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Misty Mountain Hop
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Misty Mountain Hop" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
from the album  (Led Zeppelin IV) |
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| Released | November 8, 1971 | |
| Recorded | December 1970 – March 1971 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 4:38 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant/Jones | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| (Led Zeppelin IV) track listing |
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| "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 most common interpretation of the lyrics (as they are somewhat vague) of the song mention an encounter with the police after smoking marijuana 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. References to the work of Tolkien also exist in several other Led Zeppelin songs, such as "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp," "Ramble On," and "The Battle of Evermore."
Musically the song is a medium tempo rocker which begins with bassist John Paul Jones playing the electric piano. It is 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 recording studio. The song features a memorable riff, on which Page and Jones harmonize using keyboard and guitar. This repeating riff, heard on the bass guitar, is based on the notes A G E. At 2:11, in the second half of the second verse, the band erroneously falls out of sync with one another. However, the band liked the result of the "mistake" so much they left it in.
"Misty Mountain Hop" was regularly played live at Led Zeppelin concerts from 1971 through 1973, often linking directly into "Since I've Been Loving You" (as can be seen on the Led Zeppelin DVD). It was also played at the band's Copenhagen and Knebworth performances in 1979. The surviving members of the band additionally performed the song at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988 with Jason Bonham sitting in on drums for his late father, and again with Jason at Robert Plant's daughter's 21st birthday party the following year.
The 4 Non Blondes recorded this for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. It was one of the last songs the 4 Non Blondes recorded. They broke up while they were recording their second album.
- 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 |
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| Jimmy Page • Robert Plant • John Paul Jones • John Bonham
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin • Led Zeppelin II • Led Zeppelin III • Live albums: The Song Remains the Same • BBC Sessions • How the West Was Won Compilations: Box Set • Profiled • Remasters • Box Set 2 • Complete Studio Recordings • Early Days: Best of Led Zeppelin Volume One • Latter Days: Best of Led Zeppelin Volume Two • Coda The Song Remains the Same • Led Zeppelin DVD Peter Grant • Richard Cole • Swan Song Records • The Yardbirds • XYZ • The Firm • Page and Plant • Strange Sensation • Bootlegs • Concerts • Songs |
