"The Song Remains the Same" is a song by the English rock group

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 ...

. It is the opening track from their 1973 album, '' Houses of the Holy''.

Composition

The song was originally an instrumental with the working title "The Overture".Dave Schulps
Interview with Jimmy Page
''

Trouser Press ''Trouser Press'' was a rock and roll magazine started in New York in 1974 as a mimeographed fanzine by editor/publisher Ira Robbins, fellow fan of the Who Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press" (a reference to ...

'', October 1977. After 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 ...

added lyrics, it was temporarily known as "The Campaign" before becoming "The Song Remains the Same".Dave Lewis (1994), ''The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin'', Omnibus Press, . In an interview he gave to ''

Guitar World ''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists – and fans of guitar-based music and trends – that has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original art ...

'' magazine in 1993, 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 ...

discussed the song's construction: Plant's vocal track was slightly sped up for the album release. Page played overdubs with a Telecaster on this recording, and also a Fender 12-string guitar.

Performance and releases

The band first performed this song live on their 1972 Japanese Tour. Bootlegs from this tour reveal that the song was still without a settled title, with Plant introducing it as "Zep" from the stage at Tokyo. At Led Zeppelin concerts from late 1972 through 1975, "The Song Remains the Same" was followed (just as on the original album) by direct segue into "The Rain Song". For this live arrangement, Page employed his trademark

Gibson EDS-1275 The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson electric guitar introduced in 1963 and still in production. Popularized and raised to iconic status by musicians such as John McLaughlin and Jimmy Page, it was called "the coolest guitar in rock." His ...

double-necked guitar.Interview with Jimmy Page
''

'' magazine, 1993 "The Song Remains the Same" was the opening song for the 1977 US tour and 1979 concerts, before being dropped from the set list for the

1980 European tour The 1980 European Tour was the ninth official season of golf tournaments known as the PGA European Tour and organised by the Professional Golfers' Association. The season was made up of 23 tournaments counting for the Official Money List, and so ...

. The song was also performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the

O2 Arena O2 Arena may refer to: *The O2 Arena (London) *O2 Arena (Prague) *The 3Arena The 3Arena (originally The O2) is an indoor amphitheatre located at North Wall Quay in the Dublin Docklands in Dublin, Ireland. The venue opened as The O2 on 16 Decemb ...

, London on 10 December 2007. "The Song Remains the Same" was featured on Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert film (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of Plant's fantasy sequence. The title of the song was used as the title of both the film and the album. "The Song Remains The Same (Guitar Overdub Reference Mix)", an instrumental version of the song, appears on the second disc of the remastered 2-CD deluxe edition of ''Houses of the Holy''. It was recorded on 18 May 1972, at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio 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 variou ...

, with engineer Eddie Kramer and mix engineer George Chkiantz. It runs 5:30, while the original runs 5:24.

Reception

In a contemporary review of ''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, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

'' gave "The Song Remains the Same" a mixed review, writing that the track is "the only other tune The Ocean"">The_Ocean_(Led_Zeppelin_song).html" ;"title="n the album, except for "The Ocean (Led Zeppelin song)">The Ocean"approaching the Zep's past triumphs" and "works solely as a vehicle for Page's guitar antics". In a retrospective review of '' Houses of the Holy (Deluxe Edition)'', Kristofer Lenz of ''Consequence of Sound">Led Zeppelin Deluxe Edition#Houses of the Holy">Houses of the Holy (Deluxe Edition)'', Kristofer Lenz of ''Consequence of Sound'' gave "The Song Remains the Same" a more positive review, praising every band member and writing that "as the band moves through the many changes of “The Song Remains the Same”, they are tight yet nimble, proficient yet unpretentious."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Song Remains The Same, The 1973 songs Led Zeppelin songs Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by Robert Plant Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Songs about music

Composition

Performance and releases

Reception

See also

References