"Going to California"
Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album (Led Zeppelin IV)
Released	November 8, 1971
Recorded	December 1970 – March 1971
Genre	Folk rock
Length	3:31
Label	Atlantic Records
Writer(s)	Page/Plant
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page
(Led Zeppelin IV) track listing
"Four Sticks" (6)	"Going to California" (7)	"When the Levee Breaks" (8)

"Going to California" is the penultimate song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin on their fourth album, released in 1971. The song's wistful folk-style sound, with Robert Plant on lead vocals, acoustic guitar by Jimmy Page and mandolin by John Paul Jones, contrasts with the heavy electric-amplified rock on several of the album's other tracks. Led Zeppelin - Four Symbols album cover. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Image File history File links Zoso. ... The untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8, 1971. ... is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Bob Dylans folk-rock album, Blonde on Blonde Folk-rock is a musical genre, combining elements of folk music and rock music. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... 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. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter, most famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin, but also 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. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Image File history File links Zoso. ... The untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8, 1971. ... Four Sticks is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their fourth album, released in 1971. ... When the Levee Breaks is a blues song written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For the bands 1969 self-titled debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... The untitled fourth album of English rock band Led Zeppelin was released on November 8, 1971. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Folk music can have a number of different meanings, including: Traditional music: The original meaning of the term folk music was synonymous with the term Traditional music, also often including World Music and Roots music; the term Traditional music was given its more specific meaning to distinguish it from the... Robert Anthony Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands, England) is an English rock singer and songwriter, most famous for his membership in the rock band Led Zeppelin, but also for his successful solo career. ... For other uses, see Guitar (disambiguation). ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... A mandolin is a small, stringed musical instrument which is plucked, strummed or a combination of both. ... 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...

Led Zeppelin playing "Going to California" at Earls Court Exhibition Centre, 1975

The song is reportedly about singer/songwriter Joni Mitchell, with whom Plant and Page were both infatuated. Plant sings "They say she plays guitar/and cries and sings". In live performances of the song, Plant would often say the name "Joni" after this stanza: ImageMetadata File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Earls Court Exhibition Centre (also known as Earls Court Arena or often simply Earls Court) is located in West London, England on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Joni Mitchell, CC (born Roberta Joan Anderson on November 7, 1943) is a Canadian musician, songwriter, and painter. ...

At Led Zeppelin concerts the band performed this song during their acoustic sets. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Earls Court in 1975, is featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. It was also performed on Plant's solo tours during 1988/1989 and at the Knebworth Silver Clef show in 1990. He played it again on his "Mighty Rearranger" tour, with additions of a double bass and a synthesiser 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. ... The Earls Court Exhibition Centre (also known as Earls Court Arena or often simply Earls Court) is located in West London, England on the boundary between the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and Hammersmith and Fulham. ... Year 1975 (MCMLXXV) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Led Zeppelin is a double digital versatile disc (DVD) set by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... Knebworth is a village in the north of Hertfordshire, England. ... Mighty Rearranger is an album by the British rock singer Robert Plant and his new back-up band, Strange Sensation. ...

Never the Bride recorded a version of "Going to California" for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full 1995 Gregorian calendar). ... 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. ...

The main vocal melody inspired Pearl Jam's 1998 song "Given to Fly". Also, Fuel did a remake of this song on their album Something Like Human. Aaron Lewis of Staind covered this song in a charity solo show in his old high school, Longmeadow High (link to the performance). This article is about the rock group. ... Given to Fly is the first single from Pearl Jams fifth album Yield. ... Fuel is a rock/post grunge band formed by Carl Bell, Jeff Abercrombie, and Brett Scallions in 1989. ... Something Like Human is the second full-length album by the band Fuel released in 2000. ... Aaron Lewis, born April 13, 1972 in Rutland, Vermont, USA, is the lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist of the hard rock group Staind. ... Staind is an American alternative metal group[1][2] from Springfield, Massachusetts, United States. ...

This was the 3,000,000th song played on WBLM, a radio station based in Portland, Maine WBLM 102. ... Nickname: Motto: Resurgam (Latin for I will rise again) Country United States State Maine County Cumberland Settled 1632 Incorporated 1786 Government  - Mayor Nicholas M. Mavodones, Jr Area  - City  52. ...

External links

• Review: All Music Guide
• Guitar tabs

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