"Trampled Under Foot" | ||||
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Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
from the album Physical Graffiti | ||||
B-side | "Black Country Woman" | |||
Released | 2 April 1975 | (US)|||
Recorded | January–February 1974 | |||
Studio |
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Genre | ||||
Length | 5:38 | |||
Label | Swan Song | |||
Songwriter(s) | ||||
Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
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Audio sample | ||||
"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin. A funk-influenced piece with John Paul Jones on clavinet, it was included on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was released as a single in several countries and was frequently performed in concert.
The lyrics were inspired by blues musician Robert Johnson's 1936 song "Terraplane Blues".[7] A Terraplane is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex—"pump your gas", "rev all night", etc. The themes of these songs however differ; "Terraplane Blues" is about infidelity, while "Trampled Under Foot" is about giving in to sexual temptation.[8]
The song evolved out of a jam session in 1972 and is credited to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.[9] Much rehearsal went into perfecting the relentless semi-funk riff that dominates this song.[7] John Paul Jones has credited Stevie Wonder with the inspiration for the beat ("Superstition", 1972), which he played on a clavinet.[7][10] Page played through a wah-wah pedal and, as producer, employed reverse echo on the recording.[7][11]
Billboard described "Trampled Under Foot" as "the most commercial single [Led Zeppelin] put together in several years" and as having "a powerful staccatto beat."[12] Cash Box called it a "high-powered effort" that "packs a punch that is sure to be felt on top of the charts."[13] Record World said that "As Zeppelin-sanity begins to reach Beatlemaniacal proportions, the stage is set for the heavy metalmen to take their first single from Physical Graffiti to the top."[14] Released in April 1975, it reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.[15]
Chart (1975) | Peak position |
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Australia (Kent Music Report)[16] | 60 |
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[17] | 41 |
US Billboard Hot 100[15] | 38 |
US Cash Box[18] | 28 |
US Record World[19] | 39 |
"Trampled Under Foot" became a standard part of Led Zeppelin concerts from 1975 onwards, being played on every tour until 1980.[7] In 2012, the song was performed during the London Olympics opening ceremony as a part of a selected playlist.[20]
A rough mix of the track with less overdubbing was titled "'Brandy & Coke' (Trampled Under Foot) [Initial Rough Mix]". It was released on 11 February 2015 (on iTunes), as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.[21] The rest of the album was released on 23 February 2015.
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[22]