Celebration Day

Last updated
"Celebration Day"
Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin III
Released5 October 1970 (1970-10-05)
RecordedMay–June 1970 (?); 3 June 1970 [1]
Studio Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire; Olympic Sound Studios, London [1]
Genre
Length3:29
Label Atlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Jimmy Page

"Celebration Day" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, and the third track from their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III . The band's last concert film and album, released on 19 November 2012, took their name from this song.

Contents

Composition and recording

The song starts with guitar chords played over a monotonic drone created by a synthesiser. This connects the song musically with the preceding track on the album, "Friends", which ends with the same drone. Originally, one of John Bonham's drum tracks was to be used in the intro of "Celebration Day", but an engineer accidentally erased the recording. Unable or unwilling to re-record it, they used the synthesizer drone from the end of "Friends" to fill up the gap. [4] The recording took place at Headley Grange, England, with the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio.

Robert Plant's lyrics were inspired by his initial impressions of New York City. On Zeppelin's 1971 concert tour of the United States, he would sometimes introduce it as "The New York Song". "Celebration Day" was often played live in Led Zeppelin concerts from 1971 to 1973, and was returned to the band's setlist at the Knebworth Festival in 1979, where Page performed the song using his Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar. [5]

Record producer Rick Rubin has said of the song: "["Celebration Day"] feels like a freight train, even though it's not one of their heavier songs. There's tremendous momentum in the way they play together. The bass playing is beyond incredible and the guitars interact really well—there's a heavy-riffing guitar, which is answered by a funky guitar." [6]

Other versions

A live version of the song from the band's 1973 U.S. tour was recorded and included on their concert soundtrack The Song Remains the Same . The album's accompanying film of the same name, released in 1976, did not include a live video of "Celebration Day". However, when the album and the film were reissued in 2007 (the latter in DVD format), both featured the song. This reissued version is slightly different from the one that was included on the 1976 album, in particular featuring a different guitar solo.

Page performed "Celebration Day" on his tour with the Black Crowes in 1999, and another version performed by them can be found on the album Live at the Greek .

Reception

In a contemporary review of Led Zeppelin III, Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone described "Celebration Day", along with "Out on the Tiles", as "production-line Zep churners that no fan could fault and no one else could even hear without an effort." [7]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: [1]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Misty Mountain Hop</span> 1971 song by Led Zeppelin

"Misty Mountain Hop" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin that was released in 1971 by Atlantic Records. The song appears on the band's untitled fourth album, and was released as the B-side to the single "Black Dog" and performed in most of the band's 1972 and 1973 concert tours. In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 10 on its list of the 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs.

"Going to California" is a ballad recorded by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on their untitled fourth album in 1971.

"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.

"Since I've Been Loving You" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1970 on the album Led Zeppelin III.

"No Quarter" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin that appears on their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. It was written by John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant. The song became a centerpiece at all Led Zeppelin concerts thereafter, until their final tour. It appears in both the film versions and both live album versions of The Song Remains the Same, released in 1976 and expanded in 2007. It appeared once more in 1994 on Page and Plant's reunion album as the title track. It also appears on Led Zeppelin's 2012 live album Celebration Day, which documented their 2007 reunion performance at the O2 Arena in London. It was re-released on the deluxe edition of Houses of the Holy.

"The Rover" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin written by guitarist Jimmy Page and singer Robert Plant. Although mostly recorded years earlier, it was released on the group's 1975 double album, Physical Graffiti.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ocean (Led Zeppelin song)</span> 1973 song by Led Zeppelin

"The Ocean" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The ocean is a metaphor for the "sea of heads" faced by lead singer Robert Plant "in the auditoriums", according to the group's biographer Dave Lewis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Immigrant Song</span> 1970 song by Led Zeppelin

"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is built upon a repeating riff and features lyrical references to Norse mythology, with singer Robert Plant's howling vocals mentioning war-making and Valhalla. The song was included on their 1970 album, Led Zeppelin III and released as a single. Several live recordings have also been issued on various Led Zeppelin albums. Other artists have recorded renditions of the song or performed it live.

"In the Light" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was composed primarily by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones on synthesiser, though singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page also received songwriting credits.

"The Rain Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released in March 1973 as the second track on their fifth album, Houses of the Holy.

"Carouselambra" is the fifth song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. The title refers to the first section of the song that has similarities to carousel music. At more than 10 minutes in length, the song is the second-longest the band recorded in the studio. John Paul Jones' synthesizers dominate the song, with Jimmy Page's guitar playing a supporting role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dancing Days</span> 1973 single by Led Zeppelin

"Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, and was released as a single in the US. It was recorded at Stargroves, England in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard while traveling in Bombay. This was the first track from the album to be offered for radio play by Atlantic Records. It was premiered on 24 March 1973 on the BBC Radio One Rosko lunch time show.

"All My Love" is the sixth song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. Credited to Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, it is a rock ballad that features a synthesizer solo by Jones. It was written in honour of Plant's son Karac, who died while Led Zeppelin were on their 1977 North American tour.

"That's the Way" is a folk rock ballad by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970. As with several of the tracks on the album, it is an acoustic song.

"Thank You" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their second studio album Led Zeppelin II (1969). It was written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and produced by Page.

"Friends" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant in 1970 at Bron-Yr-Aur, a small cottage in Wales where they stayed after completing a concert tour of the United States. The song was released on Led Zeppelin III (1970), where it appears as the second track. Biographer Stephen Davis called the piece "Jimmy's [Page's] last stab at psychedelia".

"The Wanton Song" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their sixth studio album, 1975's Physical Graffiti. It was developed from a jam session during rehearsals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bron-Y-Aur Stomp</span> 1970 song by Led Zeppelin

"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a song recorded by English rock band Led Zeppelin for their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970.

"In the Evening" is the first song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. Guitarist Jimmy Page uses a Gizmotron to create the droning effects and sliding solo at the beginning of the song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Good Times Bad Times</span> 1969 single by Led Zeppelin

"Good Times Bad Times" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song was Led Zeppelin's first single released in the US, where it reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 176.
  2. ↑ Dimery, Robert; Lydon, Michael (23 March 2010). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die (Revised and Updated ed.). Universe. ISBN   978-0-7893-2074-2.
  3. ↑ Shadwick, Keith (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980 (1st ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. pp.  133–134. ISBN   0-87930-871-0.
  4. ↑ Interview with Jimmy Page Archived August 9, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , Guitar World magazine, 1993
  5. ↑ Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN   0-7119-3528-9.
  6. ↑ The Playlist Special: Fifty Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10s Archived December 11, 2010, at the Wayback Machine . Rolling Stone . Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  7. ↑ Bangs, Lester (26 November 1970). "Led Zeppelin III". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 13 August 2017.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.