Tangerine (Led Zeppelin song)
| "Tangerine" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin from the album Led Zeppelin III | ||||
| Released | 5 October 1970 | |||
| Recorded | May - August 1970 | |||
| Genre | Folk rock | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Writer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin III track listing | ||||
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"Tangerine" is a folk rock song composed by Jimmy Page and performed by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.
Like several Led Zeppelin tunes written by Page, it has its origins in an old Yardbirds song, in this instance an unreleased composition entitled "Knowing That I'm Losing You".[1] The Yardbirds version features different lyrics, with the exception of the verse that begins with "Measuring a summer's day."
The track has an acoustic country flavor courtesy of the pedal steel guitar playing of Page.[1][2] The song begins with a false start, after which Page pauses to set the right tempo. Throughout its duration, the song continually changes tempo a few bars at a time while the lyrics fondly recall love and contentedness. This was the second-to-last Led Zeppelin song Page wrote without any input from Robert Plant. ("Bron-Yr-Aur" from Physical Graffiti was the last.)
The song uses a simple double track vocal pattern to create a recognisable lilting feel. The song uses a standard Am G D C progression for the verses before moving on to G C D progression for the chorus.
"Tangerine" was often played live at Led Zeppelin concerts as part of the band's acoustic set from 1971 through 1972, and was revived for the Earls Court shows of 1975.[1] At these latter performances, Page played the song on his Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar. During the 1975 concert at the Earls Court, Plant said that "Tangerine" is "a song of love in its most...innocent stages".[3]
This was the second Led Zeppelin song to be named after a fruit, the first being "The Lemon Song".
Contents |
[edit] Personnel
- Robert Plant - vocals
- Jimmy Page - twelve-string guitar, pedal steel guitar
- John Paul Jones - bass guitar, mandolin
- John Bonham - drums
[edit] Legacy
"Tangerine" appears in the movie Almost Famous, and can be heard during the final scene of the movie.
Tangerine was performed by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds numerous times throughout the 1990s. Kevin Hewick often features Tangerine in the cover version section of his extended live sets.
[edit] Cover versions
- 1993: When Skip Jack Tripped (The Song Retains the Same II)
- 1995: Rebecca's Empire
- 1995: Big Head Todd and the Monsters (Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 1997: Life of Agony (Soul Searching Sun)
- 1999: Great White (Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 2002: The Section (The String Quartet Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Vol. 2)
- 2004: Benjamin Levine (Chamber Maid: The Baroque Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 2004: Classic Rock String Quartet (The Led Zeppelin Chamber Suite: A Classic Rock Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 2006: Marek Stycos (Godbody VI: the Dogleg)
- 2007: The Thermals (Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation)
[edit] 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
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ Steven Rosen, 1977 Jimmy Page Interview, Modern Guitars, May 25, 2007 (originally published in the July 1977, issue of Guitar Player magazine).
- ^ Led Zeppelin DVD(2003).
[edit] External links
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