"For Your Life" 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 Wales ...

band

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

, from their 1976 album '' Presence''.

Overview

During the recording of "For Your Life" at

Musicland Studios Musicland Studios was a recording studio located in Munich, Germany. It was established by Italian record producer, songwriter and performer Giorgio Moroder in the early 1970s.

, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant was convalescing from a car accident which he had sustained in Greece the previous year, and he delivered his vocal performance from a wheelchair. The song's vocals are notable in part because of the snorting sound heard around 5:30, with the lyrics: "With the fine lines of the crystal payin' through your nose". Plant later explained the song's venom was due in part to his observations of the excessive amount of cocaine which had now pervaded and ruined the music scene in Los Angeles, during his stay on the West Coast prior to recording. The lyrics, written by Plant, indicated that one part of the song also had to do with an unnamed female acquaintance of his who got drawn into the

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

drug scene, to whom he wags a finger and says "watch it." Jimmy Page used his 1962 Lake Placid blue

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...

for the first time on this track, which was supplied to him by

Gene Parsons Gene Victor Parsons (born September 4, 1944, in Morongo Valley, California) is an American drummer, banjo player, guitarist, singer-songwriter, and engineer, best known for his work with the Byrds from 1968 to 1972. Parsons has also released so ...

. Evidence of its usage is clearly present as Page executes numerous "dive bombs" on the instrument's

tremolo arm A vibrato system on a guitar is a mechanical device used to temporarily change the pitch of the strings. Instruments without a vibrato have other bridge and tailpiece systems. They add vibrato to the sound by changing the tension of the strin ...

. He would later use it with his band the Firm. In an interview he gave to rock journalist

Cameron Crowe Cameron Bruce Crowe (born July 13, 1957) is an American journalist, author, writer, producer, director, actor, lyricist, and playwright. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at '' Rolling Stone'' magazine, for w ...

, Page commented on the spontaneous nature of the song's construction, saying that it "was made up in the studio, right on the spot".Liner notes by

for '' The Complete Studio Recordings''.

Live renditions

This song was never performed live by the band at

Led Zeppelin concerts From September 1968 until the summer of 1980, English rock band Led Zeppelin were the world's most popular live music attraction, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world. History Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, Led Zeppeli ...

until their reunion show on 10 December 2007 at

The O2 The O2 is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars, and restaurants. It was built largely withi ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

. For the performance Page played a Gibson Custom Shop replica of his 1960 Gibson Les Paul Custom that was stolen in 1970. An arrangement was also worked out for the Coverdale and Page tour of Japan in 1993, but never executed live.

Reception

In a contemporary review for the ''Presence'' album, Stephen Davis 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. It was first known for its ...

'' gave "For Your Life" a negative review, calling the track, along with " Tea for One", as "the two dreary examples of blooze" on ''Presence''. In a retrospective review of ''Presence (

Deluxe Edition The terms special edition, limited edition, and variants such as deluxe edition, or collector's edition, are used as a marketing incentive for various kinds of products, originally published products related to the arts, such as books, prints, r ...

)'', Andrew Doscas of ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' gave "For Your Life" a more positive review, saying the track was "one of the brightest hidden gems in the band's entire catalogue", praising its "powerful" bass line, its "rugged" guitar riff, and its "sardonic" lyrics.

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: * Robert Plant – vocals * Jimmy Page – electric guitars *

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-American naval captain who was the United States' first well-known naval commander in the American Revolutionary War. He made many friends among U.S political elites ( ...

– bass *

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician, best known as the drummer for the rock band Led Zeppelin. Esteemed for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove ...

– drums, tambourine

Cover versions

References

Bibliography

* * * * * * {{Led Zeppelin 1976 songs Led Zeppelin songs Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by Robert Plant Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Songs about cocaine