Kashmir (song)
| "Kashmir" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Physical Graffiti | ||
| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| From the album Physical Graffiti | ||
| Album released | 1975 | |
| Genre | Rock | |
| Song Length | 8:29 | |
| Record label | Swan Song Records | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |
| Track Number | Track 6 (Disc 1) | |
"Kashmir" is a signature song by the rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. At 8 minutes 29 seconds, the song is one of Led Zeppelin's longest.
Description
Vocalist Robert Plant wrote the lyrics while driving through the Sahara Desert in Morocco, despite the fact that the song is named for geographically distant Kashmir, a region located between between Central Asia and South Asia.
The song is considered to be one of the band's most successful songs. John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound, while Plant cites it as his favourite Led Zeppelin song. Reportedly, this is partly due to Plant's annoyance at having to explain the lyrics of Stairway to Heaven.
The song is centered around a chord progression guitar riff, which is played in an alternative guitar tuning: the strings are tuned to 'D modal' or DADGAD. The body of the song also has a different beat between the guitars and the drums. The drums play the standard 4/4 time signature with a unique double stroke on the bass drum, while the guitars create tension by playing against it in 3/4 time [1] John Bonham has been cited as the source for the main 3/4 riff and has an official credit as co-songwriter. The song includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan and other Middle Eastern music. Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar and mellotron strings are used in the song.
Trivia
- The song's undercurrent of Asian/Arabic rhythm led to a cover version by the late Ofra Haza and appeared on the flip side of her single Mata Hari.
- The song was played without lyrics as background during ice dancing in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
- Danish rock-band Kashmir is named after the song.
- A cappella group The House Jacks include the song as one of the signature pieces in their repertoire.
- The tune was sampled by Sean "Puffy" Combs (now known as Diddy) in his song Come With Me from the soundtrack to the movie Godzilla (1998), which featured live guitar parts from Jimmy Page, who endorsed Combs' adaptation.
- The lyrics to Kashmir are featured in the recent movie Ocean's Twelve. Matt Damon's character quotes the first two lines of the song in a scene with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Robbie Coltrane. The other three men say seemingly non-sensical phrases and upon Matt Damon's turn he doesn't know what to say so he quotes "Oh let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream, I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been."
Reference
- ^ Janovitz, Bill. "Kashmir", All Music Guide: "The main body has the drums playing the standard [sic] 2/4 time signature, while the rising musical theme creates tension by playing against it in 3/4 time".
