The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes

APR 24 2006 · 12:00

The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs - Steady, As She Goes (2006) Director: The Malloys (Brendan Malloy & Emmett Malloy) Era: Mid-2000s Garage Rock Revival (2006) - Peak era of the Detroit-rooted garage rock resurgence; indie rock supergroups commanding mainstream attention via V2 Records and Third Man, bridging raw analog aesthetics with early HD video production. High curatorial value as the more commercially oriented of two confirmed official videos for one of the defining alternative rock singles of 2006. The Malloy Version is the narrative counterpart to Jim Jarmusch's austere performance clip, together they form a uniquely well-documented dual-artifact for a #1 Modern Rock hit. The Malloys' subsequent Grammy-nominated work within the Jack White universe (White Stripes documentary, 2009) makes this video a foundational document in a verifiable long-term creative relationship. Essential for any archive covering mid-2000s alternative rock video production, Detroit rock crossover aesthetics, or The Malloys' directorial career. Context: Released in 2006 as the debut single from The Raconteurs' debut album Broken Boy Soldiers, 'Steady, As She Goes' arrived at the height of the garage rock revival led by Jack White's broader ecosystem. The song reached number one on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and number four in both the UK and Denmark, and was named the second best song of 2006 by Rolling Stone. Two official videos were commissioned, a performance-focused version by filmmaker Jim Jarmusch and this narrative-comedy version by The Malloys, signaling the cultural weight the label and band placed on the single's visual rollout. The Malloy Version's use of theatrical soapbox racing and campy Americana archetypes reflects a mid-2000s indie rock appetite for playful, high-concept visual narratives that avoided post-grunge earnestness. Director notes: This is the second of two official music videos for 'Steady, As She Goes,' designated the 'Malloy Version.' The video features the band members as imaginary speed-racing heroes competing in an old-fashioned soapbox race. The Malloys' prior relationship with the Jack White universe is documented, they later directed the 2009 Grammy-nominated White Stripes documentary 'Under Great White Northern Lights,' suggesting an ongoing creative partnership with White's orbit. The narrative-comedy approach is consistent with the Malloys' established style of high-energy, character-driven storytelling. Runtime of 232s (~3m52s) aligns with the single's known runtime.