"We're Gonna Groove" is a song written by soul artist Ben E. King

Ben E. King

Benjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...

 and his songwriting partner James A. Bethea with the original title "Groovin'", and performed most famously 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 group 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...

, as the opening number during their 1970 UK and European tours.

According to the liner notes for the 1982 album Coda

Coda (album)

-Sales chart performance:AlbumSinglesNo commercial or promotional singles were issued, although three tracks received independent radio airplay...

, the song was originally recorded at Morgan Studios

Morgan Studios

Morgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 on June 25, 1969 just after a short British tour including some BBC

BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...

 appearances, and shows at Royal Albert Hall

Royal Albert Hall

The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....

 and the 1969 Bath Festival

Bath Festival of Blues 1969

The Bath Festival of Blues was a music festival held at the Bath Pavilion Recreational Ground in Bath, Somerset, England, on Saturday 28th June 1969. It featured a lineup of British blues bands, including Fleetwood Mac , John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, Ten Years After, Led Zeppelin, The Nice, Chicken...

, but it was later acknowledged to have come from a concert recorded at the Royal Albert Hall on 9 January 1970, with several edits and the guitar parts overdubbed. The original concert performance, including the original guitar part can be heard on the 2003 Led Zeppelin DVD where the entire first disc is devoted to the 1970 concert and the song forms the opening number of the performance. The second song of the concert - I Can't Quit You Baby - was similarly adapted for the Coda album.

It was scheduled to appear on Led Zeppelin II

Led Zeppelin II

The finished tracks reflect the raw, evolving sound of the band and their ability as live performers. The album has been noted for featuring a further development of the lyrical themes established by Robert Plant on Led Zeppelin's debut album, creating a work which would become more widely...

, but like "Since I've Been Loving You

Since I've Been Loving You

"Since I've Been Loving You" is a blues-rock song in C minor by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on the 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.-Overview:...

", "We're Gonna Groove" didn't make the lineup of the second Led Zeppelin album. It belatedly appeared, in a heavily produced version Jimmy Page made at his Sol Studios

Sol Studios

Sol Studios is a recording studio located in Cookham, Berkshire, England. It was built in the early 1980s by Gus Dudgeon who subsequently sold it to Led Zeppelin guitarist and record producer Jimmy Page....

, on Coda

Coda (album)

-Sales chart performance:AlbumSinglesNo commercial or promotional singles were issued, although three tracks received independent radio airplay...

, after the group had split following the death of drummer John Bonham

John Bonham

John 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...

.

Sources

• Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
• The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9