Trampled Under Foot

"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin. A funk-influenced piece with John Paul Jones on clavinet, it was included on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song saw release as a single in several countries and was frequently performed in concert.

For the American band, see Trampled Under Foot (band).

"Trampled Under Foot"
Netherlands single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Physical Graffiti
B-side"Black Country Woman"
Released2 April 1975 (1975-04-02) (US)
RecordedJanuary-February 1974
Studio
Genre
Length5:38
LabelSwan Song
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"D'yer Mak'er"
(1973)		 "Trampled Under Foot"
(1975)		 "Candy Store Rock"
(1976)
Audio sample
  • file
  • help

Lyrics

The lyrics were inspired by blues musician Robert Johnson's 1936 song "Terraplane Blues".[4] A Terraplane is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex—"pump your gas", "rev all night", etc. The themes of these songs however differ; "Terraplane Blues" is about infidelity, while "Trampled Under Foot" is about giving in to sexual temptation.[5]

Production

The song evolved out of a jam session in 1972 and is credited to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.[6] Much rehearsal went into perfecting the relentless semi-funk riff that dominates this song.[4] John Paul Jones has credited Stevie Wonder with the inspiration for the beat ("Superstition", 1972), which he played on a clavinet.[4][7] Page played wah-wah and, as producer, employed reverse echo on the recording.[4][8]

Reception

Billboard described "Trampled Under Foot" as "the most commercial single [Led Zeppelin] put together in several years" and as having "a powerful staccatto beat."[9]

Brandy & Coke

A rough mix of the track with less overdubbing was titled "'Brandy & Coke' (Trampled Under Foot) [Initial Rough Mix]". It was released on 11 February 2015 (on iTunes), as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.[10] The rest of the album was released on 23 February 2015.

Live performances
Page using a wah-wah pedal during a performance in Chicago (January 1975)

"Trampled Under Foot" became a standard part of Led Zeppelin concerts from 1975 onwards, being played on every tour until 1980.[4] It was also performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the O2 Arena, London on 10 December 2007. When the song was played live, the band would often extend it with lengthy guitar and keyboard solos, and sometimes Plant would add lyrics from the song "Gallows Pole".

Along with "No Quarter", "Trampled Under Foot" showcased Jones' keyboard playing in concert. A version performed the Earls Court Arena in 1975 includes an extended solo by Jones on a Hohner Clavinet D6 is included on the Led Zeppelin DVD.

"Trampled Under Foot" was performed in the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony as a part of a selected playlist.[11]

Single release and chart positions

Led Zeppelin did not release any singles in the United Kingdom until 1997, when "Whole Lotta Love" was released 28 years after it was written. There were several pressings made of "Trampled Under Foot" as a single in 1975 in time for the band's Earl's Court concerts, but they were all shelved before being released, and are today highly sought-after collectors items.[4] The song did see a single release in the United States, however, in April 1975, and reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Chart (1975) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)[12] 60
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[13] 41
US Billboard Hot 100[14] 38
US Cash Box[15] 28
US Record World[16] 39

See also

References
  1. Schuman, Michael A. (2009). Led Zeppelin: Legendary Rock Band. Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7660-3026-8. The keyboard-driven, hard rock track "Trampled Under Foot" was popular on FM stations.
  2. Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2008). Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever. 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33847-2. "Houses of the Holy" and "Trampled Under Foot" were tightly constructed, even danceable hard rock tunes.
  3. Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic. "Led Zeppelin, O2 Arena, London". Financial Times. Retrieved 14 July 2013. "Trampled Under Foot", a hypnotic hard funk-rock track from 1975’s Physical Graffiti, was unexpected (subscription required)
  4. Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
  5. Godwin, Robert (24 August 1990). "Led Zeppelin: Alchemists of the '70s". Goldmine: 13.
  6. Godwin, Robert (2003). "Led Zeppelin: The Press Reports". Collector's Guide Publishing. p. 321. ISBN 1-896522-41-6.
  7. Snow, Mat (December 2007). "The Secret Life of a Superstar". Mojo: 13.
  8. Rosen, Steven (25 May 2007). "1977 Jimmy Page Interview (Audio/Text)". Modern Guitars. Archived from the original on 5 January 2011.
  9. "Billboard's Top Single Picks" (PDF). Billboard. 12 April 1975. p. 86. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  10. Grow, Kory (8 January 2015). "Led Zeppelin Announce Super-Deluxe 'Physical Graffiti' Reissue". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
  11. Heath, Sophia (19 June 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: the full musical playlist for the Olympic opening ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  12. "Forum – ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts – CHART POSITIONS PRE 1989". Australian-charts.com. Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3969a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
  14. "Led Zeppelin – Awards". AllMusic. All Media Network. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
  15. "CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 31, 1975". Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.. Cash Box.
  16. "The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 17 May 1975. p. 31. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.