.”

“What does that mean?” he asked. She replied that it was a Northern English term that translates as “what the heck.”

He thought that was pretty cool and wrote a pro-immigrant song that he called “Icky Thump.” Why the change in spelling? Largely because “icky” means, well, “icky,” a word more familiar to American audiences. It worked and the song won a Grammy in 2007.

One more thing. There was once a British comedy show called The Goodies which featured a skit called “Ecky Thump.” It featured a new martial art fighting style that involved attacking an opponent with a blood pudding. One British viewer found it so funny that he actually died laughing after seeing it on TV.

Be careful watching the original clip.