Black Country Woman
| "Black Country Woman" | ||||||||||
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| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||||||||
| from the album Physical Graffiti | ||||||||||
| A-side | "Trampled Under Foot" | |||||||||
| Released | 2 April 1975 | |||||||||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||||||||
| Genre | ||||||||||
| Length | 4:24 | |||||||||
| Label | Swan Song (no. 70102) | |||||||||
| Writer(s) | Jimmy Page, Robert Plant | |||||||||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||||||||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||||||||
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"Black Country Woman" is the fourteenth song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1975 album Physical Graffiti. It was originally intended to be part of the Houses of the Holy album, which had been released two years earlier.
Recording and production
"Black Country Woman" was an acoustic song recorded in the back garden of Stargroves manor house, in 1972 (around the same time as "D'yer Mak'er").[3] At the beginning of the track, recording engineer Eddie Kramer can be heard saying, "Shall we roll it Jimmy? We're rolling on what, one, no, one again." followed by saying "Don't want to get this airplane on" about an aeroplane which is heard flying overhead, to which Robert Plant replies "Nah, leave it, yeah."[4]
Recording outdoors proved to be difficult. On one occasion at Headley Grange when Plant tried to go outside to sing the song in the quadrangle, he was attacked by a flock of angry geese.[3]
Original title
Originally the song was subtitled "Never Ending Doubting Woman Blues." This was a reference to a final spoken tag left off the finished version which had Plant proclaiming "What's the matter with you mama, never-ending, nagging, doubting woman blues.[3] 'Black Country' refers to the area near to Birmingham in which Robert Plant and John Bonham were brought up.
Live performances
"Black Country Woman" was played live at Led Zeppelin concerts only when it was merged into a medley with "Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp" on the band's concert tour of the United States in 1977. For this arrangement, John Paul Jones played an upright bass. It was played in full form only once — at Seattle, Washington on 19 June in 1972. Plant has performed the song on his solo tours, as well as with Alison Krauss during their tour supporting the duo's album Raising Sand[5] and while touring with Band of Joy.
Formats and track listings
See "Trampled Under Foot" single.
Personnel
- Robert Plant - vocals, harmonica
- Jimmy Page - guitars
- John Paul Jones - mandolin
- John Bonham - drums
Cover versions
Sources
- Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
References
- ↑ Shadwick, Keith (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980 (1st ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 233. ISBN 0-87930-871-0.
- ↑ Nigel Williamson (2 August 2007). The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin. Rough Guides Limited. p. 179. ISBN 978-1-84836-226-0. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
- 1 2 3 Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20140501232605/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/song-stories/black-country-woman-led-zeppelin
- ↑ "Music Review - Robert Plant and Alison Krauss Find Harmony in Tension, New York Times, Nate Chinen, June 12, 2008". The New York Times. 2008-06-12. Retrieved 2010-04-26.
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