The Wanton Song

"The Wanton Song" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song came about as the result of a jam session at rehearsals and features a sharp, aggressive riff from guitarist Jimmy Page, which like "Immigrant Song" found Page switching back and forth between two notes one octave apart. Lyrically it is mainly about sex, specifically sex with a "wanton woman".

For his solo, Page employed a backwards echo (where the echo is heard before the note), and also put his guitar through a Leslie speaker cabinet, as Jimi Hendrix had done on "Little Wing" and "Angel", to create a doppler effect with a Hammond Organ.^[1] This was a technique Page had himself used as far back as his work with The Yardbirds, and faced serious opposition from audio engineers when he tried it on the earliest Led Zeppelin recordings.

"The Wanton Song" was played live during some of the Led Zeppelin's European and American concerts in 1975, but was then dropped.^[1] "The Wanton Song" was played extensively as an opening number during Page and Plant's tours in 1995 and 1998. The song was played live a few times when Jimmy Page teamed up with The Black Crowes in 1999.

Personnel

• Robert Plant - vocals
• Jimmy Page - guitars
• John Paul Jones - bass guitar
• John Bonham - drums

Cover versions

• 1993: Whyos (The Song Retains the Same II)
• 1996: Dread Zeppelin the song "BBWAGS" on The Fun Sessions
• 1999: Sen Dog (The Song Remains Remixed: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
• 2001: Earth Crisis (Last of the Sane)
• 2006: Hammer of the Gods (Two Nights in North America DVD)
• 2007: Frankie Banali & Friends (24/7/365: The Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
• 2007: Reconstruction (The Many Faces of Led Zeppelin [remix])

Sources

• Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
• Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7

References

External links

• ASCAP entry