In their career, the British rock 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 ...

recorded many songs that consisted, in whole or part, of pre-existing songs, melodies, or lyrics. They sometimes credited those sources; sometimes not. The band has been sued a number of times over attribution, some cases having concluded with others being awarded writing credit for the song in question. This is a partial list of songs that contributed to or inspired Led Zeppelin songs or covers. It includes non-controversial ones the band attributed to other writers from the outset.

''Led Zeppelin''

"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"

The band covered

Joan Baez Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...

's version of the song written by

Anne Bredon Anne Leonard Bredon (born Anne Loeb; September 7, 1930 – November 9, 2019) was an American folk singer, best known for composing the song "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" while she was a student at University of California, Berkeley in the late 1950s. ...

; both guitarist

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Page is prolific in creating guitar riffs. His style involves various alternative ...

and singer

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lyricist of the English rock band Led Zeppelin for all of its existence from 1968 until 1980, when the band broke up following the ...

were fans of Baez. Baez's album had originally indicated no writing credit, and Led Zeppelin credited the song as "Trad. arr. Page". In the 1980s, Bredon was made aware of Led Zeppelin's version of the song, and since 1990 the Led Zeppelin version has been credited to Anne Bredon/Jimmy Page & Robert Plant. Bredon received a substantial back-payment of royalties. Music critic Andy Hermann researched and disproved the common accusation that Page copied the guitar riff from either

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

George Harrison George Harrison (25 February 1943 – 29 November 2001) was an English musician and singer-songwriter who achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the Beatles. Sometimes called "the quiet Beatle", Harrison embraced Indian c ...

"You Shook Me"

This song was correctly credited to

Willie Dixon William James Dixon (July 1, 1915January 29, 1992) was an American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger and record producer. He was proficient in playing both the upright bass and the guitar, and sang with a distinctive voice, but he ...

, but a similar controversy exists over whether Page got the idea from friend and former bandmate

Jeff Beck Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944) is an English rock guitarist. He rose to prominence with the Yardbirds and after fronted the Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice. In 1975, he switched to a mainly instrumental style, with a focus ...

: Major differences between both versions include the prominence afforded

Nicky Hopkins Nicholas Christian "Nicky" Hopkins (24 February 1944 – 6 September 1994) was an English pianist and organist. Hopkins performed on many popular and enduring British and American rock music recordings from the 1960s to the 1990s, most notably ...

's keyboard playing in the

Mickie Most Michael Peter Hayes (20 June 1938 – 30 May 2003), known as Mickie Most, was an English record producer behind scores of hit singles for acts such as the Animals, Herman's Hermits, the Nashville Teens, Donovan, Lulu, Suzi Quatro, Hot Chocolate ...

mix, and that Rod Stewart sings only two verses in the Jeff Beck recording.

"Dazed and Confused"

Page was performing his version of this song with

the Yardbirds The Yardbirds are an English rock band, formed in London in 1963. The band's core lineup featured vocalist and harmonica player Keith Relf, drummer Jim McCarty, rhythm guitarist and later bassist Chris Dreja and bassist/producer Paul Samwell ...

, before forming Led Zeppelin. In 1967, while touring with the Yardbirds, Page saw

Jake Holmes Jake Holmes (born December 28, 1939) is an American singer-songwriter and jingle writer who began a recording career in the 1960s. Holmes is the author of the song " Dazed and Confused", later reworked by Led Zeppelin. Holmes also composed the ...

perform the song in New York. On the first Led Zeppelin album, the band's version was credited solely to Jimmy Page. A 2010 lawsuit appears to have been settled out of court, the case being dismissed and Holmes being added to the songwriting credit.

"Black Mountain Side"

Al Stewart learned

Bert Jansch Herbert Jansch (3 November 1943 – 5 October 2011) was a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. He was born in Glasgow and came to prominence in London in the 1960s as an acoustic guitarist and singer-songwriter ...

's version of the traditional song "

Down by Blackwaterside "Down by Blackwaterside" (also known as "Blackwaterside", "Blackwater Side" and "Black Waterside"; see Roud 312, Laws O1 and Roud 564, Laws P18, Henry H811) is a traditional folk song, provenance and author unknown, although it is likely to have o ...

". However, he mistook Jansch's ' drop-D' tuning for

DADGAD , or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock, folk, metal and several other genres. Instead of the standard tuning () the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, ...

. At the time, Stewart was recording his own debut record and had engaged

as a session musician. According to Stewart's account, it was he (Stewart) who taught Page 'Blackwaterside' (the DADGAD version) during a tea-break.Harper p. 200 In spite of this difference, Jansch's record company sought legal advice following the release of ''

''.

Mick Wall Mick Wall (born 23 June 1958) is a British music journalist, author, and radio and TV presenter. He has been described as "the world's leading rock and metal writer". Career Wall began his career contributing to the music weekly ''Sounds'' in 19 ...

(2008), ''When Giants Walked the Earth: A Biography Of Led Zeppelin'',' London: Orion, p. 56 Early in 1965,

Anne Briggs Anne Patricia Briggs (born 29 September 1944) is an English folk singer. Although she travelled widely in the 1960s and early 1970s, appearing at folk clubs and venues in England and Ireland, she never aspired to commercial success or to achie ...

and Jansch were performing regularly together in folk clubsHarper p. 162 and spent most of the daytime at a friend's flat, collaborating on new songs and the development of complex guitar accompaniments for traditional songs.Harper p.161 Ultimately, no legal action was ever taken against Led Zeppelin, because it could not be proven that the recording in itself constituted Jansch's own copyright, as the basic melody was traditional. Nevertheless, Jansch said that Page "ripped me off, didn't he? Or let's just say he ''learned'' from me." This is one of two songs where Page may have "learned" from Jansch, the other being "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", listed below.

"I Can't Quit You Baby"

This song was published by Willie Dixon only three years earlier, and correctly attributed when Led Zeppelin covered it on their debut album.Shadwick, Keith (2005). ''Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980'', Backbeat Books,

"How Many More Times"

This song's attribution to

Howlin' Wolf Chester Arthur Burnett (June 10, 1910January 10, 1976), better known by his stage name Howlin' Wolf, was an American blues singer and guitarist. He is regarded as one of the most influential blues musicians of all time. Over a four-decade care ...

has never been changed. No lawsuits have been filed. The song also contains components of

Albert King Albert Nelson (April 25, 1923 – December 21, 1992), known by his stage name Albert King, was an American guitarist and singer who is often regarded as one of the greatest and most influential blues guitarists of all time. He is perhaps b ...

's " The Hunter".

''Led Zeppelin II''

"Whole Lotta Love"

The band was sued over this song, settling out of court in Willie Dixon's favor. Plant later said "Page's riff was Page's riff. It was there before anything else. I just thought, 'well, what am I going to sing?' That was it, a nick. Now happily paid for. At the time, there was a lot of conversation about what to do. It was decided that it was so far away in time and influence that... well, you only get caught when you're successful. That's the game."

"The Lemon Song"

performed "Killing Floor" live in 1968 and 1969, and it became the basis for "The Lemon Song", from 1969's ''

Led Zeppelin II ''Led Zeppelin II'' is the second studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 22 October 1969 in the United States and on 31 October 1969 in the United Kingdom by Atlantic Records. Recording sessions for the album took place ...

''. In some early performances

introduced the song as "Killing Floor"; an early UK pressing of ''

'' showed the title as "Killing Floor" and was credited to Chester Burnett (Howlin' Wolf's legal name). The song evolved into "The Lemon Song", with Plant often

improvising Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

lyrics onstage (the opening lyrics to both songs are identical). Other lyrics, notably "squeeze (my lemon) till the juice runs down my leg," can be traced to

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His landmark recordings in 1936 and 1937 display a combination of singing, guitar skills, and songwriting talent that has influenced later generati ...

's "

Travelling Riverside Blues "Travelling Riverside Blues" is a blues song written by the bluesman Robert Johnson. He recorded it on June 20, 1937, in Dallas, Texas, during his last recording session. The song was unreleased until its inclusion on the 1961 Johnson compilatio ...

". It is likely that Johnson borrowed this himself, from a song recorded earlier in the same year (1937) called "She Squeezed My Lemon" (by Arthur McKay).Australian Broadcasting Corporation
- Triple J Music Specials - Led Zeppelin (first broadcast 2000-07-12) The song also references

's "

Cross-Cut Saw A crosscut saw (thwart saw) is any saw designed for cutting wood perpendicular to (across) the wood grain. Crosscut saws may be small or large, with small teeth close together for fine work like woodworking or large for coarse work like log ...

" In December 1972, Arc Music, owner of the publishing rights to Howlin' Wolf's songs, sued Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement on "The Lemon Song". The parties settled out of court. Though the amount was not disclosed, Howlin' Wolf received a check for US$45,123 from Arc Music immediately following the suit, and subsequent releases included a co-songwriter credit for him.

"Moby Dick"

The intro and outro were "inspired by" the Bobby Parker song Watch Your Step, the rest of the track being a long drum solo.

"Bring It on Home"

The intro and outro were deliberate homages to the

Sonny Boy Williamson II Alex or Aleck Miller (originally Ford, possibly December 5, 1912 – May 24, 1965), known later in his career as Sonny Boy Williamson, was an American blues harmonica player, singer and songwriter. He was an early and influential blues harp st ...

song, whereas the rest of the track was original. however, Dixon was not given a lyric writing credit for the song. In 1972,

Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and roll ...

brought a lawsuit against Led Zeppelin for copyright infringement; the case was settled out-of-court.

''Led Zeppelin III''

"Since I've Been Loving You"

The initial and closing lyrics, and some other aspects, are nearly identical to the

Moby Grape Moby Grape is an American rock band founded in 1966, known for having all five members contribute to singing and songwriting, and who collectively merged elements of folk music, blues, country, and jazz with rock and psychedelic music. They were ...

song "Never", written by

Bob Mosley James Robert "Bob" Mosley (born December 4, 1942, in San Diego, California) is principally known as the bass player and one of the songwriters and vocalists for the band Moby Grape. Some of his best-known songs with Moby Grape are "Mr. Blues", " ...

"Gallows Pole"

This song was correctly attributed as traditional, from the beginning. Page credits the

Fred Gerlach Fred Gerlach (August 26, 1925 – December 31, 2009) was an American folk musician and luthier, perhaps most famous for his recording of the traditional song "Gallows Pole", which Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page credited with inspiring his own b ...

version as his inspiration, though the song has a much older history as "

The Maid Freed from the Gallows "The Maid Freed from the Gallows" is one of many titles of a centuries-old folk song about a condemned maiden pleading for someone to buy her freedom from the executioner. In the collection of ballads compiled by Francis James Child in the late ...

"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp"

Jimmy Page repeatedly mentioned

as an influence in interviews. Jansch's album '' Jack Orion'' contained two tracks whose components later appeared in Page songs without writing credit. Jansch bandmate

Jacqui McShee Jacqueline 'Jacqui' McShee (born 25 December 1943) is an English singer. Since 1966 she has performed with Pentangle, a jazz-influenced folk rock band. Biography McShee was born in Catford, South London. Her musical career began as a soloist in ...

later said: This is one of two songs Page may famously have "pinched" from Jansch, the other being "Black Mountain Side".

"Hats Off to (Roy) Harper"

The song is a medley of fragments of blues songs and lyrics, including "

Shake 'Em On Down "Shake 'Em On Down" is a Delta blues song by American musician Bukka White. He recorded it in Chicago in 1937 around the beginning of his incarceration at the infamous Parchman Prison Farm in Mississippi. It was his first recording for produc ...

" by

Bukka White Booker T. Washington "Bukka" White (November 12, 1906 February 26, 1977) was an American Delta blues guitarist and singer. Biography White was born south of Houston, Mississippi. He was a first cousin of B.B. King's mother (White's mother and ...

. Therefore, the song is both a tribute to contemporary folk singer Roy Harper and the influential American blues singer who recorded from the 1930s to the 1970s.

''Led Zeppelin IV''

"Stairway to Heaven"

Zeppelin opened for

Spirit Spirit or spirits may refer to: Liquor and other volatile liquids * Spirits, a.k.a. liquor, distilled alcoholic drinks * Spirit or tincture, an extract of plant or animal material dissolved in ethanol * Volatile (especially flammable) liquids, ...

in an early American tour, and even covered Spirit songs in early shows, leaving little doubt that Led Zeppelin had heard the Spirit song before "Stairway to Heaven" was written. In the liner notes to the 1996 reissue of Spirit's debut album, songwriter

Randy California Randy Craig Wolfe (February 20, 1951 – January 2, 1997), known as Randy California, was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter, and one of the original members of the rock group Spirit, formed in 1967. Life and career California was bo ...

writes: After a

copyright infringement Copyright infringement (at times referred to as piracy) is the use of works protected by copyright without permission for a usage where such permission is required, thereby infringing certain exclusive rights granted to the copyright holder, s ...

suit and subsequent appeals, the

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit (in case citations, 9th Cir.) is the U.S. federal court of appeals that has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: * District ...

ruled in favour of Led Zeppelin on 9 March 2020. It upheld the previous jury verdict finding the song did not infringe on "Taurus". The ruling was appealed to the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

, who decided not to hear the case and let the Appeals Court decision stand. The Supreme Court's decision precludes further appeals, thus ending the copyright dispute.

"When the Levee Breaks"

This song used lyrics from the original and was credited to

Memphis Minnie Lizzie Douglas (June 3, 1897 – August 6, 1973), better known as Memphis Minnie, was a blues guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter whose recording career lasted for over three decades. She recorded around 200 songs, some of the best known being "Wh ...

along with the band from the beginning, without controversy, although

Kansas Joe McCoy Wilbur "Kansas Joe" McCoy (May 11, 1905 – January 28, 1950) was an American Delta blues singer, musician and songwriter. Career McCoy performed under various stage names but is best known as Kansas Joe McCoy. Born in Raymond, Mississippi, he ...

did not receive a writer's credit on it. Memphis Minnie biographers have suggested she may have been the main lyricist, especially considering that she and her family were victims of the

Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 was the most destructive river flood in the history of the United States, with inundated in depths of up to over the course of several months in early 1927. The uninflated cost of the damage has been estimat ...

described in the song, whereas McCoy lived in Tennessee at that time. The lyrics sung during the fadeout appear to be borrowed from "Goin' to Chicago Blues" by Joe Williams, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

''Physical Graffiti''

"Custard Pie"

The lyrics to the riff-heavy song pay homage to the blues songs of the

era; specifically "Drop Down Mama" by

Sleepy John Estes John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an Am ...

, "Shake 'Em On Down" by Bukka White, and "I Want Some of Your Pie" by

Blind Boy Fuller Blind Boy Fuller (born Fulton Allen, July 10, 1904February 13, 1941) was an American blues guitarist and singer. Fuller was one of the most popular of the recorded Piedmont blues artists, rural African Americans, along with Blind Blake, Josh Wh ...

"In My Time of Dying"

First recorded in 1928 by

Blind Willie Johnson Blind Willie Johnson (January 25, 1897 – September 18, 1945) was an American gospel blues singer, guitarist and evangelist. His landmark recordings completed between 1927 and 1930—thirty songs in total—display a combination of powerful "ch ...

as "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed", the lyrics appeared in earlier spirituals and hymns. Numerous artist have recorded it since, including

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career sp ...

as "In My Time of Dyin'" with the writing credit listed as "traditional".

"Trampled Under Foot"

The lyrics were inspired by blues musician

's 1936 "

Terraplane Blues "Terraplane Blues" is a blues song recorded in 1936 in San Antonio, Texas, by bluesman Robert Johnson. Vocalion issued it as Johnson's first 78 rpm record, backed with " Kind Hearted Woman Blues", in March 1937. The song became a moderate region ...

". A

Terraplane The Terraplane was a car brand and model built by the Hudson Motor Car Company of Detroit, Michigan, between 1932 and 1938. In its maiden year, the car was branded as the Essex-Terraplane; in 1934 the car became simply the Terraplane. They were ...

is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex—"pump your gas", "rev all night", etc. The themes of these songs however differ; "Terraplane Blues" is about infidelity, while "Trampled Under Foot" is about giving in to sexual temptation.

"Boogie with Stu"

The song is credited to "Page/Plant/Jones/Bonham/ Ian Stewart/ Mrs. Valens", being heavily based on Ritchie Valens' "Ooh, My Head". Valens's publisher, Kemo Music, filed suit for copyright infringement and an out-of-court settlement was reached.Lehmer, Larry. ''The Day the Music Died: The Last Tour of Buddy Holly, the Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens'' (2004): 166 As Page explained:

''Presence''

"Nobody's Fault but Mine"

"Nobody's Fault but Mine" is a

gospel Gospel originally meant the Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the 2nd century it came to be used also for the books in which the message was set out. In this sense a gospel can be defined as a loose-knit, episodic narrative of the words an ...

song that has been recorded by many musicians over the years. The first known recording of this song was by American

gospel blues Gospel blues (or holy blues) is a form of blues-based gospel music that has been around since the inception of blues music. It combines evangelistic lyrics with blues instrumentation, often blues guitar accompaniment. According to musician and ...

musician Blind Willie Johnson in 1927, titled "It's Nobody's Fault but Mine". In an interview, Jimmy Page explained: Led Zeppelin biographer George Case adds "Page was likely more mindful of

John Renbourn John Renbourn (8 August 1944 – 26 March 2015) was an English guitarist and songwriter. He was best known for his collaboration with guitarist Bert Jansch as well as his work with the folk group Pentangle, although he maintained a solo care ...

's 1966 acoustic take (credited to rad. arr.Renbourn) than lind WillieJohnson's". Renbourn's version is found on his 1967 album ''Another Monday'' (

Transatlantic Records Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. The company was established in 1961, primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom ...

TRA 149). Sometimes John Renbourn's albums include a credit to New Orleans jazz musician

Bunk Johnson Willie Gary "Bunk" Johnson (December 27, 1879 – July 7, 1949) was an American prominent jazz trumpeter in New Orleans. Johnson gave the year of his birth as 1879, although there is speculation that he may have been younger by as much as a dec ...

''BBC Sessions''

"The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair"

The lyrics in the first verse are an adaptation of the 1929 blues recording "The Girl I Love She Got Long Curley Hair" by

Sleepy John Estes John Adam Estes (January 25, 1899 or 1900June 5, 1977),
known as Sleepy John Estes, was an Am ...

. Snippets of the song appeared in the "

Whole Lotta Love "Whole Lotta Love" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It is the opening track on the band's second album, ''Led Zeppelin II'', and was released as a single in 1969 in several countries; as with other Led Zeppelin songs, no single was r ...

" medley until 1971.

"Travelling Riverside Blues"

"Travelling Riverside Blues" is a

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

song written by the bluesman

. He sang it during his last recording session on June 20, 1937, in Dallas, Texas.

''How the West Was Won''

"Let's Have a Party"

The song was correctly attributed to

Wanda Jackson Wanda LaVonne Jackson (born October 20, 1937) is an American singer and songwriter. Since the 1950s, she has recorded and released music in the genres of rock, country and gospel. She was among the first women to have a career in rock and roll, ...

"Hello Mary Lou"

In the 2003 release of "How the West Was Won" abbreviated versions of this song and the original by

Ricky Nelson Eric Hilliard Nelson (May 8, 1940 – December 31, 1985) was an American musician, songwriter and actor. From age eight he starred alongside his family in the radio and television series ''The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet''. In 1957, he bega ...

are covered in the "Whole Lotta Love (Live)" track. "Let's Have a Party" begins at 8:00 in that track, while "Hello Mary Lou" begins at 9:58.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others British music-related lists Lists of songs *