The Song Remains the Same (song)
"The Song Remains the Same" | |
---|---|
Song by Led Zeppelin | |
from the album Houses of the Holy | |
Released | 28 March 1973 |
Recorded | 1972 |
Studio | Stargroves, East Woodhay, England |
Genre | Rock |
Length | 5:24 |
Label | Atlantic |
Songwriter(s) | |
Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
Audio sample | |
"The Song Remains the Same" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track from their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy.
Composition
The song was originally an instrumental with the working title "The Overture".[1] After singer Robert Plant added lyrics, it was temporarily known as "The Campaign" before becoming "The Song Remains the Same".[2] In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, guitarist Jimmy Page discussed the song's construction:
It was originally going to be an instrumental – an overture that led into "The Rain Song". But I guess Robert had different ideas. You know, "This is pretty good, Better get some lyrics – quick!" [laughs] ... I had all the beginning material together, and Robert suggested that we break down into half-time in the middle. After we figured out that we were going to break it down, the song came together in a day ... I always had a cassette recorder around. That's how both "The Song Remains the Same" and "Stairway" came together – from bits of taped ideas.[3]
Plant's vocal track was slightly sped up for the album release.
Performance and releases
The band first performed this song live on their
"The Song Remains the Same" was featured on Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert film (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of Plant's fantasy sequence. The title of the song was used as the title of both the film and the album.
"The Song Remains The Same (Guitar Overdub Reference Mix)", an instrumental version of the song, appears on the second disc of the remastered 2-CD deluxe edition of Houses of the Holy. It was recorded on 18 May 1972, at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at Stargroves, with engineer Eddie Kramer and mix engineer George Chkiantz. It runs 5:30, while the original runs 5:24.
Reception
In a contemporary review of Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Song Remains the Same" a mixed review, writing that the track is "the only other tune [on the album, except for "The Ocean"] approaching the Zep's past triumphs" and "works solely as a vehicle for Page's guitar antics".[4]
In a retrospective review of
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[6]
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – electric guitars (six- and twelve-string)
- John Paul Jones – bass
- John Bonham – drums
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "The Song Remains the Same" entries
References
- ^ Dave Schulps, Interview with Jimmy Page Archived 2011-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Trouser Press, October 1977.
- ^ ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ a b Interview with Jimmy Page Archived 2011-08-07 at the Wayback Machine, Guitar World magazine, 1993
- ^ Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Lenz, Kristofer (3 November 2014). "Led Zeppelin – Houses of the Holy [Reissue]". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
- ^ Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 314.
Bibliography
- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.