The Wanton Song

Song infobox
Name = The Wanton Song


Artist = Led Zeppelin
Album = Physical Graffiti
Released = February 24, 1975
track_no = 12
Recorded = 1974
Genre = Hard rock, heavy metal
Length = 4:06
Label = Swan Song
Writer = Page/Plant
prev = "Night Flight"
prev_no = 11
next = "Boogie with Stu"
next_no = 13"The Wanton Song" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album "Physical Graffiti". The song came about as the result of a jam session at rehearsals and features a sharp, aggressive riff from guitarist Jimmy Page. Lyrically it is mainly about sex, specifically sex with a "wanton woman".

For his solo Page employed a backwards echo (where the echo is heard before the note), and also put his guitar through a Leslie speaker cabinet, as Jimi Hendrix had done on "Little Wing" and "Angel", to create a doppler effect with a Hammond Organ.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] This was a technique Page had himself used as far back as his work with The Yardbirds, and faced serious opposition from audio engineers when he tried it on the earliest Led Zeppelin recordings.

"The Wanton Song" was played live during some of the Led Zeppelin's European and American concerts in 1975, but was then dropped.Dave Lewis (1994), "The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin", Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.] It was played extensively as an opening number during Page and Plant's tours in 1995 and 1998, and was played live a few times when Jimmy Page teamed up with The Black Crowes in 1999.

"The Wanton Song" was played live by one-off Led Zeppelin tribute band Hammer of the Gods, featuring Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy. Another notable cover is by the hardcore band Earth Crisis on their record "Last of the Sane".

References