The Crunge

"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. It was also released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in the US.

"The Crunge"
German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Houses of the Holy
A-side"D'yer Mak'er"
Released17 September 1973 (1973-09-17) (US)
Recorded1972
StudioHeadley Grange, Headley, England
GenreFunk rock
Length3:10
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Over the Hills and Far Away"
(1973)		 "The Crunge"
(1973)		 "Trampled Under Foot"
(1975)

Composition and recording

The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. John Bonham started the beat, John Paul Jones came in on bass, Jimmy Page played a funk guitar riff (and a chord sequence that he had been experimenting with since 1970), and Robert Plant started singing.[1][2] For the recording of this track, Page played on a Fender Stratocaster guitar and it is possible to hear him depressing a whammy bar at the end of each phrase.[1]

This song is a play on James Brown's style of funk in the same way that "D'yer Mak'er" (which it backed on a single release) experiments with reggae.[2] Since most of Brown's earlier studio recordings were done live with almost no rehearsal time, he often gave directions to the band in-song e.g. "take it to the bridge" – the bridge of the song. Robert Plant pays tribute to this at the end by asking "Where's that confounded bridge?" (spoken, just as the song finishes abruptly since the song doesn't contain a bridge). Jones considers this to be one of his favourite Led Zeppelin songs.[3]

Performances

Prior to 1975, "The Crunge" was only heard live at Led Zeppelin concerts during the band's "Whole Lotta Love" medley and their 1972 tour version of "Dazed and Confused". One example of this arrangement is presented on the live album How the West Was Won, where it also appears with "Walter's Walk" on a 25-minute medley. However, on the 1975 tour of the United States the song was performed almost entirely several times, in the funk jam that would link "Whole Lotta Love" and "Black Dog" at the end of the concert.

Reception

In a contemporary review for Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Crunge" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "D'yer Mak'er", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted.[4] Fletcher further wrote "The Crunge" "reproduces James Brown so faithfully that it's every bit as boring, repetitive and cliched as "Good Foot". Yakety-yak guitar, boom-boom bass, astoundingly idiotic lyrics ("when she walks, she walks, and when she talks, she talks") — it's all there. So is Jones' synthesizer, spinning absolutely superfluous electronic fills."[4]

Cover versions
Main article: List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs
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References
  1. Interview with Jimmy Page; Guitar World magazine, 1993
  2. Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
  3. Long, Andy (March 2002). "Get The Led Out". Global Bass Online. Retrieved 2008-03-17.
  4. Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
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