Immigrant Song
"Immigrant Song" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Built upon a riff, it alludes to Norse mythology, with singer Robert Plant's howling vocals mentioning war-making and Valhalla. The song was included on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III and released as a single. Several live recordings have also been issued on various Led Zeppelin albums. Other artists have recorded renditions of the song or performed it live.
Though Led Zeppelin are typically regarded as an album-oriented group, "Immigrant Song" is one of the band's several hit singles. The song's popularity has led to its inclusion in such compilation albums as Led Zeppelin Remasters and Early Days: The Best of Led Zeppelin, Vol. 1.
Background
"Immigrant Song" was written during Led Zeppelin's tour of Iceland, Bath and Germany in the summer of 1970. The opening date of this tour took place in Reykjavík, Iceland, which inspired Plant to write the lyrics. He explained in an interview:Six days after Led Zeppelin's appearance in Reykjavik, the band performed the song for the first time in concert during the Bath Festival.
Composition and lyrics
The song begins with a repeating, staccato riff by guitarist Jimmy Page and drummer John Bonham. Bassist John Paul Jones comes in on the ninth measure. It is performed in the key of F♯ minor at a moderate tempo of 112 beats per minute. A distinctive, wailing cry from Plant sets in after eight repeats. A very faint count-off in a different tempo occurs at the beginning of the track, with much hiss, which appears on the album version, but is trimmed from the single version. The hiss is feedback from an echo unit.A phrase from the song was used as the title of Stephen Davis' biography of the band, Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga. The lyrics also did much to inspire the classic heavy metal myth, of Viking-esque figures on an adventure, themes that have been adopted in the look and lyrics of bands such as Iron Maiden, Saxon, Manowar, Bathory, Enslaved and Amon Amarth.
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – guitar
- John Paul Jones – bass
- John Bonham – drums
Releases
Reception
In a contemporary review of Led Zeppelin III, Lester Bangs of Rolling Stone described "Immigrant Song" as the closest to being as classic as "Whole Lotta Love", praising the song's "bulldozer rhythms and Plant's double-tracked wordless vocal crossings echoing behind the main vocal like some cannibal chorus wailing in the infernal light of a savage fertility rite." In March 2023, Rolling Stone ranked "Immigrant Song" at number 18 on their "100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time" list.Cash Box described the song as "filling the aural spectrum once again with wall-to-wall power", stating that the song has "biting vocals and an unmatched instrumental impact."
Live performances
Led Zeppelin used "Immigrant Song" to open their concerts from 1970 to 1972. On the second half of their 1972 concert tour of the United States, it was introduced by a short piece of music known as "LA Drone". By 1973, "Immigrant Song" was occasionally being used as an encore, but was then removed from their live set. Live versions of the song can be heard on the Led Zeppelin albums How the West Was Won and the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions. When the song was played live, Page included a lengthy guitar solo that was absent on the recorded Led Zeppelin III version. Page and Jeff Beck played "Immigrant Song" as part of the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony for Beck.Use of the song in media
Led Zeppelin originally denied Richard Linklater permission to use "Immigrant Song" in School of Rock, but star and lead actor of the movie, Jack Black, was able to convince them by making a video of himself performing the song. In the movie Shrek the Third, "Immigrant Song" appears in a battle scene involving the character Snow White. A cover of "Immigrant Song", produced by Atticus Ross and Nine Inch Nails member Trent Reznor with vocals from Yeah Yeah Yeahs lead singer Karen O, plays in the trailer and throughout the title sequence of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. "Immigrant Song" was included in both the trailer for Thor: Ragnarok and twice in the film itself, due to director Taika Waititi's suggestion of the song from the time of his first involvement with the film and to the persistent efforts of the movie's music supervisor Dave Jordan.Chart history
Original release
Weekly charts| Chart | Peak position |
| Australia | 20 |
| Australia | 16 |
| Canada | 2 |
| Denmark | 3 |
| Finland | 22 |
| Japan | 13 |
| New Zealand | 4 |
| South Africa | 7 |
| Spanish Singles Chart | 9 |
| US Cash Box | 8 |
| US Record World | 10 |
Year-end charts
| Chart | Rank |
| Canada Top Singles | 92 |
| Netherlands | 91 |