Down by the Seaside

"Down by the Seaside"
Song by Led Zeppelin from the album Physical Graffiti
Released	24 February 1975
Recorded	1971
Genre	Rock
Length	5:16
Label	Swan Song
Writer	Page/Plant
Physical Graffiti track listing
"Bron-Yr-Aur" (8) "Down by the Seaside" (9) "Ten Years Gone" (10)

"Down by the Seaside" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.

Overview

The song was originally written as an acoustic piece by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Bron-Yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales where they went after their 1970 concert tour of the United States.^[1][2] It was then recorded in 1971 as an electric arrangement and was intended for release on Led Zeppelin IV but was held over and eventually placed on Physical Graffiti to fill up the double album.

The song alternates between soft and hard-rocking sections, with the lighter sections employing a tremolo effect on the guitar, or possibly by running it through a Leslie speaker, to give an 'underwater talking' feel. John Paul Jones plays a Hohner "Electra-Piano" electric piano on the track.

"Down by the Seaside" was never performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts.^[2]

Plant would later record "Down by the Seaside" as a duet with Tori Amos for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium.

Neil Young influence

The song was influenced by Neil Young.^[2] The title may be a reference to the song "Down by the River" and the somewhat nasal inflection in Plant's vocals may be an homage to Young's distinctive voice. Plant had long admired the work of Young and Stephen Stills. While in the Band of Joy, he covered Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", now available on Plant's compilation album Sixty Six to Timbuktu. Also, Plant sang lyrics from "On the Way Home," another Buffalo Springfield song, during "How Many More Times" at the Royal Albert Hall performance found on the Led Zeppelin DVD release. Additionally, during performances of "Dazed and Confused" in 1975, Plant often employed lyrics from "Woodstock," a Joni Mitchell song most familiar in its Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young incarnation. Plant also occasionally included "Cinnamon Girl" and "For What It's Worth" in the "Whole Lotta Love" Medley.

Personnel

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

Cover versions

Album versions

• 1989: Robert Kuhlmann & Flying Boats (The Song Retains the Name)
• 1995: Tori Amos with Robert Plant (Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin)

Live versions

• 1994: The Trash Can Sinatras

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. ^ Phil Sutcliffe, "Back to Nature", Q Magazine Special Led Zeppelin edition, 2003, p. 34.
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