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Thursday, November 10, 2011

Black Dog

  In honour of the 40th Anniversary of "Led Zeppelin IV" , I thought I would post all of the songs on the album. Some post will be about one song and others, hopefully most of the post, will have two songs. I can say for certain that "Black Dog" and "Stairway to Heaven" will be by themselves. I just think it would be disrespectful to "Stairway to Heaven" to have another song posted wit it. And because of that, it leaves an odd number of songs and being that "Black Dog" is the first song I'd thought I would go and that song by itself too.





 "Black Dog" is the lead off track of Led Zeppelin's fourth album Led Zeppelin IV, released in1971. "Black Dog" was released as a single in the United States and Australia, with "Misty Mountain Hop"on the B-side.The song reached # 9 on US Cash Box Top 100 Singles Chart, #15 on US Billboard Hot 100 Chart and # 10 on the US Record World 100 Top Pops. In Australia "Black Dog" went to # 9 on their Go-Set Top 40 Single chart.

  The song took it's name from a black Labrador retriever  that was wondering around the ground of Headley Grange during the recording. The dog has nothing to do with the song lyrics, which are about the desperate desire for a woman's love and because of that resulting in happiness.Regarding the lyrics to the song, Plant later stated, "Not all my stuff is meant to be scrutinized. Things like "Black Dog" are blatant, let's-do-it-in-the-bath type things,but they make their point just the same". It took only two takes for Plant to record the vocals to the song.

  "Black Dog" is built around the call-and-response dynamic between the band and the singer; the start and stop a capella verses were inspired by Fleetwood Mac's 1969 song "Oh Well".

  The guitar sounds at the beginning are those of Jimmy Page warming up his electric guitar. He called it "waking up the army of guitars" - which are multitrack recorded in unisonwith an electric bass guitar providing the song's signature.

  During the outro-solo (in music, Conclusion) Robert Plant can be heard wailing and moaning in the background. At around the 4 minute mark Plant hits his highest note on any Led Zeppelin studio recording. He reaches it at 3:49 mark of the song, between the second and third repetition of the fade off riff during the guitar solo.

   "Black Dog" was first played on March 5,1971 in Belfast, Northern Ireland at Belfast Ulster Hall.It was then retained for each subsequent concert tour until 1973. It was used in an encore medley with "Whole Lotta Love" in 1975, but was hardly used in Zeppelin's 1977 concert tour of the United States. It was used again for the Knebwoth festival of 1979 and the 19890 Tour of Europe. For these last performances in 1980, Page introduced the song from the stag.




BLACK DOG 

 Hey, hey,Mama said the way you move
 Gon' make sweat, gon' make you groove.
 Ah-ah, child the way you shake that thing
 Gon' make you burn, gon' make you sting.
Hey,hey baby, when you walk that way
 Watch your honey drip, can't keep away.

 Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, ah,ah,ah
 Oh, yeah, oh, yeah, ah, ah, ah

I gotta roll, can't stand still
 Got a flamin' heart, can't get my fill
Lines that shine burnin' red 
 Dreams of you all through my head.

 Ah-ah
 Ah-ahh, ah-ah
 Ah-ah, ah-ah
Ah-ah, ahh
 Hey baby, whoa baby,pretty baby
 Darlin', can't ya do me now
 Hey baby, oh baby, pretty baby
Move the way you're movin' now.

 Didn't take long 'fore I found out
 What people mean by down and out.
 Spent my money,  took my car.
 Started telin' her friends she's gonna be a star. 
I don't know but I've been told 
A legged woman ain't got no soul.

 Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah
Oh yeah, oh yeah, ah, ah, ah/yeah

 All I ask for, all I pray
Steady rollin' woman gonna come my way.
 Need a woman gonna hold my hand
 Won't tell me no lies make me a happy man.


 Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ahh
 Ooh, ooh-wah, oh yeah, gotta move
 Yeah- yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah, yeah-yeah
 Gotta move you, now, babe, babe, move, you move, yeah
Push, push, babe,push babe,push babe
 Push it now, push baby, push baby, push, move move
 Ooh yeah, ooh move
 Well-done,
 I'm gonna get you groovin', now, gonna get you groovin, now.








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