Immigrant Song
| "Immigrant Song" | ||
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin III | ||
| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| From the album Led Zeppelin III | ||
| Album released | October 5, 1970 | |
| Genre | Rock, Heavy Metal | |
| Song Length | 2:25 | |
| Record label | Atlantic Records | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |
| Track Number | Track 1 | |
"Immigrant Song" is the opening track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's third album, Led Zeppelin III. It is sung from the perspective of Vikings rowing west from Iceland in search of new lands; its driving, regular beat evokes the determination of the explorers and their oars hitting the water, and its lyrics make explicit reference to conquest and Viking religion (To fight the horde, sing and cry / Valhalla, I am coming!). The song was inspired by the band's trip to Iceland in June 1970.
"Immigrant Song" is one of Led Zeppelin's few single releases, and reached #16 on the Billboard charts. Its B side, "Hey Hey What Can I Do", was otherwise unavailable before the release of the first Led Zeppelin box set in 1990.
A line from the song was used as the title of Stephen Davis' biography of the band, Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga.
The song is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs to have been licensed for a film. For the 2003 film School of Rock, actor Jack Black filmed himself on stage, along with thousands of fans, begging Led Zeppelin to let them use "Immigrant Song". It has also appeared in the 1999 documentary about the 1972 Munich Games massacre, One Day in September, and the trailers for the BBC1 drama series Life on Mars [1].
Covers
- American grunge band Nirvana played a cover version of this song in their early performances, and a version is heard and seen on the DVD disc of the retrospective With the Lights Out box set.
- Power metal group Demons and Wizards included a cover as a bonus track on their 2005 release Touched by the Crimson King.
- Progressive metal group Adagio have an instrumental cover on their 2001 Sanctus Ignis album.
- Japanese musician Tomoyasu Hotei recorded a version for his 2004 album Electric Samurai.
- Swiss band Gotthard recorded a live cover version, featured on a CD by Classic Rock Magazine full of Led Zeppelin covers.
- The song is commonly played by marching bands at high school and college football games.
- The Metal-Funk Band Infectious Groove (members of Suicidal Tendencies) covered the song as well on their album Sarsippius´ Ark in 1993.
External links
- Review: All Music Guide
- "The Levee" tribute band. "Immigrant Song". Archived from the original on 2005-03-08. Retrieved 2006-08-25.
- songfacts.com. "Immigrant Song". Retrieved 2006-08-25.
Sources
- 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
