Tangerine (Led Zeppelin song)
Encyclopedia
"Tangerine" is a folk rock
song composed by Jimmy Page
and performed by English
rock
band Led Zeppelin
. It was released on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III
.
Like several Led Zeppelin tunes written by Page, it has its origins in an old Yardbirds
song, in this instance an unreleased composition entitled "Knowing That I'm Losing You". The Yardbirds version features different lyrics, with the exception of the verse that begins with "Measuring a summer's day."
The track has an acoustic country flavor courtesy of the pedal steel guitar
playing of Page. The song begins with a false start, after which Page pauses to set the right tempo
. Throughout its duration, the song continually changes tempo a few bars at a time while the lyrics fondly recall love and contentedness. This was the second-to-last Led Zeppelin song Page wrote without any input from Robert Plant
. ("Bron-Yr-Aur" from Physical Graffiti
was the last.)
The song uses a simple double track vocal pattern to create a recognisable lilting feel. The song uses a standard Am
G
D
C
progression for the verses before moving on to G
C
D
progression for the chorus.
"Tangerine" was often played live at Led Zeppelin concerts
as part of the band's acoustic set from 1971 through 1972, and was revived for the Earls Court shows of 1975. At these latter performances, Page played the song on his Gibson EDS-1275
double-neck guitar. During the 1975 concert at the Earls Court, Plant said that "Tangerine" is "a song of love in its most...innocent stages".
This was the second Led Zeppelin song to be named after a fruit, the first being "The Lemon Song
".
, and can be heard during the final scene of the movie.
Tangerine was performed by Dave Matthews
and Tim Reynolds
numerous times throughout the 1990s. Kevin Hewick
often features Tangerine in the cover version section of his extended live sets.
Folk rock
Folk rock is a musical genre combining elements of folk music and rock music. In its earliest and narrowest sense, the term referred to a genre that arose in the United States and the UK around the mid-1960s...
song composed by Jimmy Page
Jimmy 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 performed by 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...
. It was released on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin III
Led Zeppelin III is the third studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was recorded between January and July 1970 and released on 5 October 1970 by Atlantic Records. Composed largely at a remote cottage in Wales known as Bron-Yr-Aur, this work represented a maturing of the band's...
.
Like several Led Zeppelin tunes written by Page, it has its origins in an old Yardbirds
The Yardbirds
- Current :* Chris Dreja - rhythm guitar, backing vocals * Jim McCarty - drums, backing vocals * Ben King - lead guitar * David Smale - bass, backing vocals...
song, in this instance an unreleased composition entitled "Knowing That I'm Losing You". The Yardbirds version features different lyrics, with the exception of the verse that begins with "Measuring a summer's day."
The track has an acoustic country flavor courtesy of the pedal steel guitar
Pedal steel guitar
The pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"...
playing of Page. The song begins with a false start, after which Page pauses to set the right tempo
Tempo
In musical terminology, tempo is the speed or pace of a given piece. Tempo is a crucial element of any musical composition, as it can affect the mood and difficulty of a piece.-Measuring tempo:...
. Throughout its duration, the song continually changes tempo a few bars at a time while the lyrics fondly recall love and contentedness. This was the second-to-last Led Zeppelin song Page wrote without any input from 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...
. ("Bron-Yr-Aur" from Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 24 February 1975 as a double album. Recording sessions for the album were initially disrupted when bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones considered leaving the band...
was the last.)
The song uses a simple double track vocal pattern to create a recognisable lilting feel. The song uses a standard Am
A minor
A minor is a minor scale based on A, consisting of the pitches A, B, C, D, E, F, and G. The harmonic minor scale raises the G to G...
G
G (musical note)
Sol, So, or G is the fifth note of the solfège starting on C. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle G note is approximately 391.995 Hz...
D
D (musical note)
D is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the solfege system.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of middle D is approximately 293.665 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
C
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
progression for the verses before moving on to G
G (musical note)
Sol, So, or G is the fifth note of the solfège starting on C. As such it is the dominant, a perfect fifth above C.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of Middle G note is approximately 391.995 Hz...
C
C (musical note)
C or Do is the first note of the fixed-Do solfège scale. Its enharmonic is B.-Middle C:Middle C is designated C4 in scientific pitch notation because of the note's position as the fourth C key on a standard 88-key piano keyboard...
D
D (musical note)
D is a musical note a whole tone above C, and is known as Re within the solfege system.When calculated in equal temperament with a reference of A above middle C as 440 Hz, the frequency of middle D is approximately 293.665 Hz. See pitch for a discussion of historical variations in...
progression for the chorus.
"Tangerine" was often played live 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:...
as part of the band's acoustic set from 1971 through 1972, and was revived for the Earls Court shows of 1975. At these latter performances, Page played the song on his Gibson EDS-1275
Gibson EDS-1275
The Gibson EDS-1275 is a doubleneck Gibson electric guitar introduced in 1963 and still in production. Popularized by both rock and jazz musicians such as Jimmy Page and John McLaughlin, it was called "the coolest guitar in rock."-History:...
double-neck guitar. During the 1975 concert at the Earls Court, Plant said that "Tangerine" is "a song of love in its most...innocent stages".
This was the second Led Zeppelin song to be named after a fruit, the first being "The Lemon Song
The Lemon Song
"The Lemon Song" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. It was recorded at Mystic Studios in Hollywood when the band was on their second concert tour of the United States....
".
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...
- twelve-string guitar, pedal steel guitarPedal steel guitarThe pedal steel guitar is a type of electric guitar that uses a metal bar to "fret" or shorten the length of the strings, rather than fingers on strings as with a conventional guitar. Unlike other types of steel guitar, it also uses pedals and knee levers to affect the pitch, hence the name "pedal"... - 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....
, mandolinMandolinA mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single... - 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 ....
Legacy
"Tangerine" appears in the movie Almost FamousAlmost Famous
Almost Famous is a 2000 musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Cameron Crowe and telling the fictional story of a teenage journalist writing for Rolling Stone magazine while covering the fictitious rock band Stillwater , and his efforts to get his first cover story published...
, and can be heard during the final scene of the movie.
Tangerine was performed by Dave Matthews
Dave Matthews
David John "Dave" Matthews is a South African–born American musician and occasional actor, best known as the lead vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist for the Dave Matthews Band...
and Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as the lead guitarist for Dave Matthews Band...
numerous times throughout the 1990s. Kevin Hewick
Kevin Hewick
Kevin Hewick is an English singer-songwriter who was an early member of the Factory Records roster. In the present day he is known for his recording on Pink Box records, an independent label based in Leicester and his recent work with Italian collective Unfolk.-The Factory years:Newly added to the...
often features Tangerine in the cover version section of his extended live sets.
Cover versions
- 1993: When Skip Jack Tripped (The Song Retains the Same II)
- 1995: Rebecca's EmpireRebecca's EmpireRebecca's Empire were an indie pop-rock band from Melbourne, Australia. They released two full-length albums and two EPs in a six-year career lasting from 1994 to 2000.-History:...
- 1995: Big Head Todd and the MonstersBig Head Todd and the MonstersBig Head Todd & the Monsters is a rock band formed in 1986 in Colorado. The band has released a number of albums since 1989 with their 1993 album Sister Sweetly going platinum in the United States...
(Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin) - 1997: Life of AgonyLife of Agony-Formation and River Runs Red :The band was formed in the summer of 1989 by singer Keith Caputo, bassist Alan Robert and guitarist Joey Z. After playing with several drummers, they enlisted Type O Negative drummer Sal Abruscato before recording the debut album River Runs Red after they signed to...
(Soul Searching SunSoul Searching SunSoul Searching Sun is the third album released by Life of Agony in 1997 through Roadrunner Records .-Track listing:# "Hope" # "Weeds" # "Gently Sentimental" # "Tangerine"...
) - 1999: 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"...
(Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led ZeppelinGreat Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led ZeppelinGreat Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a cover album released by the American hard rock band Great White in 1998, dedicated to songs of Led Zeppelin. It was recorded live in a concert that took place at The Galaxy Theatre of Santa Ana, California, USA, in December 1996 and released by the...
) - 2002: The Section (The String Quartet Tribute to Led Zeppelin, Vol. 2)
- 2004: Benjamin Levine (Chamber Maid: The Baroque Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 2004: Classic Rock String Quartet (The Led Zeppelin Chamber Suite: A Classic Rock Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
- 2006: Marek Stycos (Godbody VI: the Dogleg)
- 2007: The ThermalsThe ThermalsThe Thermals are an American indie punk band based in Portland, Oregon. The group was formed in 2002. With influences heavily rooted in both lo-fi punk, as well as more standard rock, the band's songs are also known for their political and religious imagery.- History :The Thermals came together in...
(Bridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilationBridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilationBridging the Distance: a Portland, OR covers compilation is a compilation album released April 17, 2007 by Arena Rock Recording Co. to benefit .- Track listing :-Bonus tracks :-External links:****...
)
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