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The "Land of ice and snow" is Iceland, where the band played in June, 1970. Robert Plant explained: "We weren't being pompous. We did come from the land of the ice and snow. We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission. We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik and the day before we arrived all the civil servants went on strike and the gig was going to be canceled. The university prepared a concert hall for us and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable and we had a great time. 'Immigrant Song' was about that trip and it was the opening track on the album that was intended to be incredibly different."
One of the lyrics became part of Led Zeppelin lore. The line, "The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands" got many of their fans referring to Zeppelin's sound as the "Hammer of the gods." The phrase was used by author Stephen Davis as the title of a book about the band.
Led Zeppelin meant for this song to be somewhat humorous. They weren't known as a funny band, so a lot of their fans took it quite seriously.
The hiss at the beginning is feedback from an echo unit. It was intentional.
Until the Zeppelin boxed set was released, "Hey, Hey What Can I Do" could be found only on the flip side of this single.
The single was mistakenly released in Japan with "Out On The Tiles" as the B-side rather than "Hey, Hey What Can I Do." That single is now a rare collectible.
One of the lyrics is "Valhalla I am coming." It refers to Norse Mythology. Valhalla is a hall in Asgard where the souls of fallen warriors are taken by the "Valkyries," which are spirits of war who carry up heroes who have been slain. Only heroes are taken to Valhalla, where they will wait for their certain doom. (thanks, Mike - Chicago, IL)
To get permission to use this song in the movie School Of Rock, the star of the movie, Jack Black, videotaped himself singing in front of a huge crowd of people, begging for Led Zeppelin to let them use the song in the movie. They succeeded. (thanks, Gina - Reston, VA)
Led Zeppelin opened their live shows with this song from 1970-1972. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)
This plays over the credits of the French TV show 50 Minutes Inside. (thanks, Bertrand - Paris, France)
Comments (119):
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What confuses me about the Viking theory is mentioning the "Western Shore". And having it out w/the natives. Both only fit England. All the other locales have eastern shores facing Norway plus Iceland did not present the Norsemen w/a population resisting them settling there. Personally I don't beieve all the Zep songs are about the LOTR (I could be very wrong tho) but these are issue w/the Viking theory.
But I do see Viking references in many of their songs. Could their Iclandic trip have inspired them to write about the Viking attacks in Western Britain? Reportedly Page lived in a cottage for a while that sat on the scene of past Viking raid & he liked to get up in the early morning & imagine that happening.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CbuKwHW7bpo&list=HL1342631471&feature=mh_lolz
I really don't much mind when classic rock is used in movies, commercials, and (yes) Guitar Hero/Rockband, since that introduces the younger generation to REAL music.
In fact, I can largely credit Guitar Hero for my daughter's current interest in classic rock.
RRRRRRAGOONG GA GA GIGOO RRRRRRAGOONG GA GA GIGOO
aaaAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAA AAA!!!
On a different note, this song is great, and isn't the shortest Zep tune, Bron's 2:06 and Black Mountain Side is 2:05.
Also, let's look quickly at the debate between the Mongols and the Vikings. The song was written in Iceland, by the in-direct descendants of Vikings, about the Golden Horde? NO! If you're so deprived of deductive reasoning, look at the words "On we sweep with threshing oar,
Our only goal will be the western shore." Two clues right there, the Mongols had no navy at all, not even a little one, and travelled by horse back over land, not over any sea anywhere. The next dead give away is "Shore" a shore is of definition, the beginning of land seen from sea. A coast on the other hand is the end of land seen from the land. Had it been from the perspective oh Mr. Khan or one of his crew, they'd would have been looking for the western coast, and on horseback.
People bother me, except Mike, and some other people.
This song was written in Iceland(1970), face it, even Plant himself says it...
And why would the song be about the Lord of the Rings...??
And one of the coolest!
Like to think it's about, where I'm from. But naaah, guess it's Iceland they're singin about, because there are no hot springs blowing here, and it's logically because they played there in 1970 and all..
Erica: why should it be about lord of the rings? are there vikings & viking gods in lotr?
When analyzing the immigrant song this is what I came up with.
The blues based influence comes forward in many other hits by the band including some of their most famous songs like, Since I Been Loving You, The ocean, Rock and Roll, and even the Immigrant Song. The lyrics of the Immigrant Song do speak of Vikings traversing foreign shores but the guitar is totally blues to the core. The solo follows the patterns of the blues scale, and in extended versions of the song, like that found on the BBC Sessions, the solo is much larger and further accentuates its bluesy qualitites. The lyrics themselves are also a metaphor and do not directly refer to the Vikings themselves. Some interpret this song as a metaphor Zeppelin wrote about having to leave England and go touring in the States. But if you look closely this song breaks down into a metaphor for sex. The lyrics state, "We come from the lands of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs blow." On one hand it says that they are form the icy north, and the midnight sun could refer to the fact that the north has twenty four hours of sun in the summer. This is the outward meaning that most people see in the song. But you could also interpret the midnight sun to refer to nightlife and the hot springs blowing to refer to the mans ejaculation. The land of the ice and snow could show men to be polar opposites from the women which are later described as fields of green. Plant goes on to sing "The hammer of the gods. We'll drive our ships to new lands. Fight the horde, sing and cry. Valhalla I am coming." The Hammer of the gods and the word, "ships," refers to male genitalia and, "new lands" refers to women. "Fight the horde, sing and cry, Valhalla I am coming," is about the specific act of sex and is rather self explanatory. "On we sweep, with threshing oar. Our only goal will be the western shore." After the act of sex the men move on, their only goal another "shore", or woman. He repeats the opening line and then goes on to say, "how soft your fields so green, can whisper tales of Gore." This refers to the female genitalia calling it a soft appealing field of green. "Can whisper tales of gore" refers to a woman's menstruation. The lines, "Of how we calmed the tides of war," refers to the mans ability to end menstruation through fertilization and, "We are your overlords" speaks of a mans mastery of a women and her womb by becoming a father. With this most can see how intellectual Led Zeppelin was, with metaphoric lyrics that take rock and roll to another level.
I mean how does four men make a song such as this
Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock band in world
"and she's buying a Stairway To Heaven"
Immigrant Song - side 1 / Hey, Hey, What Can I Do - Side 2 (Atlantic/Warner-Pioneer Corp. Toyko, Japan - P-115A/P-1007A2).
If you listen to it loud you can hear what I think is John Bonham saying, "One, two, three, four," before the guitar riff starts.
I still think it's interesting that Orth points out that 'Midnight Sun' and 'Hot Springs' were two Ontario bars where John Bonham and Robert Plant liked to get drunk.
I know people like to read a lot into it, but this song could be nothing more than a comment on the threat of nuclear war, as seen through the eyes of a drunken English musician siting in a Canadian bar.
The hammer of the gods is a viking amulet- Thor?s hammer, driving their ships to new lands as vikings explored all over the northern hemisphere of the world.
As everyone knows, Valhalla is one of three heavens, it is in Odin(the cheif of the gods)'s hall and all warriors who died in battle were sent there.
Drakkars, viking war boats, were up to 100 feet long and with only sails, they could travel only downwind. Viking explorers had to use oars to travel the ocean if the wind did not suit them, and the Western Shore is referring either to Greenland (from Iceland or Norway) or to New Foundland and Labrador, Canada, where traces of vikings are found.
"Feilds of green" refers to "Vinland", a land near labrador, probably on the coast of New Foundland, where there was grass for grazing and sandy beaches. There might have been a battle there.
It goes on, and you get the point.
"We come from the land of the ice and snow,
From the midnight sun where the hot springs blow."
This is obviously referring to Iceland. In the summer the sun is up 24/7, there are hot springs blowing all around and it's icey and snowy.
Plus, since when were Canada or other American places known for being Vikings? This song is obsiously about Vikings and Norse Mythology.
Also, this song was written right after they played in Iceland
go there
....its really not that funny but hey see what you think of it
This song sounds better live.
another crazy zep rock song...i love how they write about cool stuff from the past and not the same old same old
AaaaaaAaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaaAH!