Misty Mountain Hop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Misty Mountain Hop" | ||
|---|---|---|
| ||
| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | ||
| Released | November 8 1971 | |
| Recorded | December 1970 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 4:38 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant/Jones | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| Led Zeppelin IV track listing | ||
| "Stairway to Heaven" (4) | "Misty Mountain Hop" (5) | "Four Sticks" (6) |
"Misty Mountain Hop" is a song from English rock band Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album, released in 1971. In the United States and Australia it was the B-side of the "Black Dog" single, but still received considerable FM radio airplay. It was recorded at Headley Grange, a mansion with a recording studio in Hampshire, England, where the band sometimes lived.
The lyrics mention an encounter with the police after getting stoned in the park, and leaving to go to the Misty Mountains ("where the spirits fly"), which seems to be a reference to J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Singer Robert Plant often reffered to the works of Tolkien in his lyrics.
Musically the song is a medium tempo rocker notable for the presence of layered guitar and keyboard parts—making it solidly melodic—and is driven by one of drummer John Bonham's most powerful recorded performances in the studio. The song features a memorable riff, on which Page and Jones harmonize using keyboard and guitar.
[edit] Trivia
- The real Misty Mountains are in Wales.
- The song begins with bassist John Paul Jones playing the electric piano.
- The band performed this song at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988 with Jason Bonham sitting in on drums for his late father. They played it again with Jason at Robert Plant's daughter's 21st birthday party in 1989.
- The Four Non Blondes recorded this for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. It was one of the last songs the Four Non Blondes recorded. They broke up while they were recording their second album.
[edit] 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
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
| Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III · Image:Zoso.svg (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out Door Live albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
