Hey, Hey, What Can I Do

"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do"
Single by Led Zeppelin
A-side	"Immigrant Song"
Released	5 November 1970
Format	Seven-inch 45 rpm record
Recorded	Island Studios, London July 1970[1]
Genre	Folk rock[1]
Length	3:55
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Whole Lotta Love" / "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" (1969) "Immigrant Song" / "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" (1970) "Black Dog" / "Misty Mountain Hop" (1971)
Coda track listing "White Summer"/ "Black Mountain Side" (11) "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" (12)

"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin, released in 1970 as the B-side of "Immigrant Song" outside the United Kingdom.

It is the only non-album track the band released before their 1980 breakup, appearing on the Atlantic Records UK various artists LP, The New Age of Atlantic, released in 1972.^[1] The song was first released on CD in September 1990 on the 4-CD Led Zeppelin Boxed Set collection.^[2]

Initial 7" single pressings of the song featured a slightly longer, gradual fade that ends abruptly when the tape is turned off. Subsequent pressings had a quicker fade, presumably to avoid the sudden end. This is the version that has been featured on every CD release prior to 2015. The 2015 expanded edition of Coda features an even shorter fade, excising the acoustic guitar fadeout altogether. It is possible that the master tape for the song has been lost or damaged, and that every CD release has been mastered from a clean vinyl re-pressing of the 45. This could explain the absence of the original, full tag on an official digital release.

In 1992, as a 20th anniversary release, "Immigrant Song"/"Hey, Hey What Can I Do" was released as a "vinyl replica" CD single. In 1993, "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" was included on The Complete Studio Recordings 10-CD box set, as one of four bonus tracks on the Coda disc as well as the subsequent 12-CD Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection box set released in 2008. In 2015, the song was also included on disc one of the two companion discs of the reissue of Coda.

In 2007, Led Zeppelin released the track online along with the rest of their back catalogue, as a bonus track on Led Zeppelin III. The song was also released as the B-side of the "Stairway to Heaven" 7" 45 RPM picture disc.

The song was never performed at a Led Zeppelin concert, however Page and Plant did perform the song on the accompanying tour for their 1994 live album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. Page also performed the song with The Black Crowes for their 2000 album Live at the Greek.

Personnel

• John Bonham – drums, backing vocals
• John Paul Jones – bass guitar, mandolin, acoustic guitar
• Jimmy Page – guitars, zither, backing vocals
• Robert Plant – vocals

Cover versions

References

1. Kevin Courtright (1 September 2009). Back to Schoolin'. Xulon Press. pp. 228–. ISBN 978-1-61579-045-6.
2. Nigel Williamson (2 August 2007). The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin. Rough Guides Limited. pp. 214–. ISBN 978-1-84353-841-7.

Sources

• Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
• The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9