Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
| "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands single picture sleeve, 1970 | |
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Led Zeppelin III | |
| Released | 5 October 1970 |
| Recorded | 1970 |
| Studio | Headley Grange, England |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:17 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a song recorded by English rock band Led Zeppelin for their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970.
Background
The song is named after Bron-Yr-Aur, a house in Gwynedd, Wales, where the members of Led Zeppelin retreated in 1970 to write much of Led Zeppelin III after having completed a concert tour of North America.[4][5] Bron-Yr-Aur means "golden breast" or "breast of gold" in Welsh, as in a hillside of gold. Its pronunciation is [ˈbrɔn ər ˈaɪr]. The cottage had no electricity or running water, but the change of scenery provided inspiration for many of the songs on the album, including "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp".
Composition and recording
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" in 1970. The song was heavily influenced by a number called "Waggoner's Lad" by Bert Jansch, a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. It is a country music-inflected hoedown,[6] with lyrics about walking in the woods with Plant's blue-eyed Merle dog named Strider.[4] Plant reportedly named his dog after Aragorn (often called Strider) from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[7] However, there are no explicit references to Tolkien works in "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp".
The group recorded the song at Headley Grange in 1970, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.[8] They completed it at Island Studios in London, and Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.[8] Guitarist Jimmy Page used an acoustic guitar, drummer John Bonham played spoons and castanets,[4] and bassist John Paul Jones played a double bass.[9]
Jennings Farm Blues
Led Zeppelin also recorded the song as an electric blues rock instrumental, "Jennings Farm Blues", a rough mix of which later surfaced as a studio out-take on a number of Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings.[4] Jennings Farm is the name of the property at Blakeshall on which the Plant family stayed in the early 1970s.[10] "Jennings Farm Blues" was released on 2 June 2014, as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs
- List of Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others
References
- ^ Shadwick, Keith (2005). Led Zeppelin: The Story of a Band and Their Music 1968–1980 (1st ed.). San Francisco: Backbeat Books. p. 138. ISBN 0-87930-871-0.
- ^ Grant Jackson, Andrew (20 July 2012). Still the Greatest: The Essential Songs of the Beatles' Solo Careers. Scarecrow Press. pp. 42–. ISBN 978-0-8108-8223-2.
- ^ Davis, Stephen (2005). Hammer of the Gods. Pan Macmillan. p. 119. ISBN 978-0-330-43859-9 – via Googlebooks.
{{cite book}}: External link in|via= - ^ a b c d Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ Sutcliffe, Phil (2003). "Back to Nature". Q. Special Led Zeppelin edition. p. 34.
- ^ Led Zeppelin – III Platinum Bass Guitar: Authentic Bass TAB. Alfred Music. 2013. pp. 3–. ISBN 978-1-4706-2493-4.
- ^ Drout, Michael D. C. (2007). J.R.R. Tolkien Encyclopedia: Scholarship and Critical Assessment. Taylor & Francis. pp. 540–. ISBN 978-0-415-96942-0.
- ^ a b Lewis, Dave (2012). Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a Scream; The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. p. 38. ISBN 978-1-78038-547-1.
- ^ Akkerman, Gregg (2014). Experiencing Led Zeppelin: A Listener's Companion. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 37. ISBN 978-0-8108-8916-3.
- ^ Thompson, Dave (2014). Robert Plant: The Voice That Sailed the Zeppelin. Backbeat Books. pp. 94–. ISBN 978-1-61713-614-6.
