Kashmir (song)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "Kashmir" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| from the album 'Physical Graffiti' | ||
| Released | February 24, 1975 | |
| Recorded | 1974 | |
| Genre | Hard rock | |
| Length | 8:29 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant/Bonham | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| 'Physical Graffiti' track listing | ||
| "Trampled Under Foot" (5) |
"Kashmir" (6) |
"In the Light" (7) |
"Kashmir" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.
Contents |
[edit] History
The song is considered to be one of the band's most successful songs. John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound, while Robert Plant cites it as his favourite Led Zeppelin song. Reportedly, this is partly due to Plant's annoyance at having to explain the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven". In an interview he gave with Rolling Stone magazine in 1988, Plant stated that "Kashmir" was "the definitive Led Zeppelin song."
Plant wrote the lyrics while driving through the Sahara Desert in Morocco, despite the fact that the song is named for geographically distant Kashmir, a region in Northern India and Pakistan which does not have any actual deserts.
The song is centered around a chord progression guitar riff, which is played in an alternative guitar tuning: the strings are tuned to 'D modal' or DADGAD. The body of the song also has a different beat between the guitars and the drums. The drums play the standard 4/4 time signature with a double stroke on the bass drum, while the guitars create tension by playing against it in [implied] 3/4 time [1]. John Bonham has been cited as the source for the main 3/4 riff and has an official credit as co-songwriter. The song includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan and other Middle Eastern music. Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar and mellotron strings are used in the song.
[edit] Other versions
Page and Plant would also record a version in 1994, released on their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded.
The song's undercurrent of Asian/Arabic rhythm led to a cover version by Ofra Haza, which appeared on her 1994 single "Mata Hari". A cappella group The House Jacks include the song as one of the signature pieces in their repertoire. Australian/British classical crossover string quartet bond also released a cover version of the song on their 2001 album Shine, as did American recording artist Kevin Gilbert on the bonus disc to his 1995 album Thud.
Rock bands Alter Bridge and Jane's Addiction have covered "Kashmir" live. The Jane's Addiction version also included Tool singer Maynard James Keenan. Progressive Rock band the Dixie Dregs have a live instrumental version of Kashmir, with guitarist Steve Morse playing Robert Plant's vocal melody on guitar. Primus worked in their take on "Kashmir" while opening for U2 in 1992.
The tune was sampled by Sean "Puffy" Combs (now known as Diddy) in his song "Come With Me" from the soundtrack to the movie Godzilla (1998), which featured live guitar parts from Jimmy Page, who endorsed Combs' adaptation. Guilty Gear character Potemkin's theme song, Burly Heart, is heavily based upon the song, although the telltale riff in the middle is a little different.
[edit] Cultural references
- The song was played without lyrics as background during ice dancing in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- Danish rock-band Kashmir is named after the song.
- The lyrics to Kashmir are featured in the movie Ocean's Twelve. Matt Damon's character quotes the first two lines of the song in a scene with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Robbie Coltrane. The other three men say seemingly non-sensical phrases and upon Matt Damon's turn he does not know what to say so he quotes "Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face/stars to fill my dream/I am a traveler of both time and space/to be where I have been."
- Professional wrestler Kevin Nash uses an instrumental cover version of the song as his TNA Wrestling entrance music. Major League Baseball second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies, Chase Utley, uses "Kashmir" as his entrance music when he goes to bat.
- Drummer Roger Taylor cited that Queen's own epic track "Innuendo" was heavily influenced from this song. On the Made In Heaven video release, he described the song as "Oscar Wilde meets Led Zeppelin."
- The movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High features a scene where Ratt, on a date, plays Kashmir on his car stereo.
[edit] External links
- Review: All Music Guide
[edit] Sources
- 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
[edit] Trivia
- All band members agreed this was one of their best musical achievements. Robert Plant: "One of my favorites... it was so positive, lyrically."
- Plant wrote the lyrics while driving through the Sahara Desert. Kashmir is in Southern Asia, he was nowhere near it.
- The original title was "Driving To Kashmir."
- This runs 8:31. Radio stations had no problem playing it, especially after "Stairway To Heaven," which was almost as long, did so well.
- Kashmir is a lush mountain region found in the northern parts of India and Pakistan. India and Pakistan have disputed control of the area for many years. The fabric Cashmere is made from the hair of goats from the region. The area is also famous for growing poppies, from which heroin is made.
- Plant thinks John Bonham's drumming is the key to this: "It was what he didn't do that made it work."
- The signature guitar riff began as a tuning cycle Jimmy Page had been using for years.
- This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections.
- Led Zeppelin played this in every live show from it's debut in 1975 to their last concert in 1980.
- Page and Plant recorded this with an orchestra and Moroccan musicians for their 1994 Unledded album.
- Puff Daddy (he wasn't Diddy yet) sampled this in 1998 for a song called "Come With Me." He performed it on Saturday Night Live with Page on guitar.
- The remaining members of Led Zeppelin performed this at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party in 1988 with Jason Bonham on drums. It was a mess - the keyboards got lost in the feed and Plant was bumped by a fan and forgot some of the words.
- In the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, one kid tells another to always play side 1 of Led Zeppelin 4 when he's on a date. In the next scene, he is on the date with this playing in the car. Cameron Crowe, who wrote the screenplay, couldn't get the rights to any of the songs on Led Zeppelin 4, so he used this instead. Crowe used Zeppelin's "That's The Way" on his 2001 movie Almost Famous.
- Plant said in an audio documentary that he loved this song not only because of its intensity, but also because it was so intense without being considered "Heavy Metal," a label none of the band liked.
- Listening to the theme song for Unreal Tournament (FPS PC game), you might notice the 'Kashmir tune' is used to fill in the 'furious' part of the song.
[edit] Reference
- ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Kashmir", All Music Guide: "The main body has the drums playing a 6/4 time signature, while the rising musical theme tags along greatly by playing in 3/4 time."
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III ·  (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out DoorLive albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
