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.
© 2024 Corus Radio, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
Ad Choices