“D'yer Mak'er”
Song by Led Zeppelin
Album	Houses of the Holy
Released	28 March 1973
Recorded	1972
Genre	Reggae/Rock
Length	4:23
Label	Atlantic Records
Writer	Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant
Producer	Jimmy Page
Houses of the Holy track listing
"Dancing Days" (5) “D'yer Mak'er” (6) "No Quarter" (7)
Audio sample
Info (help·info)

"D'yer Mak'er" (intended to be pronounced with a British non-rhotic accent as "jah-may-kah") is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. This article is about the musical composition. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... An album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. ... For the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, see Houses of the Holy (song). ... is the 87th day of the year (88th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... This article is about the genre. ... In the music industry, a record label can be a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... A songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics to songs, the musical composition or melody to songs, or both. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. ... John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, and was known for being the bassist, the keyboardist and the mandolinist for rock band Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham... For the Scottish football (soccer) player, see Jimmy Page (footballer). ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist, as well as for his successful solo career. ... In the music industry, a record producer (or music producer) has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, mixing and mastering processes. ... For the Scottish football (soccer) player, see Jimmy Page (footballer). ... For the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, see Houses of the Holy (song). ... A Song Infobox has been requested for this article. ... No Quarter is the seventh song on English rock band Led Zeppelins fifth album Houses of the Holy, released in 1973. ... English pronunciation is divided into two main accent groups, the rhotic and the non-rhotic, depending on when the phoneme (the letter r, equivalent to Greek rho) is pronounced. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article is about the genre. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... For the Led Zeppelin song of the same name, see Houses of the Holy (song). ...

Overview

This song was meant to imitate reggae and its "dub" derivative emerging from Jamaica in the early 1970s. It emerged from rehearsals at Stargroves in 1972 when drummer John Bonham started with a beat similar to 1950s doo-wop, and then twisted it into a slight off beat tempo, upon which a reggae influence emerged.^[1] The distinctive drum sound was created by placing three microphones a good distance away from Bonham's drums. A few members of the band have noted that part of the inspiration for this style came from listening to Dee Dee Warwick's version of "Foolish Fool". Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ... Stargroves in East End, Newbury, was the 1970s home of Mick Jagger, who recorded Exile On Main Street and five songs from Sticky Fingers there. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the band Led Zeppelin. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based rhythm and blues music popular in the mid-1950s to the early 1960s in America. ...

"D'yer Mak'er" is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit. The sleeve on the album also credits "Rosie and the Originals", a reference to the doo-wop influence which was evident in the song's construction, as well as sharing the chord progression in its verse portions with the Rosie and the Originals' song "Angel Baby".^[1] This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ...

This track, as well as "The Crunge", was not taken seriously initially, and many critics reserved their harshest criticism for these two arrangements.^[1] Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has also expressed his distaste for the song, suggesting that it started off as a joke and wasn't thought through carefully enough.^[1] However, "D'yer Mak'er" has gathered critical respect in the years since, and has grown into something of a Led Zeppelin classic. Upon the album's release, Robert Plant was keen to issue the track as a single in the United Kingdom. Atlantic Records went so far as to distribute advance promotional copies to DJs (now valuable collectors' items). While it was released in the US, and the single peaked at #20 in December of 1973, it was ultimately never released in the UK.^[1] The Crunge is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. ... John Paul Jones (born John Baldwin on January 3, 1946 in Sidcup, Kent) is an English multi-instrumentalist musician, and was known for being the bassist, the keyboardist and the mandolinist for rock band Led Zeppelin from its inception until the bands breakup following the death of John Bonham... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... DJ or dj may stand for Disc jockey, dinner jacket The DeadJournal website, or Djibouti. ...

This song was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts, although snatches of it were played during "Whole Lotta Love" during the 1975 concert tour of the United States and at the Earls Court shows in the same year.^[1] Poster for a Led Zeppelin concert at Oakland Coliseum, July 1977 Throughout the late 1960s and 1970s, English rock group Led Zeppelin was one of the worlds most popular live music attractions, making numerous concert tours of the United States, the United Kingdom and Europe in particular. ... Alternate Cover Audio sample Info (help· info) Whole Lotta Love is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured as the opening track on their second album, Led Zeppelin II. It was their first hit single. ... Led Zeppelins 1975 North American Tour was the tenth concert tour of North America by the English rock band. ... Earls Court 1975 were five concerts performed the English rock band Led Zeppelin at Earls Court Arena, London, in May 1975. ...

Song title pronunciation

The name of the song is derived from a play on the words "Jamaica" and "Did you make her", based on an old joke ("My wife's gone to the West Indies." "Jamaica?" "No, she went of her own accord.") On July 21st, 2005, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant discussed the song during an interview with Mike Halloran, a DJ on radio station FM94/9 in San Diego. During the interview, he talked about the different interpretations and pronunciations of the name of the song (audio clip (help· info) from the interview, 841k OGG audio file, 1:39 in length; the original full-length interview is hosted on the FM94/9 website). The title, which appears nowhere in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae flavour of the song. Plant has said that he finds it amusing when American fans completely ignore the apostrophes and pronounce it as "Dire Maker". (The song's most repeated and most familiar line is "oh(x6), you don't have to go....") Literary technique; puns: word play Rock and Roll Band (1980s) : Play on Words (rock band) ... A joke is a short story or ironic depiction of a situation communicated with the intent of being humorous. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England), is an English rock singer and songwriter, famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin as the lead vocalist, as well as for his successful solo career. ... For other meanings of DJ, see DJ (disambiguation). ... FM94/9, with call letters KBZT, is a Rock Music radio station with studios on Murray Canyon Road in San Diego, CA 92108. ... San Diego redirects here. ... Image File history File links Robert_Plant-Dyer_Maker. ... Ogg is an open standard for a free container format for digital multimedia, unrestricted by software patents and designed for efficient streaming and manipulation. ... FM94/9, with call letters KBZT, is a Rock Music radio station with studios on Murray Canyon Road in San Diego, CA 92108. ... Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. ...

Other versions

• Eek-A-Mouse covered the song for his 1991 album U-Neek.

• Sheryl Crow covered the song for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium.

• Pop music trio No Mercy recorded a version of the song for their self-titled 1996 album.

• Bob Rivers made a Christmas-themed parody of the song titled "Sled Zeppelin".

• A cover version of "When I'm dead and gone" by German Rock band Fury in the Slaughterhouse starts with the same drum introduction that Bonham plays.

• Sean Kingston sampled elements of this song and used it for his 2007 single Me Love.

• This song was also played by 311 at their 311 Day show in 2004.

• The Disco Biscuits covered the song during their Caribbean Holidaze Tour in December of 2007.

• A Voice of the Beehive cover of this song appeared on the Just a City 12 inch, April 1987.

Eek a Mouse is one of Jamaicas premiere reggae stars. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar. ... Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American singer-songwriter and musician. ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... A tribute album is a recorded collection of cover versions of a specific artists songs. ... Encomium: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin is a tribute album by various artists dedicated to Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on March 14, 1995. ... This article is about the genre of popular music. ... For the metal band, see No Mercy (metal band). ... Bob Rivers is one of the best-known rock and roll radio on air personalities in the northwestern United States, as well as a prolific producer of parody songs. ... For other uses, see Christmas (disambiguation). ... In contemporary usage, a parody (or lampoon) is a work that imitates another work in order to ridicule, ironically comment on, or poke some affectionate fun at the work itself, the subject of the work, the author or fictional voice of the parody, or another subject. ... Fury in the Slaughterhouse is a German rock band from Hanover formed in 1987 by brothers Kai Uwe Wingenfelder (vocals) and Thorsten Wingenfelder (guitar, vocals). ... Kisean Anderson (born February 3, 1990) better known by his stage name Sean Kingston, is a Jamaican American reggae singer and rapper. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. ... Me Love is the second single from Sean Kingston from his debut album Sean Kingston. ... 311 (pronounced three eleven) is a band, from Omaha, Nebraska. ... The Disco Biscuits are a trance fusion jam band from Philadelphia. ... Voice of the Beehive are an Anglo-American college radio/alternative band, formed in London in 1986 by Californian sisters Tracey Bryn and Melissa Brooke Belland, daughters of The Four Preps singer, Bruce Belland. ...

References

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