Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
Encyclopedia
"Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" is a folk
song written by Anne Bredon
(then known as Anne Johannsen) in the late 1950s. It was recorded by Joan Baez
(credited as "traditional") and released on her 1962 album Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1
, and also by the English
rock
band Led Zeppelin
, who included it on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin
. Other interpretations of the Bredon song include versions by The Plebs (1964 Decca Records UK/MGM Records USA), The Association
in 1965 (also doing a live version in 1970) and British
pop singer Mark Wynter
in 1965. Quicksilver Messenger Service
recorded a variation on the song in 1967. Welsh
band Man
would later cover the QMS song on their 1976 album Maximum Darkness
(recorded live at Roundhouse, Chalk Farm on 26 May 1975).
, on which she sang "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You". A fellow folk singer who guested on The Midnight Special, Janet Smith, took up the song and developed it further, playing it live at hootenanny folk-song events at Oberlin College
, one performance of which was attended by Joan Baez. Baez requested Smith to send her a recording of her songs, including "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You", which Baez subsequently began performing herself. It became the opening track on Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1
. Initially, the song had no writers' credit, but after Smith contacted Bredon, who confirmed her authorship, later pressings of ...In Concert gave the writing credit to Bredon.
and singer Robert Plant
were fans of Baez. Baez's original album had indicated no writing credit, and Led Zeppelin credited the song as "Trad. arr. Page". In the 1980s, Bredon was made aware of Led Zeppelin's version of the song. Since 1990 the Led Zeppelin version has been credited to Anne Bredon/Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, and Bredon received a substantial back-payment in royalties.
This was the number Page played to Plant at their first meeting together, which took place at Page's riverside home at Pangbourne
in late July 1968. It is sometimes stated that the song evolved when Plant played to Page the guitar arrangement which eventually found its way onto the album. In an interview he gave with Guitar World
magazine in 1998, Page refuted this story, noting that he had worked out the arrangement long before he met Plant, told him he would like it on the album, and that Plant at that time did not even play the guitar.
It is rumored that Page recorded another version of the song, with Steve Winwood
, in 1968, which was never released.
At the 1:41 mark of Led Zeppelin's version of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", it is possible to hear a very faint trace of Plant singing, "I can hear it calling me" just before he sings the same line in full volume. This "ghost" is the vocal bleed from Plant's scratch vocal, and it appears on the drum tracks, which were recorded live with the full band.
The band played this song live only at Led Zeppelin concerts
on its 1969 concert tours, but Page and Plant
brought it back for their 1998 reunion in a 9-minute version.
A live, filmed performance of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", from Led Zeppelin's gig on Danmarks Radio
at Gladsaxe
, Denmark
, on March 17, 1969, is featured on the Led Zeppelin DVD (2003).
Record producer Rick Rubin
has remarked, "It ["Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"] is a song with a classical nature that also really rocks. It really takes you on a trip." The song is featured on the 2006 One Tree Hill
episode entitled "The Show Must Go On
"
As a result of touring in the United States and watching various "Led Zeppelin" cover bands and other artists perform this song, in recent months Robert Plant has taken to performing this song again, both with his band "Strange Sensations" as well as in his concert tours as a solo artist.
1969 7" single edition (Greece: Atlantic 2019 003)
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
song written by Anne Bredon
Anne Bredon
Anne Bredon is an American folk singer, best known for composing the song Babe I'm Gonna Leave You while she was a student at University of California, Berkeley in the late 1950s...
(then known as Anne Johannsen) in the late 1950s. It was recorded by Joan Baez
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez is an American folk singer, songwriter, musician and a prominent activist in the fields of human rights, peace and environmental justice....
(credited as "traditional") and released on her 1962 album Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1
Joan Baez in Concert
Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1 is a live album taken from Joan Baez's 1962 concert tours. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.-History:...
, and also by the English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
, who included it on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin (album)
Led Zeppelin is the debut album of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios in London and released on Atlantic Records on 12 January 1969 in the United States and 31 March 1969 in the United Kingdom. The album featured integral contributions from each...
. Other interpretations of the Bredon song include versions by The Plebs (1964 Decca Records UK/MGM Records USA), The Association
The Association
The Association is a pop music band from California in the folk rock or soft rock genre. During the 1960s, they had numerous hits at or near the top of the Billboard charts and were the lead-off band at 1967's Monterey Pop Festival...
in 1965 (also doing a live version in 1970) and British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
pop singer Mark Wynter
Mark Wynter
Mark Wynter is an English actor and former singer, who had four Top 20 singles in the 1960s, including "Venus in Blue Jeans" and "Go Away Little Girl"...
in 1965. Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Quicksilver Messenger Service is an American psychedelic rock band, formed in 1965 in San Francisco.-Introduction:Quicksilver Messenger Service gained wide popularity in the Bay Area and, through their recordings, with psychedelic rock enthusiasts around the globe and several of their albums ranked...
recorded a variation on the song in 1967. Welsh
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
band Man
Man (band)
Man are a rock band from South Wales whose style is a mixture of West Coast psychedelia, progressive rock, blues and country-rock. Formed in 1968 as a reincarnation of Welsh rock harmony group ‘’The Bystanders’’, Man are renowned for the extended jams in their live performances, and having had...
would later cover the QMS song on their 1976 album Maximum Darkness
Maximum Darkness
Maximum Darkness is an album by the Welsh progressive rock band Man and was released on the United Artists Records label September 1975. It was the second complete live album released by the band, and featured John Cipollina as special guest...
(recorded live at Roundhouse, Chalk Farm on 26 May 1975).
Joan Baez version
Whilst a student at UC-Berkeley in around 1960, Anne Bredon appeared on a live folk-music radio show The Midnight Special on radio station KPFAKPFA
KPFA is a listener-funded progressive talk radio and music radio station located in Berkeley, California, broadcasting to the San Francisco Bay Area. KPFA airs public news, public affairs, talk, and music programming. The station signed on-the-air April 15 1949, as the first Pacifica Station...
, on which she sang "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You". A fellow folk singer who guested on The Midnight Special, Janet Smith, took up the song and developed it further, playing it live at hootenanny folk-song events at Oberlin College
Oberlin College
Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio, noteworthy for having been the first American institution of higher learning to regularly admit female and black students. Connected to the college is the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, the oldest continuously operating...
, one performance of which was attended by Joan Baez. Baez requested Smith to send her a recording of her songs, including "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You", which Baez subsequently began performing herself. It became the opening track on Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1
Joan Baez in Concert
Joan Baez in Concert, Part 1 is a live album taken from Joan Baez's 1962 concert tours. It peaked at #10 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.-History:...
. Initially, the song had no writers' credit, but after Smith contacted Bredon, who confirmed her authorship, later pressings of ...In Concert gave the writing credit to Bredon.
Led Zeppelin version
The band was inspired to cover the song after hearing Baez's version. Both guitarist Jimmy PageJimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and singer Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
were fans of Baez. Baez's original album had indicated no writing credit, and Led Zeppelin credited the song as "Trad. arr. Page". In the 1980s, Bredon was made aware of Led Zeppelin's version of the song. Since 1990 the Led Zeppelin version has been credited to Anne Bredon/Jimmy Page & Robert Plant, and Bredon received a substantial back-payment in royalties.
This was the number Page played to Plant at their first meeting together, which took place at Page's riverside home at Pangbourne
Pangbourne
Pangbourne is a large village and civil parish on the River Thames in the English county of Berkshire. Pangbourne is the home of the independent school, Pangbourne College.-Location:...
in late July 1968. It is sometimes stated that the song evolved when Plant played to Page the guitar arrangement which eventually found its way onto the album. In an interview he gave with Guitar World
Guitar World
Guitar World is a monthly music magazine devoted to guitarists. It contains original interviews, album and gear reviews and guitar and bass tablature of approximately five songs each month. The magazine is published 13 times per year...
magazine in 1998, Page refuted this story, noting that he had worked out the arrangement long before he met Plant, told him he would like it on the album, and that Plant at that time did not even play the guitar.
It is rumored that Page recorded another version of the song, with Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, in 1968, which was never released.
At the 1:41 mark of Led Zeppelin's version of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", it is possible to hear a very faint trace of Plant singing, "I can hear it calling me" just before he sings the same line in full volume. This "ghost" is the vocal bleed from Plant's scratch vocal, and it appears on the drum tracks, which were recorded live with the full band.
The band played this song live only at Led Zeppelin concerts
Led Zeppelin concerts
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin were one of the world's most popular live music attractions, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world.-History:...
on its 1969 concert tours, but Page and Plant
Page and Plant
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, both formerly of English hard rock band Led Zeppelin, recorded and toured in the mid-1990s under the title Page and Plant. The pair re-united in 1994 and, after recording a highly successful first album, they embarked on a world tour. They then recorded a second album,...
brought it back for their 1998 reunion in a 9-minute version.
A live, filmed performance of "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You", from Led Zeppelin's gig on Danmarks Radio
Danmarks Radio
DR – officially rendered into English as the Danish Broadcasting Corporation – is Denmark's national broadcasting corporation. Founded in 1925 as a public-service organization, it is today Denmark's oldest and largest electronic media enterprise...
at Gladsaxe
Gladsaxe
Gladsaxe Kommune is a municipality near Copenhagen in Region Hovedstaden on the island of Zealand in eastern Denmark. The municipality covers an area of 25 km², and has a total population of 62,562...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, on March 17, 1969, is featured on the Led Zeppelin DVD (2003).
Record producer Rick Rubin
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay "Rick" Rubin is an American record producer and the co-president of Columbia Records. Along with Russell Simmons, Rubin was the co-founder of Def Jam Records and also established American Recordings...
has remarked, "It ["Babe I'm Gonna Leave You"] is a song with a classical nature that also really rocks. It really takes you on a trip." The song is featured on the 2006 One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
episode entitled "The Show Must Go On
One Tree Hill (season 3)
Season three of One Tree Hill, an American teen drama television series, began airing on October 5, 2005. The season concluded on May 3, 2006, after 22 episodes. It is the final season that aired on the WB television network...
"
As a result of touring in the United States and watching various "Led Zeppelin" cover bands and other artists perform this song, in recent months Robert Plant has taken to performing this song again, both with his band "Strange Sensations" as well as in his concert tours as a solo artist.
Formats and tracklistings
1969 7" promo 45 edition (US: Atlantic EP 1019)- A. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Bredon, Page, Plant) 6:41
- B. "Dazed and Confused" (Page) 6:26
1969 7" single edition (Greece: Atlantic 2019 003)
- A. "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" (Bredon, Page, Plant) 6:41
- B. "How Many More Times" (Page) 8:28
Personnel
- Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
- vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
- guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick.... - John BonhamJohn BonhamJohn Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Cover versions
With credits Page/Plant/Bredon- 1971: PygPygPYG was a super-group from Japan, made up of members of the most famous bands of the Group Sounds era, The Tempters, The Spiders and The Tigers....
(Free with PYG [recorded live 1971]) - 1996: Great WhiteGreat WhiteGreat White is an American hard rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1978. The band gained popularity during the 1980s and early 1990s. The band released several albums in the late 1980s and gained airplay on MTV with music videos for songs like "Once Bitten, Twice Shy"...
(StageStage (Great White album)Stage is a live album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1995. It was put together by Alan Niven, Great White's former manager, as a contractual release for Zoo Entertainment...
) - 1998: Chapter Eleven (Before the Balloon Went Up)
- 2000: various artists (Pickin' on Zeppelin: A Tribute)
- 2000: Paul OakenfoldPaul OakenfoldPaul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
(Perfecto Presents: Another WorldPerfecto Presents: Another World-Overview:Oakenfold continues with the style of progressive trance begun six years earlier on the Goa mix. Once again, samples of Lisa Gerrard's vocals and snatches of dialogue from the Blade Runner soundtrack are dropped into the mix , which is used between the last two tracks on the first disc...
[remix by QuivverJohn Graham (producer)John Graham is a British record producer, songwriter, vocalist who is also known under the pseudonyms "Quivver" "Skanna" "Stoneproof" and "Space Manoeuvres". He was a former member of music production team Tilt. More recently, he has recorded and toured with the Welsh electronic group,...
]) - 2001: Richard DeVinck (Going to California)
- 2002: Cactus JackCactus Jack (band)-Band history:The band, originally named Caramba, was formed at the end of 1998 by Stevan Birak , Miodrag Krudulj , Vladimir Jezdimirović and Dušan Gnjidić ....
(DisCoverDisCover (album)Discover, written as DisCover on the cover, is the first album by Serbian hard rock band Cactus Jack.The album features nineteen cover songs and was recorded on Cactus Jack concert in Coupe club in Pančevo...
) - 2002: DoroDoro (musician)Dorothee Pesch , popularly known as Doro Pesch or Doro, is a female rock vocalist, formerly of the German heavy metal band Warlock ....
(The Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led ZeppelinThe Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led ZeppelinThe Music Remains the Same is a tribute album of Led Zeppelin songs. It was released on 25 November 2002 by American record label Locomotive Music.-Track listing:#"Kashmir" – Angra#"Dazed and Confused" – Blaze...
) - 2002: Thomas Fuchs (Nightworks)
- 2004: Hampton String QuartetHampton String QuartetThe Hampton String Quartet considered by many to be one of the founders of the "alternative music" genré of chamber music is a string quartet specializing in rock music and other popular styles, playing serious chamber music arrangements of songs using classical composer influences and frequently...
(HSQ Rides Again)
- 2005: Hal LindesHal LindesHal Andrew Lindes is an English-American guitarist and film score composer.In 1980 he began recording a solo album with producer Al Kooper, along with Herbie Flowers on bass and John Bradbury on drums...
(Get the Lead Out) - 2006: Michael Armstrong (Rockabye Baby! - Lullaby Renditions of Led Zeppelin)
- 2007: Vanilla FudgeVanilla FudgeVanilla Fudge is an American rock band. The band's original lineup – vocalist/organist Mark Stein, bassist/vocalist Tim Bogert, lead guitarist/vocalist Vince Martell, and drummer/vocalist Carmine Appice – recorded five albums during the years 1966–69, before disbanding in 1970...
(Out Through the in DoorOut Through the in DoorOut Through the In Door is the eighth album from Vanilla Fudge. It was released in June 2007, with the US finally following in August 2009....
) - 2007: Carl Kennedy with Dirty SouthDirty South (DJ)Dragan Roganović , better known by his stage name Dirty South,is a Serbian-born Australian DJ, remixer and record producer based in Melbourne.-Biography:...
(Onelove: Your Disco Will Eat You [remix]) - 2008: Tony FranklinTony Franklin (musician)Anthony James "Tony" Franklin is an English rock musician, best known for his work on the fretless bass guitar with Roy Harper, The Firm, Jimmy Page, John Sykes' Blue Murder, Whitesnake and briefly, with Quiet Riot.-Fretless bass:...
(Rock N' Pop Ballads) - 2008: Joe Lynn TurnerJoe Lynn TurnerJoe Lynn Turner , is an American rock singer, known for his works with Rainbow, Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force, Deep Purple. From the late 1990s, he continued to perform in a large number of solo albums and other studio projects...
(Led Box: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute) - 2009: P!nkP!nkAlecia Beth Moore , better known by her stage name Pink , is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actress....
(As part of her Funhouse TourPink: Live In AustraliaPink: Live in Australia is a music DVD by American pop singer Pink. The DVD contains the July 17 and July 18, 2009 concerts of Pink's record-breaking Funhouse Tour at the Sydney Entertainment Centre in Sydney, Australia. It was released in late October and early November 2009...
) - 2010: HIM (As part of Punk Goes Classic RockPunk Goes Classic RockPunk Goes Classic Rock is the ninth album in the Punk Goes... series, released by Fearless Records. It was released on April 27, 2010. This also features Your Love by The Outfield for the second time to be covered. And also has a Bonus Sampler CD with it...
, produced by Fearless RecordsFearless RecordsFearless Records is an alternative rock-oriented record label that has been signing artists since 1994. Fearless is based in Westminster, California and are best known for their early pop-punk moments captured in the Fearless Flush Sampler and Punk Bites releases, as well as additional releases by...
) - 2011: OverloadOverload (Pakistani band)Overload is a rock band from Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. Founded in 2004, the band is directed by founder, vocalist and drummer Farhad Humayun, who was soon joined by Sheraz Siddiq on keyboards, Hassan Mohyeddin on percussions and dhol players, Pappu Sain and Jhura Sain...
(As part of Overload Live at the Apartment Sessions, produced by Farhad Humayun)
Sources
- Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7