"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

group

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...

. A funk-influenced piece with

John Paul Jones John Paul Jones (born John Paul; July 6, 1747 – July 18, 1792) was a Scottish-born naval officer who served in the Continental Navy during the American Revolutionary War. Often referred to as the "Father of the American Navy", Jones is regard ...

clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

, 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.

Lyrics

The lyrics were inspired by blues musician

Robert Johnson Robert Leroy Johnson (May 8, 1911August 16, 1938) was an American blues musician and songwriter. His singing, guitar playing and songwriting on his landmark 1936 and 1937 recordings have influenced later generations of musicians. Although his r ...

's 1936 song " Terraplane Blues". 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.

Composition and recording

The song evolved out of a jam session in 1972 and is credited to

Robert Plant Robert Anthony Plant (born 20 August 1948) is an English singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer and lyricist of the rock band Led Zeppelin from its founding in 1968 until their breakup in 1980. Since then, he has had a successful solo ca ...

Jimmy Page James Patrick Page (born 9 January 1944) is an English musician and producer who achieved international success as the guitarist and founder of the Rock music, rock band Led Zeppelin. Page began his career as a studio session musician in Lo ...

and

. Much rehearsal went into perfecting the relentless semi-funk riff that dominates this song. John Paul Jones has credited

Stevie Wonder Stevland Hardaway Morris (; Judkins; born May 13, 1950), known professionally as Stevie Wonder, is an American and Ghanaian singer-songwriter, musician, and record producer. He is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th c ...

with the inspiration for the beat ("

Superstition A superstition is any belief or practice considered by non-practitioners to be irrational or supernatural, attributed to fate or magic (supernatural), magic, perceived supernatural influence, or fear of that which is unknown. It is commonly app ...

", 1972), which he played on a

. Page played through a

wah-wah pedal A wah-wah pedal, or simply wah pedal, is a type of effects pedal designed for electric guitar that alters the timbre of the input signal to create a distinctive sound, mimicking the human voice saying the onomatopoeic name "wah-wah". The peda ...

and, as producer, employed

reverse echo Reverse echo and reverse reverb are sound effects created as the result of recording an echo or reverb effect of an audio recording played backwards. The original recording is then played forwards accompanied by the recording of the echoed or rever ...

on the recording.

Reception and charts

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' described "Trampled Under Foot" as "the most commercial single ed Zeppelinput together in several years" and as having "a powerful staccatto beat." '' Cashbox'' called it a "high-powered effort" that "packs a punch that is sure to be felt on top of the charts." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of three major weekly music industry trade magazines in the United States, with ''Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 as ''Music Vendor''. In 1964, it was changed to ''Record World'' under the ...

'' said that "As Zeppelin-sanity begins to reach

Beatlemania Beatlemania was the fanaticism surrounding the English rock band the Beatles from 1963 to 1966. The group's popularity grew in the United Kingdom in late 1963, propelled by the singles " Please Please Me", "From Me to You" and " She Loves Yo ...

cal proportions, the stage is set for the heavy metalmen to take their first single from ''Physical Graffiti'' to the top." Released in April 1975, it reached number 38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100.

Live performances and other versions

"Trampled Under Foot" became a standard part of Led Zeppelin concerts from 1975 onwards, being played on every tour until 1980. In 2012, the song was performed during the London Olympics opening ceremony as a part of a selected playlist. A rough mix of the track with less overdubbing was titled "'Brandy & Coke' ". It was released on 11 February 2015 (on iTunes), as part of the remastering process of all nine albums. The rest of the album was released on 23 February 2015.

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: *

– vocals *

– electric guitars *

– bass,

Clavinet The Clavinet is an electric clavichord invented by Ernst Zacharias and manufactured by the Hohner company of Trossingen, West Germany, from 1964 to 1982. The instrument produces sounds with rubber pads, each matching one of the keys and respond ...

John Bonham John Henry Bonham (31 May 1948 – 25 September 1980) was an English musician who was the drummer of the rock band Led Zeppelin. Noted for his speed, power, fast single-footed kick drumming, distinctive sound, and feel for groove, John Bonh ...

– drums

References

Bibliography

External links

"Trampled Under Foot"
at 45cat.com {{Authority control 1975 singles 1975 songs Funk rock songs Led Zeppelin songs Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by John Paul Jones (musician) Songs written by Robert Plant Swan Song Records singles