"Dazed and Confused" is a song by folk singer Jake Holmes from his debut solo album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes, released in June, 1967. Like the other tracks on the album, the song does not include any drums. It was recorded entirely with the trio of Holmes on guitar, keyboard and vocals, Ted Irwin on guitar and Lee Underwood on bass.

The song has been incorrectly mislabeled as a tale about a bad acid trip. Holmes himself has confirmed that this is not the case. In 2001 he held an interview with Shindig! magazine and said this about "Dazed and Confused":

"I never took acid. I smoked grass and tripped on it, but I never took acid. I was afraid to take it. The song's about a girl who hasn't decided whether she wants to stay with me or not. It's pretty much one of those love songs."^[1]

During a 1967 tour of the United States by English rock group The Yardbirds, Holmes opened for them at the Village Theater in Greenwich Village on August 25, 1967. The Yardbirds were inspired by his performance and decided to re-work the song for their own use. Their interpretation (which was included on the semi-legitimate "Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page" album under the erroneous title "I'm Confused"), featured long instrumental patches of bowed guitar courtesy of Jimmy Page, and dynamic instrumental flourishes. It quickly became a staple of The Yardbirds' live act during their final year of existence.

Page has stated that he got the idea of using a violin bow on his guitar from a session violinist named David McCallum, Sr. (the father of actor David McCallum from The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). Eddie Phillips, guitarist of the UK band The Creation, had pioneered the use of the violin bow on guitar strings, predating Page by over a year. It can be heard on The Creation song "Makin' Time."

When the Yardbirds disbanded in 1968, the song "Dazed and Confused" was re-worked by Page yet again, this time with English rock band Led Zeppelin. They recorded their version in October 1968 at Olympic Studios, London, and it was included on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. It begins with a slow-tempo bluesy rhythm, propelled by John Paul Jones' walking bass line. It then changes to a faster tempo during the darkest part of the song, again featuring bowed guitar by Page, followed by a furious guitar solo (similar to Page's solo from the Yardbirds' "Think About It"), before finally returning to the initial rhythm. John Bonham's drumming throughout helped define the song's power and intensity.

This was the first of four Led Zeppelin songs on which Page used bowed guitar. The others were "In The Light", "How Many More Times" and "In the Evening"

For reasons unknown, Jimmy Page claimed sole credit for the song upon release, and Holmes has never received any royalty payments for their recording. [1] Holmes did not press charges against the band, but merely sent them a letter stating "I understand it's a collaborative effort, but I think you should give me some credit at least and some remunity." His letter was never replied to and he did not follow up on it. [2]

"Dazed and Confused" was widely popularized by, and is still heavily identified with, Led Zeppelin's version. It became the centrepiece for the group at Led Zeppelin concerts, at least until the release of "Whole Lotta Love" from their second album. When performed live, it was (except for the fast middle section) played at a slower overall tempo, and gradually extended in duration (up to 45 minutes by 1975) as a multi-section improvised jam. This allowed Page the luxury of including riffs from other songs such as "The Crunge", "Walter's Walk", and Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco" (to name a few). Although initially performed in a manner similar to the studio version, some noticeable differences were gradually developed in live performances. By mid 1969, in the section where Page plays guitar with a violin bow, the rest of the band dropped out completely, allowing him to perform a lengthier free-form improvisation. By 1972, another improvised section had been added between the verses and this. The fast section was extended to allow changes in dynamics and volume, as well as changing the beat, sometimes seguing in and out of another song altogether. There was a short jam at the end of the song after the final verse.

A live version of "Dazed and Confused" was featured on Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert film, The Song Remains the Same (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of Page's fantasy sequence. Other live recordings are also found on the official releases Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions (featuring two different versions), and How the West Was Won

The song was also used as the basis for the title of the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, which chronicled the lives of various American youths on their last day of high school in 1976. However, it is not found on the film's soundtrack. The film's director Richard Linklater appealed to Led Zeppelin band members to use some of their songs in the movie but, although Jimmy Page agreed to this, Robert Plant was opposed, so the songs were not used.

• Review: All Music Guide
• Digital Edition of Dazed & Confused: http://www.exacteditions.com/exact/magazine/396/434

• 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