D'yer Mak'er

"D'yer Mak'er"
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Houses of the Holy
B-side	"The Crunge"
Released	17 September 1973
Recorded	May 1972, at Stargroves with Mobile Studio
Genre	Rock, reggae fusion
Length	4:23
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Over the Hills and Far Away" / "Dancing Days" (1973) "D'yer Mak'er" / "The Crunge" (1973) "Trampled Under Foot" / "Black Country Woman" (1974)
Houses of the Holy track listing "Dancing Days" (5) "D'yer Mak'er" (6) "No Quarter" (7) Audio sample file info · help

"D'yer Mak'er" (intended to be pronounced in a British non-rhotic accent as "Jamaica",^{[citation needed]} /dʒəˈmeɪkə/) is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy.

Overview

This song was meant to imitate reggae and its "dub" derivative emerging from Jamaica in the early 1970s. Its genesis is traced to Led Zeppelin's rehearsals at Stargroves in 1972, when drummer John Bonham started with a beat similar to 1950s doo-wop, and then twisted it into a slight off beat tempo, upon which a reggae influence emerged.^[1] The distinctive drum sound was created by placing three microphones a good distance away from Bonham's drums.

"D'yer Mak'er" is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit. The sleeve on the album also gives tribute to "Rosie and the Originals",^[1] a reference to the doo-wop influence which was evident in the song's style.

This track, as well as another song entitled "The Crunge", was initially not taken seriously by many listeners, and some critics reserved their harshest criticism for these two arrangements.^[1] In an interview he gave in 1977, Page referred to this negative response:

I didn't expect people not to get it. I thought it was pretty obvious. The song itself was a cross between reggae and a '50s number, "Poor Little Fool," Ben E. King's things, stuff like that.^[2]

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has expressed his distaste for the song, suggesting that it started off as a joke and wasn't thought through carefully enough.^[1] However, "D'yer Mak'er" has gathered critical respect in the years since, and has grown into something of a Led Zeppelin classic. Upon the album's release, Robert Plant was keen to issue the track as a single in the United Kingdom. Atlantic Records went so far as to distribute advance promotional copies to DJs (now valuable collectors' items). While it was released in the US, and the single peaked at #20 in December 1973, it was ultimately never released in the UK.^[1]

This song was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts, although snatches of it were played during "Whole Lotta Love" during the 1975 North American concert tour and "Communication Breakdown" at the Earls Court shows in the same year.

Pronunciation of song title

The name of the song is derived from an old joke: "My wife's gone to the West Indies." "Jamaica?" (which has a similar pronunciation as "D'you make her?") "No, she went of her own accord". On 21 July 2005, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant discussed the song during an interview with Mike Halloran, a DJ on radio station FM94.9 in San Diego. During the interview, he talked about the different interpretations and pronunciations of the name of the song.^[3] The title, which appears nowhere in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae flavour of the song. Plant has said that he finds it amusing when fans completely ignore the apostrophes and pronounce it as "Dire Maker".

Accolades

Publication	Country	Accolade	Year	Rank
Radio Caroline	United Kingdom	"Top 500 Tracks"[4]	1999	453

Formats and tracklistings

1973 7" single (US/Australia/New Zealand: Atlantic 45-2986, Austria/Germany: Atlantic ATL 10377, Canada: Atlantic AT 2986, France: Atlantic 10377, Greece: Atlantic 2091236, Japan: Warner Pioneer P-1265A, Mexico: Atlantic G-1275, Peru: Atlantic ALT 2986, Spain: Atlantic HS 987, Venezuela: Atlantic 5-001, Yugoslavia: Atlantic 26077)

• A. "D'yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• B. "The Crunge" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 3:17

1973 7" single (Holland: Atlantic ATL 10374)

• A. "D'yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• B. "Gallows Pole" (trad. arr. Page, Plant) 4:56

1973 7" promo (UK: Atlantic K 10296, South Africa: Trutone 45)

• A. "D'yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• B. "The Crunge" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 3:17

1973 7" EP (Mexico: Atlantic GX 07-818)

• A1. "D'Yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• A2. "Over the Hills and Far Away" (Page, Plant) 4:47
• B1. "Black Dog" (Jones, Page, Plant) 4:56
• B2. "Misty Mountain Hop" (Jones, Page, Plant) 4:38

1973 7" EP (Argentina: Music Hall 40.019)

• A1. "D'Yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• A2. "The Crunge" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 3:17
• B1. "The Ocean" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:31
• B2. "No Quarter" (Jones, Page, Plant) 7:00

Chart positions

Chart (1973)	Peak position
US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart[5]	20
US Cash Box Top 100 Singles Chart[6]	16
US Record World 100 Top Pops[7]	15

Chart (1974)	Peak position
Canadian RPM Top 100 Chart[8]	24
Canadian CHUM Chart[9]	7
New Zealand Top 50 Singles Chart[10]	20

Personnel

• Robert Plant - vocals
• Jimmy Page - guitars
• John Paul Jones - bass guitar, piano
• John Bonham - drums

Covers and translations

D'yer Mak'er was covered by Eek-A-Mouse in his 1991 album U-Neek. Sheryl Crow covered the tune in 1995 for Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin;it was then released as a single. Bon Jovi did a live version of the song.^{[citation needed]} Stefani Germanotta (who later became Lady Gaga) did a live cover of the song, as did the bands 311 and Iris.^{[citation needed]} Puddle of Mudd did a version of the song on their 2011 covers album Re:(disc)overed.

The Hold Steady released "Joke About Jamaica" on their 2008 album Stay Positive, in which the opening lines are,

"They used to think it was so cute

When she said "Dyer Maker"

All the boys knew it was a joke about Jamaica"

The song has also been translated into other languages, including Portuguese, in which it is given the title Quero você pra mim.^[11]

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

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e} Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
2. ^ Dave Schulps, Interview with Jimmy Page, Trouser Press, October 1977.
3. ^ Original full-length interview
4. ^ "Top 500 Tracks - 1999". Radio Caroline. http://www.radiowaves.org.uk/charts/caroline99.htm. Retrieved 2009-02-10. 
5. ^ "Hot 100 Singles - 29 December 1973". Billboard. http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/esearch/chart_display.jsp?cfi=379&cfgn=Singles&cfn=The+Billboard+Hot+100&ci=3070763&cdi=8858410&cid=12%2F29%2F1973. Retrieved 2009-01-17. ^{[dead link]}
6. ^ "Top 100 Singles - 29 December 1973". Cash Box. http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/19731229.html. Retrieved 2009-01-17. 
7. ^ "Top 40 for 1973 - December 1973". Record World. Archived from the original on 2004-09-30. http://web.archive.org/web/20040930005233/http://www.geocities.com/muggy59/1973.html. Retrieved 2009-01-19. 
8. ^ "RPM Singles Chart - 12 January 1974". RPM. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4978a&volume=20&issue=21_22&issue_dt=January%2012%201974&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=hrg50o22lgammqcogv27ve6d95. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 
9. ^ "CHUM Singles Chart - 2 February 1974". 1050chum.com. http://www.1050chum.com/index_chumcharts.aspx?chart=889. Retrieved 2009-01-15. 
10. ^ Scapolo, Dean (2007). "Top 50 Singles - February 1974". The Complete New Zealand Music Charts (1st Edition ed.). Wellington: Transpress. ISBN 1-877443-00-8. 
11. ^ "YouTube - DC5 -QUERO VOCE PRA MIM". YouTube. YouTube, LLC. 2008-07-06. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFtxF6LrTT4. Retrieved 2010-11-24. 

External links

• ASCAP entry