"D'yer Mak'er" ( "
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...
") is a song by the English
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
band
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
, from their 1973 album ''
Houses of the Holy''. The title is a play on the words "did you make her?" being pronounced as "Jamaica" when spoken in an
English accent.
Overview
This song was meant to imitate
reggae
Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
and its "
dub" derivative emerging from Jamaica in the early 1970s. Its genesis is traced to Led Zeppelin's rehearsals at
Stargroves
Stargroves (also known as Stargrove House) is a manor house and associated estate at East Woodhay in the English county of Hampshire. The house belonged to Mick Jagger during the 1970s and was a recording venue for the Rolling Stones and vari ...
in 1972, when drummer
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
started with a beat similar to 1950s
doo-wop
Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a subgenre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, ...
, 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.
This track, as well as another song entitled "
The Crunge
"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album ''Houses of the Holy''. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er". It was also r ...
", was initially not taken seriously by many listeners, and some critics reserved their harshest criticism for these two arrangements.
In an interview he gave in 1977,
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin.
Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
referred to this negative response: "I didn't expect people not to get it. I thought it was pretty obvious. The song itself was a cross between reggae and a '50s number, "Poor Little Fool,"
Ben E. King's things, stuff like that."
Led Zeppelin bassist
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
has expressed his distaste for the song, suggesting that it started off as a studio joke and was not thought through carefully enough.
Upon the album's release,
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
was keen to issue the track as a single in the United Kingdom.
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...
went so far as to distribute advance promotional copies to
DJs (now valuable collectors' items). While it was released in the US, and the single peaked at No. 20 on 29 December 1973, it was never released in the UK.
"D'yer Mak'er" is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit. The sleeve on the first album pressing also gives tribute to "
Rosie and the Originals",
a reference to the doo-wop influence in the song's style.
Pronunciation of song title
In a 2005 interview, Plant discussed the different interpretations and pronunciations of the name of the song.
He explained that the title is derived from an old joke, where two friends have the following exchange: "My wife's gone to the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
." "Jamaica?" (which in many English accents sounds like "Did you make her?") "No, she wanted to go".
The title, which does not appear in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae feel of the song, and as an example of the Led Zeppelin band members' senses of humour.
Because of the unfamiliarity of listeners to this back-story, as well as ignoring the
apostrophe
The apostrophe (, ) is a punctuation mark, and sometimes a diacritical mark, in languages that use the Latin alphabet and some other alphabets. In English, the apostrophe is used for two basic purposes:
* The marking of the omission of one o ...
s intentionally placed in the title, American DJs and fans often mispronounce the title as "dire maker".
This confusion and mispronunciation was more common in the United States than in Britain, according to Jimmy Page.
Reception and legacy
''
Cash Box
''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...
'' described the song as being "unique for the group, but a real charmer." ''
Record World
''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...
'' called it "a rocker with a '50s flavor to it" and said that the "reggae-style beat fills the hit prescription."
In a contemporary review for ''Houses of the Holy'', Gordon Fletcher of ''
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' gave "D'yer Mak'er" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "
The Crunge
"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album ''Houses of the Holy''. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er". It was also r ...
", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted.
Fletcher further wrote the track is a "pathetic stab at reggae that would probably get the Zep laughed off the island if they bothered playing it in Jamaica."
Fletcher ended by writing the track is "obnoxiously heavy-handed and totally devoid of the native form's sensibilities."
Axl Rose
W. Axl Rose ( ; born William Bruce Rose Jr., February 6, 1962) is an American singer and songwriter. He is the lead vocalist and lyricist of the hard rock band Guns N' Roses, and has been the band's sole constant member since its inception in ...
cited it as a song that meant a lot to him as a teenager: "That got me into heavy rock." It is included on the
Radio Caroline
Radio Caroline is a British radio station founded in 1964 by Ronan O'Rahilly and Allan Crawford, initially to circumvent the record companies' control of popular music broadcasting in the United Kingdom and the BBC's radio broadcasting monopol ...
"Top 500 Tracks" of 1999 at number 453. In 2019, ''Rolling Stone'' ranked the song number 20 on its list of the 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs.
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:
*
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...
– vocals
*
Jimmy Page
James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin.
Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...
– electric guitars
*
John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...
– bass, piano
*
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...
– drums, percussion (?)
Charts
Weekly charts
Year–end charts
Certifications
See also
*
References
Bibliography
*
{{authority control
1972 songs
1973 singles
Led Zeppelin songs
Atlantic Records singles
Reggae rock songs
Songs written by Jimmy Page
Songs written by John Bonham
Songs written by John Paul Jones (musician)
Songs written by Robert Plant
Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page