D'yer Mak'er

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"D'yer Mak'er"

Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album 'Houses of the Holy'
Released	28 March 1973
Recorded	1972
Genre	Rock, Reggae
Length	4:23
Label	Atlantic Records
Writer(s)	Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page
'Houses of the Holy' track listing
"Dancing Days" (5)	"D'yer Mak'er" (6)	"No Quarter" (7)

"D'yer Mak'er" (intended to be pronounced with a British non-rhotic accent as "jah-may-kah") is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy.

This song was meant to imitate reggae and its "dub" derivative emerging from Jamaica in the early 1970s. It emerged from rehearsals at Stargroves in 1972 when drummer John Bonham started with a beat similar to 1950s doo-wop, and then twisted it into a slight off beat tempo, upon which a reggae influence emerged. The distinctive drum sound was created by placing three microphones a good distance away from Bonham's drums.

"D'yer Mak'er" is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit. The sleeve on the album also credits "Rosie and the Originals", a reference to the doo-wop influence which was evident in the song's construction, as well as sharing the chord progression in its verse portions with the Rosie and the Originals' song "Angel Baby".

This track and "The Crunge" are often considered to be the two "joke" songs on Houses of the Holy, and many critics reserved their harshest criticism for these two arrangements. Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has also expressed his distaste for the song. However, "D'yer Mak'er" held considerable commercial appeal upon the album's release, and Robert Plant was keen to issue it as a single in the United Kingdom. Atlantic Records went so far as to distribute advance promotional copies to DJs (now valuable collectors' items), but it was ultimately never released.

The name of the song is derived from a play on the words "Jamaica" and "Did you make her", based on the following old joke: "My wife's on vacation in the West Indies." "Jamaica?" "No, she went of her own accord." On July 21st, 2005, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant discussed the song during an interview with Mike Halloran, a DJ on radio station FM94/9 in San Diego. During the interview, he talked about the different interpretations and pronunciations of the name of the song (audio clip (help·info) from the interview, 841k OGG audio file, 1:39 in length; the original full-length interview is hosted on the FM94/9 website). The title, which appears nowhere in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae flavor of the song. Plant has said that he finds it amusing when American fans completely ignore the apostrophes and pronounce it as "Dire Maker". (The song's most repeated and most familiar line is "oh(x6), you don't have to go....")

Many people thought the title was pronounced "Dear Maker" and read too much into it. Jimmy Page had an interest in the occult and Robert Plant wrote some very spiritual lyrics, which led to deeper meanings in many of their songs, but not this one.

This song was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts, although snatches of it were played during "Whole Lotta Love" during the 1975 concert tour of the United States and at the Earls Court shows.

Modern reggae artists such as Eek-a-Mouse and 311 have taken to covering the song on record or in their live shows. Sheryl Crow covered the song for the Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. Bob Rivers made a Christmas-themed parody of the song titled "Sled Zeppelin". It is believed that the Franz Ferdinand song "Take Me Out" shares a riff with "D'yer Mak'er".

[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