Tangerine (Led Zeppelin song)

Song infobox
Name = Tangerine


Artist = Led Zeppelin
Album = Led Zeppelin III
Released = October 5, 1970
track_no = 7
Recorded = May - August 1970
Genre = Folk rock
Length = 3:10
Label = Atlantic
Writer = Jimmy Page
Producer = Jimmy Page
prev = "Gallows Pole"
prev_no = 6
next = "That's the Way"
next_no = 8"Tangerine" is a song composed by Jimmy Page and performed by English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released on their 1970 album "Led Zeppelin III".

Like many Led Zeppelin tunes written by Page, it has its origins in an old Yardbirds song, in this instance a composition entitled "Knowing That I'm Losing You".Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] Page had in fact previously recorded the song with The Yardbirds, though this version has never been released. In the late 1990s it was announced that the song would appear on the Yardbirds compilation album "Cumular Limit", but plans to release the song were canceled. The Yardbirds version features different lyrics, with the exception of the verse that begins with "Measuring a summer's day."

The track has an acoustic country flavor courtesy of the pedal-steel guitar playing of Page.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] Steven Rosen, [http://www.modernguitars.com/archives/003340.html 1977 Jimmy Page Interview] , "Modern Guitars", May 25, 2007 (originally published in the July 1977, issue of "Guitar Player" magazine).] The song begins with a false start, after which Page pauses to set the right tempo. Throughout its duration, the song continually changes tempo a few bars at a time whilst the lyrics fondly recall love and contentedness. This was the second-to-last Led Zeppelin song Page wrote without any input from Robert Plant. (Bron-Yr-Aur from Physical Graffiti was the last).

The song uses a simple double track vocal pattern to create a recognisable lilting feel. The song uses a standard Am G D C progression for the verses before moving on to G C D progression for the chorus.

"Tangerine" was often played live at Led Zeppelin concerts as part of the band's acoustic set from 1971 through 1972, and was revived for the Earls Court shows of 1975.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] At these latter performances, Page played the song on his Gibson EDS-1275 double-neck guitar. During the 1975 concert at the Earls Court, Plant said that "Tangerine" is "a song of love in its most...innocent stages". ["Led Zeppelin DVD"(2003).]

"Tangerine" appears in the movie "Almost Famous", and can be heard during the final scene of the movie.

The song was covered by Big Head Todd and the Monsters for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album "" and on the band's 1998 live album "Live Monsters".

The acoustic introduction of the song "Edie (Ciao Baby)" by The Cult bears a striking resemblance to the guitar passages of "Tangerine"

This was the second Led Zeppelin song to be named after a fruit, the first being "The Lemon Song".

John Frusciante, the guitarist of Red Hot Chili Peppers, said that if he could have composed one solo it would have been Tangerine's solo, which struck him as so beautiful. [Guitar Magazine (UK) -interview July 2004]

References

ources

*"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