Ramble On
| "Ramble On" | |
|---|---|
 Turkish single label | |
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Led Zeppelin II | |
| Released | 22 October 1969 |
| Recorded | 1969 |
| Studio | Juggy Sound, New York City |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:35[4] |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
| Audio sample | |
"Ramble On" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. It was co-written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, and was recorded in 1969 at Juggy Sound Studio, New York City, during the band's second concert tour of North America. In 2010, the song was ranked number 440 on list of Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.[5] In 2019, Rolling Stone ranked the song number 5 on its list of the 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs.[6] The song's lyrics were influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.
Composition
The song's lyrics, particularly in the third verse, were influenced by The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, mentioning among other things the darkest depths of Mordor, Gollum, and The Evil One.[7] Its first line, "Leaves are falling all around", is an adaptation of Tolkien's "Ah! like gold fall the leaves in the wind", the English translation of the first line of his Quenya (Elvish language) poem "Namárië".[8]
Recording
Page explained that he achieved the smooth, sustaining violin-like tone on the solo by using the neck pickup on his Les Paul with the treble cut and utilising a sustain-producing effects unit built by audio engineer Roger Mayer.[9]
Live performances
Until 2007, "Ramble On" was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts.[7] At the Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert on 10 December 2007, at the O2 Arena in London; Page ended the song with a brief section of the bridge from "What Is and What Should Never Be".[10]
Reception and charts
In a retrospective review of Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition), Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound praised the remastering of "Ramble On", believing the track now sounds "mellow and well-balanced".[11] Madden further stated the track "gets a boost from John Paul Jones' garter snake bass playing."[11] When reviewing the added bonus tracks of the Deluxe Edition, Madden called the rough mix of "Ramble On" as the best of all the bonus tracks, finding Page's acoustic strums "particularly driving".[11]
In 2007, "Ramble On" reached number 66 on the Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart.[12]
Certifications
| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[13] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "Ramble On" entries
References
- ^ Fricke, David (12 November 2012). "A Última Valsa". Rolling Stone (in Brazilian Portuguese). UOL. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
Translation: Jones stitching the rampant folk-rock of 'Ramble On' with bass counter-melodies;
- ^ Martin Popoff (15 August 2014). The Big Book of Hair Metal: The Illustrated Oral History of Heavy Metal's Debauched Decade. Voyageur Press. p. 11. ISBN 978-0-7603-4546-7.
- ^ "Led Zeppelin Biography". The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
Led Zeppelin II found them further tightening up and modernizing their blues-rock approach on such tracks as "Whole Lotta Love," "Heartbreaker" and "Ramble On."
- ^ Led Zeppelin II (Album notes). Led Zeppelin. New York City: Atlantic Records. 1969. Side two label. SD 8236.
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) - ^ "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time - May 2010". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
- ^ "The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 13 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2022.
- ^ a b Lewis, Dave (1995). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- ^ Meyer, Stephen C.; Yri, Kirsten (2020). The Oxford Handbook of Music and Medievalism. Oxford University Press. p. 732. ISBN 978-0-19-065844-1.
- ^ "Led Vault: Jimmy Page Talks First Three Led Zeppelin Albums, Gibson and Harmony Guitars and More". Guitar World. 11 June 2014.
- ^ Shane Handler (11 December 2007). "Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zeppelin Reunion Show". Glide Magazine. Retrieved 23 June 2016.
- ^ a b c Madden, Michael (4 June 2014). "Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II [Reissue]". CoS. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
- ^ "Hot Digital Singles - 1 December 2007". Billboard.com. Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 19 January 2009.
- ^ "British single certifications – Led Zeppelin – Ramble On". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
