Immigrant Song

"Immigrant Song"
Dutch single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin III
B-side"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do"
Released5 November 1970 (1970-11-05)
RecordedMay–June 1970 (?); 29 May 1970[1]
StudioRolling Stones Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire; Olympic Sound Studios, London[1]
Genre
Length2:26
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin US singles chronology
"Whole Lotta Love"
(1969)
"Immigrant Song"
(1970)
"Black Dog"
(1971)
Audio sample

"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.[6] 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.

Though Led Zeppelin are typically regarded as an album-oriented group, "Immigrant Song" is one of the band's several hit singles.[7] The song's popularity has led to its inclusion in such compilation albums as Led Zeppelin Remasters (1990) and Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1 (1999).[7][8]

  1. ^ a b Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 168.
  2. ^ Hulett, Ralph; Prochnicky, Jerry (2011). Whole Lotta Led: Our Flight with Led Zeppelin. Kensington Publishing Corp. p. 114. ISBN 978-0-8065-3555-5. However, the opener, "Immigrant Song," set a standard for medieval imagery of Viking lust in hard rock.
  3. ^ "The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time: 7 – 'Immigrant Song' (1970)". Rolling Stone. 7 November 2012. Archived from the original on 22 November 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  4. ^ Popoff, Martin (2003). "Immigrant Song". The Top 500 Heavy Metal Songs of All Time. ECW Press. p. 76. ISBN 978-1-55022-530-3. The first Viking metal song ever, Immigrant Song might also be the first smudge of gothic rock evidenced by Plant's exotic pre-Dio vocal melodies which turn an almost casual, incidental song into a quickly attacking then evaporating classic.
  5. ^ Pitchfork Staff (22 August 2016). "The 200 Best Songs of the 1970s". Pitchfork. Retrieved 13 October 2022. ...Led Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" represents the first tick on the folk-metal timeline.
  6. ^ Curtis, James M. (1987). Rock Eras: Interpretations of Music and Society, 1954–1984. Popular Press. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-87972-369-9.
  7. ^ a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Led Zeppelin – Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2015.
  8. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin Remasters". AllMusic. Retrieved 10 September 2015.