Led Zeppelin: Bring It On Home
Led Zeppelin, ‘Bring it On Home’
Led Zeppelin’s ‘Bring it on Home’ was released in 1969 as the somewhat monstrous concluding track of their album ‘Led Zeppelin 2’. Led Zeppelin are undoubtedly one of the most legendary and most famous rock bands in history; created by the former member of the yard birds Jimmy Page in 1968, the band have sold 111.5 million certified units in the US and over 200 million records worldwide. At the closing of this decade, a time when the prominent racial segregation was on the road to resolution, it has been disputed by rock fans young and old and through numerous court cases that certain material from Zeppelin’s work was plagiarised from black blues artists prior to the bands formation. ‘Bring it on Home’ is a …show more content…
‘Whole Lotta Love’ for instance, has undeniable correlation to the Muddy Waters song ‘You Need Love’. Even the opening lyrics, Zeppelin’s opening lyrics: “You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin' I'm gonna send ya back to schoolin’” are obviously hugely identifiable to the Muddy Waters lyrics: “I ain't foolin' you need schoolin' Baby you know you need coolin'”. This similarity between the two continues through the entirety of the song. Also on the album, we see the same story with “Lemon Song”, in which the first, second and fourth verses are undoubtedly lifted from Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killin’ Floor’ and ‘Moby Dick’ where the guitar riff driving the song is analogous to Bobby Parker’s song ‘Watch Your Step’ released in 1961. Led Zeppelin failed to credit these writers, and as a result these circumstances have been referred to as ‘an indelible blemish on the band's legacy’. In fact Rolling Stone ridiculed the album, accusing the band of ‘robbing authentic bluesman royalties’ and implied that ‘heavy white blues like theirs was best listened to in a stupor induced by mescaline’ (Steven Davis, Led Zeppelin Hammer of the Gods, p.100). ‘Bring it on Home’ epitomises these opposing forces in its obvious distinction between the almost too …show more content…
(2011). Led Zeppelin Triumphs at London Reunion Show. Available: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047094/led-zeppelin-triumphs-at-london- reunion-show. Last accessed 2013.
Davis, Stephen. Hammer of the Gods, Led Zeppelin unauthorized (2008). Pan Macmillan Publishers: pan books.
Glen, Jeffery, Led Zeppelin/ Jimmy Page Plagiarism (2006). Available: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Led-Zeppelin-501/f/Jimmy-Page-Plagiarism.htm. Last accessed 2013.
Grohl, Dave, Led Zeppelin (2013) http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest- artists-of-all-time-19691231/led-zeppelin-20110419. Last accessed 2013
Lewes, Luke. Been Caught Stealing-A Brief History of Plagiarism Rock (2008). Available: http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=121&title=love_and_theft_a_brief_history_o f_plagia&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. Last accessed 5th mar 2013.
NME, Led Zeppelin Biography (2012). Available: http://www.nme.com/artists/led- zeppelin#reviews. Last accessed
Led Zeppelin’s ‘Bring it on Home’ was released in 1969 as the somewhat monstrous concluding track of their album ‘Led Zeppelin 2’. Led Zeppelin are undoubtedly one of the most legendary and most famous rock bands in history; created by the former member of the yard birds Jimmy Page in 1968, the band have sold 111.5 million certified units in the US and over 200 million records worldwide. At the closing of this decade, a time when the prominent racial segregation was on the road to resolution, it has been disputed by rock fans young and old and through numerous court cases that certain material from Zeppelin’s work was plagiarised from black blues artists prior to the bands formation. ‘Bring it on Home’ is a …show more content…
‘Whole Lotta Love’ for instance, has undeniable correlation to the Muddy Waters song ‘You Need Love’. Even the opening lyrics, Zeppelin’s opening lyrics: “You need coolin', baby, I'm not foolin' I'm gonna send ya back to schoolin’” are obviously hugely identifiable to the Muddy Waters lyrics: “I ain't foolin' you need schoolin' Baby you know you need coolin'”. This similarity between the two continues through the entirety of the song. Also on the album, we see the same story with “Lemon Song”, in which the first, second and fourth verses are undoubtedly lifted from Howlin’ Wolf’s ‘Killin’ Floor’ and ‘Moby Dick’ where the guitar riff driving the song is analogous to Bobby Parker’s song ‘Watch Your Step’ released in 1961. Led Zeppelin failed to credit these writers, and as a result these circumstances have been referred to as ‘an indelible blemish on the band's legacy’. In fact Rolling Stone ridiculed the album, accusing the band of ‘robbing authentic bluesman royalties’ and implied that ‘heavy white blues like theirs was best listened to in a stupor induced by mescaline’ (Steven Davis, Led Zeppelin Hammer of the Gods, p.100). ‘Bring it on Home’ epitomises these opposing forces in its obvious distinction between the almost too …show more content…
(2011). Led Zeppelin Triumphs at London Reunion Show. Available: http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1047094/led-zeppelin-triumphs-at-london- reunion-show. Last accessed 2013.
Davis, Stephen. Hammer of the Gods, Led Zeppelin unauthorized (2008). Pan Macmillan Publishers: pan books.
Glen, Jeffery, Led Zeppelin/ Jimmy Page Plagiarism (2006). Available: http://en.allexperts.com/q/Led-Zeppelin-501/f/Jimmy-Page-Plagiarism.htm. Last accessed 2013.
Grohl, Dave, Led Zeppelin (2013) http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/100-greatest- artists-of-all-time-19691231/led-zeppelin-20110419. Last accessed 2013
Lewes, Luke. Been Caught Stealing-A Brief History of Plagiarism Rock (2008). Available: http://www.nme.com/blog/index.php?blog=121&title=love_and_theft_a_brief_history_o f_plagia&more=1&c=1&tb=1&pb=1. Last accessed 5th mar 2013.
NME, Led Zeppelin Biography (2012). Available: http://www.nme.com/artists/led- zeppelin#reviews. Last accessed