Song · The White Stripes
“I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself” by The White Stripes
From the album Elephant (2003)
“I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself” by The White Stripes appears on 21 radio countdowns from 14 stations between 2003 and 2024. It was first released in 2003 on the album Elephant. Its best result is #26 on the WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004. In the combined RockLists rankings it is the #87 alternative song of 2004 and #1,592 alternative song of all time.
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On Elephant, their 2003 album, Jack and Meg White took a detour into the Burt Bacharach and Hal David songbook and came back with "I Just Don't Know What to Do With Myself", a heartbreak number the pair had written back in 1962 during their Brill Building days. Jack produced it himself and mixed it with Liam Watson, with Miti Adhikari recording.
The White Stripes strip it to the bone and then set the bones on fire: Jack's guitar lurching between a hush and a roar, a touch of his piano, Meg's drums stomping underneath, and both of them singing. Jack howls the title like he honestly doesn't have an answer, and the old torch song comes out sounding bruised, lonely and loud.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
Indie & Adult Alternative
All Rock Formats
Year-end countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 37 | K-Rock New York, NY | K-Rock Top 92.3 Songs of 2003 | 92 |
| 2003 | 63 (tie) | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2003 | 196 |
| 2003 | 93 | Triple J Australia (national) | Triple J Hottest 100 of 2003 | 100 |
| 2004 | 47 | KROQ Los Angeles, CA | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 2004 | 107 |
| 2004 | 78 | 91X San Diego, CA / Tijuana | 91X Top 91 Songs of 2004 | 91 |
| 2004 | 45 | Q101 Chicago, IL | Q101 Top 101 Songs of 2004 | 101 |
| 2004 | 26 | WFNX Boston, MA | WFNX Top 100 Songs of 2004 | 100 |
| 2004 | 65 | 107.7 The End Seattle, WA | The End Top 77 Songs of 2004 | 77 |
| 2004 | 89 | Y100 Philadelphia, PA | Y100 Top 100 Songs of 2004 | 99 |
| 2004 | 102 | CFNY 102.1 The Edge Toronto, ON | CFNY Top 102 Songs of 2004 | 102 |
| 2004 | 64 | The Buzz Burlington, VT / Plattsburgh, NY / Montreal, QC | The Buzz Top 99 Songs of 2004 | 99 |
| 2004 | 82 (tie) | WBER Rochester, NY | WBER Listener Countdown 2004 | 227 |
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 288 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2008 Songs of All-Time (December 2007) | 2008 |
| 2008 | 304 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2009 Songs of All-Time (December 2008) | 2009 |
| 2009 | 308 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2010 Songs of All-Time (December 2009) | 2010 |
| 2010 | 322 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2011 Songs of All-Time (December 2010) | 2011 |
| 2011 | 329 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2012 Songs of All-Time (December 2011) | 2011 |
| 2013 | 335 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2013 Songs of All-Time (December 2013) | 2012 |
| 2014 | 337 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2014 Songs of All-Time (2014) | 2013 |
| 2022 | 599 | 90.9 The Bridge | 90.9 The Bridge Top 909 Songs of the 2000s | 907 |
| 2024 | 737 | The Colorado Sound | The Colorado Sound Top 850 Cover Songs | 850 |
Also listed as: I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself; I Just Don't Know What to Do with Myself.
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