Songfacts®: You can leave comments about the song at the bottom of the page.
This was Led Zeppelin's first US single, and their only US Top-10 hit. Some of their most popular songs, like "
Stairway To Heaven," were not released as singles.
Atlantic Records pressed copies of the single to release in England, but Peter Grant, their manager, wouldn't let them. He felt releasing singles in England would hurt album sales, and the band thought that one song was not a good representation of any group. In the US, it was acceptable because more people bought singles.
Blues great Willie Dixon sued the band, claiming they stole this from his song "You Need Love." The band reached an agreement with Dixon, who used the settlement money to set up a program providing instruments for schools.
The free-form section was the result of Page and engineer Eddie Kramer "twiddling every knob known to man."
This might be the first use of "backward echo." Page put the echo of Plant's lines before he says them, creating an interesting sound.
Robert Plant did the vocal in one take.
Led Zeppelin used this as the basis for a medley they performed in their later shows. They had lots of songs by then, so they used the medley to play snippets of their popular songs they did not want to play all the way through. They incorporated various Blues songs in these medleys as well, notably "
Boogie Chillen" by John Lee Hooker, which was often followed by what they called "Boogie Woogie, by Unknown," and "Let's Have A Party" by Wanda Jackson. They would put this in when Robert Plant would yell, "Way Down INSIDE." (thanks, Thomas - Toronto, Canada)
This was used as the theme song to the BBC music show Top of the Pops. The band never appeared on the program, as they had no interest in lip-synching and weren't a good fit for the TOTP audience.
Some parts of the song as well as some lyrics were borrowed form a song called "You Need Loving" by the Small Faces. Small Faces was a '60 band that Zeppelin modeled themselves after. (thanks, Andy - Cleveland, OH)
The remaining members of Led Zeppelin played this at their Live Aid reunion in 1985. Along with Tony Thompson, Phil Collins sat in on drums. Collins was the biggest presence at Live Aid. He played a set in London, flew to Philadelphia, played another set, then stayed on when Zeppelin took the stage. Jimmy Page was not happy - he thought Collins butchered this.
On some live versions, Jimmy Page played the theremin, a bizarre electronic instrument he liked to experiment with consisting of a black box and an antennae. The sound is altered by moving one's hand closer to or farther from the antennae and was used to create the fuzz that alternates back and forth through the speakers. It can be heard to great effect on their Royal Albert Hall footage. The Theremin was used by The Beach Boys on "
Good Vibrations." Page decided to try theremin after hearing the group Spirit use one. (thanks, Collin - Midland, TX)
Page, Plant, and John Paul Jones played this at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988 with Jason Bonham sitting in on drums for his late father. Jason would join the band again in 2007 at a benefit concert for the Ahmet Ertegun education fund, where they played this as the first encore.
In 1997, this became the only single Led Zeppelin released in the UK, although there were several pressings made of "
Trampled Underfoot" that were all shelved before being released, and are, today, viewed as highly collectable. (thanks, Jon - Wayne, PA)
Robert Plant played this on the Strange Sensations tour of the UK in 2005. (thanks, iain - edinburgh, Scotland)
Jimmy Page played the loose Blues riff for the intro on a Sunburst 1958 Les Paul Standard through a 100W Marshall "Plexi" head amp with distortion from the EL34 output valves.
Jack Johnson performed a very laid-back version of this song when he headlined the first night of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in 2008.
Alexis Korner hit #13 UK with his cover of this song in 1970 with his studio group CCS. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France, for above 2)
This song was performed by Leona Lewis and Jimmy Page at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics during the hand over to the host of the 2012 games, London. Prior to the performance there was some concern about the track's somewhat family unfriendly lyrical content, but Lewis tactfully changed the words from "every inch of my love" to "every bit of my love."
They appeared alongside English soccer star David Beckham as symbols of British entertainment, both old and new. The performance took place in a magnificent, elaborate setting: Beijing's "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium. Lewis and Page appeared out of what had been a London double-decker bus, later transformed into a garden of green hedges. (thanks, Arthur - North East, Poland)
John Paul Jones told Uncut magazine January 2009 that Page began to come into his own as a producer around the time of this song. Said Jones: "The backwards echo stuff. A lot of the microphone techniques were just inspired. Using distance-miking… and small amplifiers. Everybody thinks we go in the studio with huge walls of amplifiers, but he doesn't. He uses a really small amplifier and he just mikes it up really well, so that it fits into a sonic picture."
On May 5, 2009, this became the first Led Zeppelin song performed on American Idol when Adam Lambert sang it during Rock week, with Slash as the guest mentor. The judges loved Lambert's version and he advanced to the next round.
In 2010, Mary J. Blige covered "Whole Lotta Love" and "Stairway To Heaven," which were released as downloads and appeared on the UK version of her Stronger With Each Tear album. Musicians contributing to these tracks include Steve Vai, Orianthi, blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and Randy Jackson of American Idol fame, who played bass. "Whole Lotta Love" was produced by RedOne and Ron Fair, who is Chairman of Geffen Records. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
Comments (151):
Randy Houser
The "How Country Feels" singer talks Skynyrd and songwriting.
Cy Curnin of The Fixx
The man who brought us "Red Skies" and "Saved By Zero" is now an organic farmer in France.
Mike Watt - "History Lesson, Pt. 2"
Mike Watt of the Minutemen tells the story of the song that became an Indie Rock touchstone. It's also the story of what Mike calls "The Movement."
Get the Ringtone
Get Song @ Amazon
Get the Sheet Music
View Lyrics
Nick Duckett
http://www.rhythmandbluesrecords.co.uk/
"Shake for me, girl/I want to be your back door man"
Still, a good song, and the one that most readily comes to mind that features an extended vocal rendering of an orgasm.
(close race with stairway)
But I would also like to say to everyone going on about Aguilera, fair enough if you don’t like her music, I don't either, Cos I'm a rocker. But to call herself crap is rubbish. I’m a trained singer, all be it a rock singer but I know what I'm talking about in that department. As a singer she has amazing technique and vocal range and ability. Yes the music she sings to is s--te and she may once have been all 'sexual appearance' but she herself, as a singer is not.
Whole Lotta Love is an exceptional song, its timeless just like (almost) every other Led Zeppelin song. If you value Led Zeppelin then you value true music.
But hey, we're not talking about Yes. The backwards echo thing is incorrect: the same technique can be heard in the psychedelic outro of "You Shook Me" on the debut.
in a crib my father had it playing in a record player
instead of talking about great bands like Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, the Who, etc., everyone talks about this manufactured rap crap and how great it is, stupid Britney Spears and Paris Hilton (BOO!), and their favorite show, which is American Idol, of course.
This makes me very sad. I know what I'm talking about, because at my school, that's what everyone wants to talk about. Why, I agree completely with Danny and Nick. It's not hard to become a popular rapper. All you have to do...is know how to rhyme, speak all about sex, drugs, death, violence, and how great and glorifying they are, and cuss so badly you would make a sailor faint in shock. I could become a rapper without even trying! Just keep those 3 rules with you all the time, and you've got it made. Very, very sad. Oh, and they all die. If you're a rapper, don't make any plans for the future after your 25th birthday.
Sorry to rant, but this is truly how I feel about this. I am glad there are about 3 other kids in my grade who are avid Led Zeppelin fans and don't like rap. If it weren't for them, I'd be so alone in the school world... That's my rant.
Andy
Vancouver, WA.
I have to say that I think Led Zeppelin is better than The Beatles. Maybe it's just because I like their music more, but I also think they were more creative and they had great chemistry.
Next time you're at a stoplight and the song comes on, try braking to the beats! Sometimes I wonder what the car drivers behind me think.
Or if they had a movie where someone's on a bad drug trip, writhing around on their bed with the room spinning around, that part could be playing in the background.
BTW I've never been on drugs. :)
GNR's influence from Zeppelin is not obvius but Distant. this is my theory of Heavy Metal Evolution.
Whoever controls the media, controls the mind -Jim Morrison
When the power of love overcomes the lov
*Keyboards- Paul may have had more talent than Jonsey, but J-P Jones was much more creative, Using synthesizers and FX to their potential. I give this one to Jones.
*Bass- Once again McCartney vs Jones. Both very skilled bass players. This is a toss up in my mind. McCartney is a great technical bass player, but I can't get over the perfect sound and timing of Jones's bass on every note he has ever played. Neither has a flaw you could point out.
*Drums- Hands down no comparison without a doubt almost want to harm myself for comparing the two. Bonzo is the best drummer of all time, Ringo is a joke. Zeppelin gets like 4 million points over the Beatles right here.
*Guitar- Jimmy is the undisputed best guiarist in the world in my mind. In the best 25 guitarist lists, Clapton and Page are always first and second. For more on clapton, see my "CLAPTON IS A HACK" piece under the layla zone. George is great, Jimmy's better.
*Vocals- The beatles used more backup vocals, but when Zeppelin used backup it was utterly amazing (listen to "The Ocean"on houses of the holy). As for lead vocals. I can't decide between Lennon and PLant... Their styles are very different, and they are both very good.
In 1969 the Beatles were pretty much broken up and Abbey Road was out for a few months and Led Zeppelin II came out and knocked Abbey Road off the Charts, Zep had a bigger Record than the Beatles, and Abbey Road was the #1 album from practically the Day it came out until Led Zeppelin II came out, I dont think Beatles Records stay on the Charts Forever. Thats like saying that Pink Floyd was Bigger than Led Zeppelin because Dark Side of the Moon was bigger than Houses of the Holy at the time.
im 16 and i was raised to appreciate REAL music.
classic rock all the way. Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC, The Who, Pink Floyd, Van Morrison, OMG!!!! don't feel like listing more cuz u get the point.
Anyway, I've been listening to the old Led Zeppelin albums lately and really appreciating how much of their music comes out of old blues. I never realized how much blues was in that early 'heavy metal' music: Black Sabbath was also playing some kind of 'Brittish Blues', and the Rolling Stones have got a heavy dose of it too.
So, I guess my point is, if hip hop music is taking riffs from Zeppelin and other 'classic' rock music, that's cool. It's a kind of tribute - or at least it's just another step in a history of rock taking riffs out of blues songs (usually without credit.) In fact, I bet Plant and Page would be happy to know that their music is influencing a new generation of musicians (yes, even "rap" musicians.)
- Dave (Toronto, Canada)
I wanna give you every inch of my love.....
I wanna be your back-door man....
Filthy, filthy minds....LOL.....
(under 20, even though you can be a kid at any age),
who appreciate great music!!!!
I grew up with it and I'm really grateful. Sorry for
you guys who live in a time where there's so much junk around, you really have to dig around for good stuff. Write me if you want suggestions...
there's a WHOLE WORLD of great music out there but
unfortunately it's mostly old. Thank goodness you can still find things if you know what to look for.
Love and peace, gatmina@libero.it
"say man, do you like led zeppelin?"
"i like some of HIS work"
*idiot*
this song will never get old, it sounds literally like thunder, on "how the west was won"
with the ownership of radio station being ever tightly controlled by fewer and fewer so that you hear only what they want to sell you...
I suggest you look for independant and alternative media such as www.klodradio.com
So i am preaching for my own parish!!!
But I play what my listeners want to hear!
I must congratulate the people behind this site
for their hard work at keeping us informed about
the greatest songs of all time!
This goes a long way to keep real music alive!
"Well, Thank You is a wonderful song. I covered it a while back. I think Robert wrote it for his partner, and I remember thinking, I wish I could write something like that. My favorite has to be Whole Lotta Love, though. When I first met my husband {recording engineer Mark Hawley}, that song took on a new significance. Suddenly it was Oreo cookies again. Whole Lotta Love is an aphrodisiac, and it makes you want to put on your kitten-heel boots.
-- Tori; Mojo Magazine, October 2001
"My dad's a minister. and I went to church twice a Sunday. maybe three times, depending on uhh what he had cooking that day. and he'd come from church and my mother would always be picking chicken. she'd always be sitting there. my mother still... she makes great chicken. but uhh sunday was always a bit spooky for me. because um i walked around extra....what is it? my legs were crossed really tight on sundays. and my friend Linda Young always came over the house. i thank god for Linda Young - i don't know what i'd be like to this day without this girl. she brought these records over. like 10 or something high. and uhh went downstairs...put this band (Led Zeppelin) on...and listen to this guy sing. and my little thing went (squeaking noises)! (crowd laughs) It was the greatest thing that's ever happened to me." (begins playing song).
-- Tori; in-concert 1992
dean. york. england
All this crap today is bodies and dance moves with added digitally enhanced faces and voices.
May the true rockers be remembered throughout history! They are the most influential and powerful artists of all time and should never be forgotten. I sure hope they arent in our lifetime...
Fancy that :)
Page also sites that bluesmen always borrow from one another and that he is only a product of his influences. Therefore it could be argued that he was merely continuing a blues tadition.
James is also right, it's supposed to be about the music, not a frick'n popularity contest of songs. Older generations seem more facinated that their music still lives on rather then annoyed to see another teenager play the first 30 seconds of an overplayed lic. Waynes World "Stairway" jokes are true and funny, but also pathetic at the same time. In some cases it almost seems pointless for teenagers to explore further into classic bands like Zeppelin when they get responses full of rolling eyes from the moment they begin to practise Whole Lotta Love or Stairway. This is very sad when you think about it, because these classic hits could easily be great stepping stones into learning blues or jazz hits as well and maybe eventually leading to more complex songs on the radio again.
Jimmy Page appeared on the Julie Felix show in 1970, playing a fantastic acoustic version of "White Summer". The entire group played on Danish TV in 1969, in Staines, I think.
One thing that pisses ME off is when teenagers shove it in people's faces that they are huge Zeppelin fans. Bro, who cares--it's about the music. We don't care if you're seventy or seven, just like what you like. There's no need to put somebody down if they like modern music, or they only know a few zeppelin songs.
"wanna whole lotta love, then page using a bow to play his guitar"
Although the music video shows pictures of Page using a Bow on his guitar, he didn't in fact use a bow during Whole Lotta Love--ever. Jimmy Page used a bow during Dazed and Confused, How Many More Times, and his own Star Spangled Banner--but never during Whole Lotta Love. The noises that you think are the bow solo are really just him sliding his pick down his strings--similair to that thing Ozzy does in the beginning of Crazy Train. Live, he'd use the Theremin, which people assume is a bow solo, but it's not.
As far as Stairway never being released as a single, that's not true. When I worked as a disc jockey in Chicago, I stole one of the US copies of Stairway given out to radio stations.