Dancing Days

For the album by Chris Leslie, see Dancing Days (album). For the album by Zelda, see Zelda (band).

"Dancing Days"
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Houses of the Holy
A-side	"Over the Hills and Far Away"
Released	28 March 1973
Format	7" 45 RPM
Recorded	1972
Genre	Hard rock, blues rock
Length	3:43
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Page/Plant
Producer	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Rock and Roll" / "Four Sticks" (1972) "Over the Hills and Far Away" / "Dancing Days" (1973) "D'yer Mak'er" / "The Crunge" (1973)
Houses of the Holy track listing "The Crunge" (4) "Dancing Days" (5) "D'yer Mak'er" (6) Audio sample file info · help

"Dancing Days" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It appears on their 1973 album, Houses of the Holy, having been recorded at Stargroves in 1972. It was inspired by an Indian tune that Jimmy Page and Robert Plant heard while traveling in Bombay.^[1]

This was the first track from the album to be offered for radio play by Atlantic Records. It was premiered on 24 March 1973 on the BBC Radio One Rosko lunch time show.^[2]

Like another track on the album, "Over the Hills and Far Away" (which it backed on a single), "Dancing Days" was introduced by the band in concert well ahead of its commercial release. Although a bootleg tape purports to prove it was first played at the Wembley Empire Pool in November 1971, evidence suggests its inclusion on this tape was a hoax. The earliest live documented reference is in Seattle on 19 June 1972 where the song was performed twice: once during the main set and again as an encore;^[2] it was then performed frequently during the rest of this tour, with a version appearing on the live album, How the West Was Won. With the release of Houses of the Holy, however, "Dancing Days" was largely dropped from concerts, although an abridged, acoustic version was occasionally performed during the 1977 U.S. tour.^[2] An full electric version was played as an encore on 13 July 1973 at Cobo Hall, Detroit, Michigan as featured on the "Monsters of Rock" bootleg.

Formats and tracklistings

1973 7" single (France: Atlantic 10328)

• A. "Dancing Days" (Page, Plant) 3:43
• B. "Over the Hills and Far Away" (Page, Plant) 4:47

1973 7" radio edit (South Africa: Atlantic Teal LM)

• A. "Dancing Days" [stereo] (Page, Plant) 3:43
• B. "Dancing Days" [mono] (Page, Plant) 3:43

1973 7" EP (US: Atlantic LLP 213 SD 7-7255)

• A1. "Dancing Days" (Page, Plant) 3:43
• A2. "D'yer Mak'er" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 4:23
• B1. "The Song Remains the Same" (Page, Plant) 5:30
• B2. "The Crunge" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant) 3:17

Personnel

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

Cover versions

• 1989: H.P. Zinker (...And There Was Light EP)
• 1993: Bad Livers (The Song Retains the Name II)
• 1995: Stone Temple Pilots (Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
• 1998: Morgaua Quartet (Destruction: Rock Meets Strings)
• 1999: Kelly Hansen (The Song Remains Remixed: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
• 2002: Stereofeed (The String Quartet Tribute to Led Zeppelin)
• 2005: Hampton String Quartet (Take No Prisoners!)
• 2006: The Rockies (The Music of Led Zeppelin)
• 2007: Vanilla Fudge (Out Through the in Door)
• 2007: Blackjack (Live [recorded 2006])
• 2007: Razed in Black (The Many Faces of Led Zeppelin [remix])
• 2008: Gov't Mule (Holy Haunted House [recorded live 2007])
• 2008: John Wetton & Geoff Downes (Led Box: The Ultimate Led Zeppelin Tribute)
• 2008: David Wayne (Songs of Yesterday)

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. ^ Dancing Days Songfacts
2. ^ ^{a b c} Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.

External links

• ASCAP entry