Led Zeppelin (Rain Song) REACTION & ANALYSIS | The Daily Doug (Episode 380)

[@blakeh6250]

I remember buying this album as a teen and listening to it for the first time on my parents console stereo. My mom says what a beautiful song...RIP Mom.

[@HowardShillingford-pe7em]

❤

[@tektoniks_architects]

Songs like Rain Song separate Zeppelin from many of their contemporaries who could not/did not have their musical and emotional range. Pure beauty.

[@onlyguitars]

100% agree

[@ledded1]

absolutely but some still think they were a heavy metal band

[@WarrenCromartie2]

@@ledded1 Yeah, people wo obviously haven't heard much heavy metal (or haven't heard any Zep)

[@donpaladino]

Amen! P.U.R.E. BEAUTY.

[@ioannisnikolaou349]

Fully agree! And I would add they also experimented with change of keys and tempo, like for example Black Dog.

[@BBaldwin]

A stunning masterpiece..

[@TheSteve1175]

George Harrison told them that they needed to do a ballad because all they have is heavy. So they did, and man I'm so glad they did. 😁

[@painless465]

“ something” by The Beatles is quoted musically in the song

[@albreezy26]

One of zeppelin's most underrated tunes. I own 2 acoustic guitars and one has been permanently tuned to play this song for like 5 years now lol. Very fun to play and the melody choices are fantastic. One of my favorites of all time.

[@ejRecording]

Same here and I've written many riffs and songs in it, I love it, the open g type version cgdgbd, if you click my KZbin page which links to reverbnation / ejrecording, the second song demo called flying ovation is in the tuning

[@ejRecording]

Eric Johnsons climbing from inside is in it too, which I learned by ear

[@JeffJefferyUK]

How on earth is Rain Song "underrated"?!

[@philf4086]

@@ejRecording D G C G C D for me. That is the tuning.

[@ejRecording]

@@philf4086 interesting ya I know there's some variations and I thought I read that page recorded it with two different tunings. I like the one I do beaches it keeps the three strings are the same dgb so it's very familiar and useful to open everything up, but I love all sorts of tunings!

[@stanleymasterson1135]

The Rain Song is their crowning achievement, many fans like me have always felt. Endless great songs, but this stands alone

[@gregmainer5416]

Ten Years After is a close 2nd

[@largactilhat]

Absolutely my favourite Led Zep song too, beautifully done throughout, wonderful sound and just love it when that Mellotron fires up.

[@jamesspaulding9633]

Its a difficult 1, 2. One day i'll say TYG then throw on the Rain Song from SRTS and say its that. Page was simply a master. A complete composer, musician, and technician.@@gregmainer5416

[@johncook30284]

I have never thought Robert Plant's lyrics were great. Not bad but not great while I say this I think of other bands and say we'll they are as good as 'fill in the blank' I don't didn't like this song at first 70's but Doug taking it apart with musical knowledge,- chords,and modalities, it becomes more interesting. (Lyrics also). was the b5 a diminished chord? At the end. Thanks Doug

[@johncook30284]

I like ten years gone. Definitely.

[@PetarBladeStrok]

Oh yeah. More Zeppelin please. I concur. "Ten Years Gone," "Achilles' Last Stand" & "No Quarter" are some of the best tracks. I'd love "In the Evening" too.

[@matthew6427]

Ten Years is a beautiful song but it's pretty simple. I think Achilles would be more interesting 🤷‍♂️

[@slowdriver2]

Oh for Sure , how about Doug doing The Wanton Song ? Epic track

[@Blackened4everPS3]

I love 'In the Evening' such an underrated track.

[@matthew6427]

Carouselambra is pretty awesome too. It's long and mostly a JPJ & Bonham vehicle but it's always been a favorite!

[@maxseth1]

Dude, No Quarter live is the best track EVER! The rhythm section is soooo mean

[@davidklopfstein7222]

Not only is Jimmy a guitar wizard but he is also a production wizard

[@JRussUT]

Top 5 Zeppelin track for me. Sublime.

[@bobscott7440]

Definitely the best track from Houses of the Holy, for sure. Over the Hills and Far Away, a distant second, IMHO.

[@RazzleDazz72]

@@bobscott7440I love The Song Remains the Same and No Quarter a lot.

[@tonygittins5980]

Totally agree with the comment below - JPJ was a masterful arranger...to the extent that his bass work was often undervalued! This Zep song contains some of their most beautiful orchestration.

[@kristensands1795]

I loved this song so much that it was my wedding song. It will always hold a special place in my heart ❤️

[@glenndudley8963]

Talks way to much!

[@ralph6968]

that means your gonna be married forever.

[@Anne-pv9cb]

Zep is my favorite of all time, and I thought about using Thank You for my marriage but used NIB from Sabbath instead.

[@Mysterywhiteboy78]

Beautiful piece of music. The Rain Song is a masterpiece.

[@allisonrich5061]

Ah, John Paul Jones, such an accomplished musician.

[@robhickford9169]

Isn't he just. Sometimes it's tough being in a band with musical geniuses. Good thing he can match every step, and when it's needed, stride ahead.

[@susiejo143]

Ive loved this song over decades my favorite Zeppelin song soooo so beautiful

[@MasterTapes1960]

From 1969 until 79 Led Zeppelin released some of the greatest rock n roll music ever recorded. Their music 🎶 will forever be timeless.

[@Rock_Snob]

The Beatles owned the 60’s and Zeppelin owned the 70’s.

[@leesmith6749]

@@Rock_Snob But RUSH rules them all!

[@raffisekzenian2746]

@@leesmith6749 Who’s Rush?

[@michaelakkerman407]

Maybe the most beautifully written guitar piece ever. Definitely my favorite ZEPPELIN song.

[@ErikMCMLXV]

“They flatted the 5th, I don’t believe it was a sharp 4th”- Who else would hear that? This is why I love his videos!

[@christopherone1]

no, who cares...it's simply irritating. just listen and love the song...SO UNIQUE, beautifully written and played by Jimmy Page. watching him play this live in the dark, dancing, swaying with his guitar, eyes closed, head thrown back is simply AMAZING.

[@ricklee3654]

"In the light " is definitely worth a listen. Another very underrated song in the zeppelin canon.

[@albertkoops9653]

My favourite Zep tune

[@benvenue2730]

A perfect song

[@outlawph]

I thought I was the only one

[@colinmccormick2579]

In the light is the best zeppelin song, hands down.

[@TippiGordon]

I'm so insanely jealous that you get to hear all this amazing music with fresh ears. I'd give up several fingers and toes to hear stuff like "The Rain Song" for the first time.

[@filteredwaters9171]

No one would want you to do that...

[@josecarlossilva3670]

I agree with you... Some songs are kind of espiritual thing at first listening. This song is one of them for sure.

[@LuisGarcia-ee2tr]

This is a very salty Zeppelin tune. It was the first Zepp album I bought at the age of 13. It fascinated me from start to finish. The year was 1973. Today I am 62 years old and it continues to amaze me. IMHO the best rock band of all time. A step up from Floyd, Yes, Purple, Sabbath, ELP, and other "big" bands. Excellent pick Doug.

[@JoseLuisGarcia-wl6vo]

Man I´m Jose Luis Garcia but born untl 64 so I suppose you are the first to be Za Zeppelin fan of both, of course dad was Luis Garcia too, Kudos

[@zakkwyldesdmf13]

I love "The Rain Song" - one of the greatest tunes of all time. Anybody who loves music has to love this song. It is kind of "universal" - everyone can relate to that emotion they're expressing. And they were all in their 20s when this was recorded. Does anyone know if Jimmy Page had any formal education in reading music? Because this is some serious songwriting going on there. If a seasoned musician like Doug has to think twice about the chords used, it really says something.

[@eboethrasher]

Jimmy had already been in bands and had been a studio musician since his teens. Even so, you slide a chord around on the guitar neck and play open notes vs fretted notes in a way that sounds pleasant to your ear but isn't perfectly in line with "THAT'S HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO DO IT" and it makes it tougher for people who are trained to hear things a certain way to hear it easily enough. I bet if all of those things that sound tricky were looked at on the guitar, tuned the way Jimmy tuned it, they probably would make sense.

[@niczano]

"When we arrived at the hotel after a 12-hour journey we were exhausted. I wanted to sleep but Jimmy played the guitar all day." (Robert Plant) Here is the "education" of him.

[@thomaskostoroski9985]

I remember reading a story in the 90’s, I think in Guitar World, of a guitar teacher saying Jimmy was the worst classical player he had ever seen

[@afihaileywibowo1095]

No, Jimmy never had formal music education😊

[@beatmet2355]

“stairway to heaven” is nice and everything, but “The Rain Song” just stands out more as a classic zeppelin track Page at his best as composer/arranger/guitar orchestrator and shout out to JPJ

[@TheBenjammin]

One of the greatest songs ever written. I really love the way Jimmy ended it.

[@andrewcampanile1492]

Studio production/capture of creativity (of/by unique musicians) by JP so beautiful..so thankful to have had this…. Ty ty ty ty 🙏🏻

[@bearno8518]

How lucky am I to have seen this song live!!!!! I just can't~

[@satchice9102]

The recurring part where the melody theme descends down the scale (e.g 4:32-4:38) evokes the rain pitter-pattering down a window. Very clever and beautuful.

[@Liz.Green789]

The Rain Song is what made me a Zeppelin fan. It's my favorite of their "slower" songs. Fantastic song.

[@paulmahon1613]

Doug, the first two chords are the same first two chords in George Harrison's "Something". It was a homage to George as he had asked why Zeppelin had done no love ballads. Well, they did after that, and it was a masterpiece.

[@ralph6968]

That was never proved though

[@JA-io8nx]

Different key, not even close

[@Westonm]

@@JA-io8nx same progression regardless of key though

[@JA-io8nx]

@@Westonm yeah, and?

[@Westonm]

@@JA-io8nx You said it's "not even close" because the two songs are in a different key. I'm saying the key doesn't really matter because the chords are still basically the same relative to each other.

[@daseguin]

Musical theorist trying to figure out a complicated musical creative genius that has a very simple yet poetic tale to tell.

[@fishhookism]

Beautiful song. This and "Ten Years Gone" are my favorites of this band.

[@PaulyV56]

this is what made Pagey top of the heap. Not his soloing, his writing.

[@arnesaknussemm2427]

And production.

[@hitmanhatton]

IMO the place where he shines and you see his true talent is when he plays acoustic. I've never known of an artist that can compose the way he does and who can express the feelings the way he does n an acoustic. I do love his other work too but this is just an example of superiority

[@mottahead6464]

I've known since my teenage years that this song is great. I just didn't know that this song was THIS GREAT.

[@jamesstandish7716]

I believe Jimmy Page was playing this in Open G tuning, hence the beautiful, melodic sound he is getting from the multiple guitar parts. Absolute genius!

[@mebejeebs]

Low to high: DGCGCD - So Gsus4ish

[@garthblakeslee5128]

Last 15 seconds Doug is like " What Sorcery is this?!"

[@robs.6891]

Lot of Zeppelin's songs that Jimmy's chords are Tuned to D A G A D Ten Years Gone is an awesome song of life reflection. I absolutely feel it's their BEST song . Words written so strong & True 💯

[@Kylora2112]

The Rain Song is in Gsus4 (DGCGCD), and there's SO MANY beautiful voicings in that tuning.

[@robs.6891]

@@Kylora2112 > I hate your comment, if you really read & understood my comments I wouldn't be bashing you

[@rushfanjr2112]

@@Kylora2112 I learned it in standard and so I still play it that way. However, I did learn in this tuning a long time ago. I loved the sound but I had 1 guitar at the time and retuning just to play this one song wasn't practical.

[@AU88]

Zep at their most majestic and orchestral. It’s perfect.

[@juliemanarin4127]

Zeppelin...ALWAYS magical and magnificent!

[@jeronimorubim]

My latest pleasure is watching people discover the complex music of Led Zeppelin, and by witnessing their first hand reactions get to be amused myself all over again

[@franciscahazlet4021]

I can't get over how well you not only break down the music but also the lyrics so well that a song we thought we new well can be enjoyed again in a new light. Thanks

[@michaelsteding7720]

The Rain Song is the most beautiful song ever written. Zeppelin smoked but their slow songs were pure perfection.

[@carnutis]

you NEED to listen/watch The Song Remains the Same. The version of this song in that film is incredible.

[@banginbob]

Yep.......way better......Plant's performance is way more emotional on that live version...

[@ronmccarty2378]

Also that MTV acoustic version by Plant/Page is worth a watch… seeing and hearing the magic live is nourishing… kzbin.info/www/bejne/eJanqp96bcmJbbc

[@blackknighthood]

Absolutely, there are a lot of led zeppelin songs that sound way better or different live, mostly in early days when plant can still sing well

[@tnightwolf]

To me Led Zeppelin are just on another level! All the albums they did during their time, even CODA (a simple assembly of B-tracks with some changes) always has something that stands-out! They were truly masters of their own path, different genres and their own influences... some influences hit closer than others ;) but , at the end of the day, they were really exceptionally talented as a band!

[@willdobson6091]

its a doubled 12 string acoustic guitar, and 12 string electric guitar. Amazing guitar playing by Page.

[@MATEUSGENTE]

On the Led Zeppelin classic “The Rain Song” (Houses of the Holy), the great guitarrist Jimmy Page offers a unique variation on DADGAD by additionally tuning the fifth string down a whole step, from A to G, the fourth string down a whole step, from D to C, and the second string up a half step, from B to C, resulting in (low to high) D G C G C D. It's one of the most beautiful rock songs ever made. LZ shows through music a falling rain and all kinds of emotions about that. The mellotron strings is superb, the piano sounds like drops. ...and love goes on through the "seasons of emotions."

[@randyduncan271]

The guitar tuning page used for this song is an open G tuning low big E tuning as follows DGCGCD. The Hawiian slide you like so much is just a triad strummed and slid down a half step. Also he is using an acoustic obviously and tracked an electric guitar. live 1973 they play TSRTS into Rain song Page uses his double neck 'Gibson plays TSRTS on the 12 string neck and rain song he switches to the 6 string neck and ironically the 6 string is tuned to an open A tuning not G but the chord voicings are identical structure wise with the exception the song is transistioned up a whole step and I wonder what John Paul Jones thought knowing the song is not in the regular key but was good enough to do the transition on his keyboard live.. So George Harrison told Jimmy the band needs a ballad claiming they had no ballads but 2nd album has Thank You which is a ballad so, when you hear the first melody of rain song Jimmy is playing a variation of the Harrison tune Something pun intended so Page was claimed to have said.LOL

[@The_Left-Hand_Path]

Compositionally, this song, "No Quarter," "Ten Years Gone," and "Achilles' Last Stand" are untouchable. Honestly, Stairway too. I really don't dig Zeppelin's bluesy tunes as much as their more experimental stuff.

[@danmcconnell5941]

I wanna second all of these but especially Ten Years Gone

[@dreadpirate88]

Same

[@dreadpirate88]

I would add “In The Light”. Always loved that one.

[@johnanderson7739]

i prefer all 3 of those to Stairway.

[@gregmainer5416]

Yesss. Ten Years Gone is a gem.

[@darrenjones5885]

My favourite Zeppelin track. I love it when JPJ’s bass comes in.

[@louissamson4609]

I agree with the others comments, Ten Years Gone is a masterpiece of feeling and sounds!

[@andykolodiy9755]

Doug, thank you so much, this is one of my favourite songs. To me it's a true beauty and magic piece of art

[@nickchambers3935]

Jimmy Page said this song was inspired by George Harrison, which I just love: "George was talking to Bonzo one evening and said, "The problem with you guys is that you never do ballads." I said, "I'll give him a ballad," and I wrote "Rain Song," which appears on Houses of the Holy. In fact, you'll notice I even quote "Something" in the song's first two chords."

[@hughjass7025]

George must have never heard Tangerine from LZ3, beautiful ballad

[@Yourbankaccount]

@@hughjass7025 or Thank You

[@WhenHariMetKari]

Or “til you squeeze my lemon”.

[@jerryseinfield1837]

@@hughjass7025 or maybe literally the most famous rock ballad ever!! Stairway might be the most famous rock song ever

[@jerryseinfield1837]

George did not say this do some research

[@profjohnfrinks]

My favorite Led Zeppelin song. I also feel as though it is their best. WHAT?! NO STAIRWAY? Perhaps it's just my prog heart being soothed by the beautiful sounds of the mellotron.

[@adamclark6756]

This is my daughters favourite LZ tune and i was lucky enough to see Robert Plant sing it a few years ago with her.

[@drx2671]

What? Is no one gonna ask how or by what circumstance your daughter got to sing with Robert Plant!

[@adamclark6756]

@@drx2671 Haha, reading it back it does sound like that happened! It didn't though, we just watched together. We saw him last week too, another awesome performance.

[@DANTEFISI]

My favorite Zeppelin song! 12 string guitars, beautiful lyrics and one of the greatest Mellotron moments you will ever hear.

[@dreadpirate88]

I was really looking forward to Doug geeking out on the chord progression and orchestration, and he didn’t disappoint. This was awesome 👏🏼

[@tomy.1846]

What a song!! Listened to it a thousand times, and it's always impressive! Cool reaction and evaluation!!

[@stevemd6488]

To me one of the most beautiful acoustic songs ever. When it first came out I spent forever trying to learn it on guitar in standard tuning, never got it right. Eventually Guitar Player tabbed it, it's an alternate tuning, and once you learn that it's actually very easy to play. Thanks for doing this Doug. Fascinating deconstruction of the chords. Maybe more Steely Dan in the future? Oh and that last dissonant arpeggio is just an Fmaj7 shape on guitar on the 5th fret, falls easy under the fingers which is probably true of the entire composing of the song.

[@redlioness6627]

It is indeed @ alternative tuning, it is so much simpler to play when tuned to Gsus4, the chords just open up to your fingers, I guess that is exactly why they call it "open tuning" and not just because the strings play a chord when played open with no fingers. I mean standard tuning isn't classed as open tuning and yet it still delivers a chord when played with open strings.

[@stevemd6488]

@@redlioness6627 Yep. The record version is tune the G string to A, the B string to D. Live he tunes to dropped D but same approach.

[@redlioness6627]

@@stevemd6488 He always seems to play songs in different tunings live.

[@stevemd6488]

@@redlioness6627 Yea I think it's for vocal reasons, easier for Plant to sing

[@Argonautica8]

I learned it in standard tuning when I was a kid. Not very easy and I felt like an idiot when I figured out it was in an open gunning.

[@jonathankelly9158]

Whenever I hear a melotron I always think to Watcher of the skies by Genesis (Foxtrtot).. love the sound of that song…

[@johnkd2ogr107]

Great song and analysis Doug. Chock full of chords including a variety of dim, sus2,4, 5s, b5s,Maj7,9’s, b9’s,11th, Am11D G7+11. Almost like Page wanted to explore every harmonic avenue. The I-V box set shows both guitars and the alternate D G C G C D tuning makes it way easier to play and sounds much better than standard tuning.

[@pimentelmusica]

Long time ago i made my version with this tuning, and was a real pleasure to play, I composed two original compositions with this type of tuning and was a real pleasure

[@redlioness6627]

You mean Gsus4 right!

[@pimentelmusica]

@@redlioness6627 i mean D G C G C D in my cover, i love composing in almost 30 years playing i only made cover of 10 musics, one of them rain song. after that i made my one tuning for 2 original songs, and one of them oriental: o voo da aguia in my youtube site. this began with led zeppelin tuning in rain song and bron yr aur from physical graphitti

[@JWS_1]

This is my absolute favourite Led Zeppelin song

[@MysticRuler-n4j]

I was hoping he’d comment on the ascending piano chords and the little run of descending notes afterward at around the 7:45 mark. Probably nothing too remarkable, but I always loved it…love the whole song…an all time favorite.

[@davidgriffith3938]

The live version from Song Remains the Same is incredible.

[@brianalpert2383]

Thank you for another wonderful video. This song was such a great choice. Also, props to their wonderful bass player, John Paul Jones. John did double duty as a keyboard player and music arranger. He's a very well rounded musician who has worn many musical hats throughout his career.

[@ledzep9501]

In the Light, In the Light, In the Light, In the Light, In the Light, In the Light, In the Light....

[@stevechristy3244]

A lot of LZ's "experimental" music was due in part to John Paul Jones. He was not only their bassist, but he played a lot of the keyboards on songs like this and Kashmir. He was also basically considered a hired gun when he first started with them. But they found that he was irreplaceable.

[@sixbladeknife44]

Great point, he rarely gets the credit he deserves. Page was masterful in the studio and had great instinct for layering parts, but JPJ was the X factor…LZ would not have sounded like LZ without his contributions. I think he can be compared to Rick Wright of Pink Floyd in the same light, although obviously Wright only played keys, but also contributed vocals.

[@millsmansion9704]

Bonzo is irreplaceable also. Robert Plant refuses to go back to Led Zeppelin.

[@hightensionlabs]

Worth noting JPJ was also the only trained musician in the band. My god the man knows how to seriously rock out. We need to get Doug to do some ‘Them Crooked Vultures” 😵‍💫 in 🌼 🌼 🤔

[@wildwillie5408]

A hired gun? Page and JPJ were the first members if zep. Then they found plant who in turn suggested Bonham

[@twpsy634]

Think you have that wrong mate.

[@gelsol]

That mellotron part is sublime. Might be Zep's ultimate moment. Really incredible.

[@ianshippen279]

One of the things I love about this song is the mellotron playing against the double bass - the mellotron has a very thin sound with no bottom end and the double bass complements this with loads of bottom end so it cuts through beautifully

[@grahammiller9049]

Think that’s cello not double bass, as it was standard on the mellotron 400 along with the 3 violins and flute ( used on live versions of Stairway) . In no way can the 3 violins sound be called ‘thin! It’s a huge sound!

[@DDWyss]

One of my favorite songs from my favorite Led Zeppelin album! Good choice, patreon folks!

[@leechild4655]

I can imagine your mind is getting blown hearing all that great music I grew up listening to. From the Beatles to Bolt Thrower, `60s - `90s era. I think the 70`s were the headiest times for new music.

[@mikebrown8251]

Doug, never change - I love your enthusiasm

[@daveburns3886]

Songs like this and other acoustical arrangements of theirs to couple with their hard Rock / blues take them into realm of greatest groups ever

[@jaygreene853]

Doug, Ive been listening to your channel for a couple of months now and wanted to express my love for all your videos. Love getting the chance to hear some songs ive never heard and enjoy your reactions and commentary!!!

[@LoyaltyVoid]

The rain song is one of the best Led Zeppelin songs. It is absolutely beautiful! Also, do 21st Century Schizoid Man next! Or any other King Crimson song.

[@betseyr.9081]

He's done the entire "In The Court of the Crimson King" album already but you will have to join his Patreon channel to see it.

[@blanewilliams5960]

Love this song, Doug. That guitar work from Jimmy with Robert's words and vocals get me every time. Of course JP Jones on the mellotron and John Bonham is playing with brushes but there is drums. Great arrangement by Page, it was an answer to George Harrison suggesting they do some ballads. Thanks for sharing this on youtube, loved your reaction and analysis. More LZ would be greatly appreciated.

[@ImYourOverlord]

One of the band's most beautiful pieces. This album was my first from the band I came to love and declare my all-time favorite after one play through 😁

[@BenCoultryAfishall]

This is my favorite from them ever since high school - tuned to G and got access to different chord shapes, that slide is 7th to 5th fret with a couple open strings, so those are left the same pitch during the slide

[@zappafan3473]

doug, that slide on the neck is simply 3 notes strummed and slid down a semitone, with a couple open notes ringing on top.

[@neillenet291]

"Why would they do that?" I'm guessing because it SOUNDS GOOD :)

[@misterjones2u]

this is a truly great song, it has been a life companion, great reaction Doug

[@latheofheaven1017]

You ask Doug at 3:30 how Page is doing that slide. It's just playing the first chord and then slipping all fingers down one fret. Yes - very cool, especially as it's so simple.

[@bencetoth6966]

Perhaps, he uses a B-bender device? Just guessing...

[@JeffJefferyUK]

@@bencetoth6966 The B-bender only bends one string, but the change we hear is three notes.

[@sitiesito715]

To me it sounds like he strums with all the strings bent, then unbends them. The slide to me sounds too smooth to slip the chord a fret upwards. I guess if anyone can find live footage of Jimmy Page playing this song, it'll settle the question.

[@nicktf1]

@@sitiesito715 It's a slide as @lathe of Heaven said - the tuning makes it easy, it's three fingers, one per fret, slid back one place, but no attack on the second chord - ie, it's only strummed once

[@markharwood7573]

It has to be played with a slide or a steel, overdubbed over the strummed guitars. Definitely not just going down a fret.

[@Ron-yt9rv]

If you liked this I would highly recommend the live version from the song remains the same soundtrack, the guitar work is as impressive and the song has much more impact than the studio version I also believe the vocal performance is much better live

[@pamnorris8954]

This is one of my favorite LZ songs. It’s so expressive and I like how it builds softly to more loudly. The orchestra is beautiful.

[@axbaquerizo]

A special Zepp song. Very emotional, give peace everytime when I heard it. UNIQUE. Also the best Zepp album.

[@rocioacostawalsh1554]

It's a landscape masterpiece by all its means thru and thru. I've never ceased to be overwhelmed by the grand beauty and artistry of it since I was 11 years old that first got a hold of it and I'm 49!. Underrated? well, nevermind the bollocks!

[@gsmeeuwsen]

What a great melody!!!

[@kevankirkmusic]

I love how you explain what is happening musically it really adds a greater depth of understanding to your analysis and the brilliance of the artists crafting the music!

[@hemlock399]

That was a great choice...easily one of my favorite Zep tunes, just absolutely beautiful in a slightly melancholic way. Page is not just a great guitarist, but also a great composer, arranger and producer, and Plant is am amazing lyricist as well as vocalist. Superb.

[@debrayoung8282]

What you are hearing are Jimmy's exceptional bended notes. ❤

[@g.r.fullertoniv4952]

I love playing this on my guitar,fabulous chords!

[@robertbeaman5761]

There are about 4 different guitar parts to create this sound. Page and Jones, being studio musicians, knew how to achieve the sounds they wanted using overdubs.

[@MindoverX]

They were brilliant in bringing in different musical cultures into their writing. The first time I heard this song I was captivated as a kid and though I was no advanced player at nine, I had to try to learn to play it and by ear lol

[@keithpasculli7465]

When this album was made there really were not many guitarists playing like this and using such advanced technique and harmony; amazing guitar playing and writing

[@jamesconraadtucker]

Hey Doug, great review. Btw, Jimmy's unique guitar phrasing and slide that retain the character are due to a variation of the DADGAD tuning. Actually, in this song the tuning is D G C G C D. I've tried playing it with several other tunings but it never sounds quite right until the tuning is D G C G C D. Magnificent chord structure. John Paul Jones does a tremendous job with the string accompaniment, as does John Bonhams sweet percussive phrasing. Only to be further lifted up by Robert Plants vocals. This was a very special time for Led Zep as was their 3rd and 4th album where a lot of the inspiration came from Bron-Yr-Aur. A cottage in Wales without electricity or running water where they could delve into some great musical fluidity that would become another added dimension to their sound prior to The Rain Song. Page's chord scene is off the charts!

[@alexdasliebe5391]

I haven’t played since my buddy Kris died, he was a talented guy. This makes me want to restring the old girl.

[@jasonbone5121]

You know he'd want you to. Go for it!

[@rogerdaly6326]

Music is a great healer

[@TheWolfCub71]

My absolute favorite Led Zeppelin song. thanks for reposting this to KZbin.

[@kecurroj]

Watch the live version of this song and you'll see how JP is playing his guitar.

[@littlealchemistolympics2884]

People forget what a great production team the band is. Jimmy and JPJ really REALLY know how to produce and arrange

[@marymargaretmoore9034]

Such a beautiful song!

[@dt089]

Wish you would have covered the song remains the same live version. Page's guitar work is other-worldly, especially in the outro, which I think, to this day, is the best live guitar outro I've ever heard.

[@toivonencresto]

This and Ten Years Gone are the Greatest Zeppelin songs, to me. PS The Rain Song live at the "Unledded" concert is one of the most beautiful performances in Music History

[@zomersteen7674]

Nice! Now do No quarter live at madison square 1973, probably the best live recording of zep in my opinion!

[@colindickens6336]

yes this, but not the remastered version. the remastered version cuts out lots of the atmospheric building noodling stuff that shows off the synergy between the band members, in particular between John Bonham and John Paul Jones...

[@jaydubya3698]

Agreed!!! To me, the live version is better than the studio version. Both great, don't get me wrong, but the live version is soooo evocative.