"Immigrant Song"
Single by Led Zeppelin from the album Led Zeppelin III
B-side	"Hey Hey What Can I Do"
Released	October 5, 1970
Recorded	May - August 1970
Genre	Hard rock
Length	2:25
Label	Atlantic Records
Writer	Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Whole Lotta Love" (1969) "Immigrant Song" (1970) "Black Dog" (1971) Audio sample Info (help· info)

"Immigrant Song" is the opening track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's third album, Led Zeppelin III, written and released in 1970. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 600 × 600 pixels Full resolution (800 × 800 pixel, file size: 64 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) This image is of a cover of an audio recording, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher of the... A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Led Zeppelin III, the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970 by Atlantic Records. ... “B-Sides” redirects here. ... Hey Hey What Can I Do is one of the more famous Led Zeppelin songs to never be released on an album. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label is 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. ... 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, 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. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... 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. ... Black Dog is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, which was released as the lead-off track of their untitled fourth album in 1971. ... Image File history File links Immigrant_Song_by_Led_Zeppelin. ... Image File history File links Immigrant_Song_by_Led_Zeppelin. ... Cover of the Led Zeppelin album Led Zeppelin III. This is an album cover. ... For other uses, see Song (disambiguation). ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... Led Zeppelin III, the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970 by Atlantic Records. ... For other uses, see 5th October (Serbia). ... Year 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday (link shows full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Hard Rock redirects here. ... In the music industry, a record label is 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. ... 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, 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. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... Led Zeppelin III, the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970 by Atlantic Records. ... Friends is the second track from Led Zeppelin III, the third studio album of English rock band Led Zeppelin. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Rock music (disambiguation). ... For the bands 1969 eponymous debut album, see Led Zeppelin (album). ... A 12-inch record (left), a 7-inch record (right), and a CD (above) Two 7 singles (left), two colored 7 singles (middle), and two 7 singles with large spindle holes (right). ... Led Zeppelin III, the third album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, was released October 5, 1970 by Atlantic Records. ...

The song is famous for its distinctive, wailing cry from vocalist Robert Plant at the beginning of the song, and is built around an incessant, battering Jimmy Page/John Paul Jones/John Bonham riff. The hiss at the beginning of the track is feedback from an echo unit. 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. ... James Patrick Jimmy Page, OBE (born 9 January 1944) is an English guitarist, composer and record producer. ... 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... John Henry Bonzo Bonham (May 31, 1948 – September 25, 1980) was an English drummer and member of the English rock band Led Zeppelin. ...

"Immigrant Song" is dedicated to the Icelander Leif Ericson. It is sung from the perspective of Vikings rowing west from Scandinavia in search of new lands. Its driving, regular beat evokes the determination of the explorers and their oars hitting the water, and the lyrics make explicit reference to Viking conquests and the Old Norse religion (To fight the horde, singing and crying/Valhalla, I am coming!). Close up of Leif in front of Hallgrímskirkja, in Reykjavík, Iceland. ... The name Viking is a loan from the native Scandinavian term for the Norse seafaring warriors who raided the coasts of Scandinavia, Europe and the British Isles from the late 8th century to the 11th century, the period of European history referred to as the Viking Age. ... For other uses, see Scandinavia (disambiguation). ... A drum beat, a beat on a drum, is any single strike on a single drum, drum machine, or a series of beats on various percussion instruments creating a rhythmic or metric pattern. ... For other uses, see Valhalla (disambiguation). ...

"Immigrant Song" is one of Led Zeppelin's few single releases, having been released in November of 1970 by their record label, Atlantic Records, against the band's wishes. It reached #16 on the Billboard charts. Its B side, "Hey Hey What Can I Do", was otherwise unavailable before the release of the band's first boxed set in 1990, and later on the 1993 reissue of the out-take compilation Coda. The single was mistakenly released in Japan with "Out on the Tiles" as the B-side rather than "Hey Hey What Can I Do." That single is now a rare collectible. A collection of various CD singles In music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. ... Atlantic Records (Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American record label, and operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of Warner Music Group. ... On January 4, 1936, Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade and on July 20, 1940 the first Music Popularity Chart was calculated. ... In recorded music, the terms A-side and B-side refer to the two sides of 7 inch vinyl records on which singles were released beginning in the 1950s. ... Hey Hey What Can I Do is one of the more famous Led Zeppelin songs to never be released on an album. ... Led Zeppelin, released on 7 September 1990, is a boxed set of Led Zeppelins hits. ... Coda is an album by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1982. ... Out on the Tiles is a song from Led Zeppelin III. It was born out of a little ditty that Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham used to sing when the band was going out to play. ...

One of the lines from the song became part of Led Zeppelin lore. The line, "The hammer of the gods/will drive our ships to new lands" prompted many to start referring to Led Zeppelin's sound as the "Hammer of the Gods." The phrase was used as the title of Stephen Davis' famous biography of the band, Hammer of the Gods: The Led Zeppelin Saga. The lyrics also did much to inspire the classic Heavy Metal myth, of mighty Viking-esque figures on an adventure, themes which have been adopted in the look and music of bands from Iron Maiden to Manowar. Stephen Davis is an American music journalist and historian. ... Heavy metals, in chemistry, are chemical elements of a particular range of atomic weights. ... This article is about the band. ... This article is about the band. ...

"Immigrant Song" was used to open Led Zeppelin concerts from 1970 to 1972. By 1973 it was occasionally being used as an encore, but was then deleted from their live set. Live versions of the song can be heard on the Led Zeppelin albums How The West Was Won (featuring a performance at Long Beach Arena in 1972) and the Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions (a version from the Paris Theatre in London in 1971). When played live, Page played a lengthy guitar solo not included on the recorded Led Zeppelin III version. 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. ... For the song by James Blunt, see 1973 (song). ... Encore may be referring to one of the following: Adobe Encore, a software program by Adobe Systems intended for authoring DVDs. ... How the West Was Won is a triple live album by English rock group Led Zeppelin, released by Atlantic Records on CD May 27, 2003 and DVD-Audio on October 20, 2003. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Year 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Led Zeppelin BBC Sessions is an album featuring, as the title suggests, BBC studio session and concert recordings of Led Zeppelin. ... The Paris Theatre (also known as Paris Studios) was a former cinema located in Lower Regent Street, London, which was converted into a theatre by the BBC for radio broadcasts. ... This article is about the capital of England and the United Kingdom. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar, known as the year of cyclohexanol. ... Guitar solos are a melodic passage, section, or entire piece of music written for an electric guitar or an acoustic guitar. ...

The song is also 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 screaming fans, begging Led Zeppelin to let them use "Immigrant Song". For other uses, see School of Rock (disambiguation). ... Jack Black (born Thomas J. Black, Jr. ...

The song also appears, in a slightly changed version due to licensing reasons, in Shrek the Third, when Snow White attacks the city gates, guarded by Huorns. She cries the characteristic war cry of Robert Plant, backed by the riff, as in the beginning of the original song. This article is about the film. ... This article is about the Snow White character. ... The Huorns are a fictional race from J. R. R. Tolkiens Middle-earth. ... Riff is also an alternate spelling of Rif, a region of Morocco. ...

It has also appeared in the 1999 documentary about the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre, One Day in September, and the trailers for the BBC1 drama series Life on Mars. The Munich massacre occurred during the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, when members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage by the Palestinian terrorist group Black September, a group with ties to Yasser Arafat’s Fatah organization. ... One Day in September is a 1999 documentary film directed by Kevin Macdonald examining the September 5, 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany. ... BBC One (or BBC1 as it was formerly styled) is the oldest United Kingdom, and indeed, the world. ... Life on Mars is a BAFTA and International Emmy award-winning British television drama series, which was first shown on BBC One in January and February 2006. ...

The song was allegedly played over open radio frequencies used by U.S. military pilots during the Gulf War of 1991.^{[citation needed]} For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ...

Starting from the 2007 season, the Minnesota Vikings play this song during their team introductions and before kickoffs. The 2007 season of the National Football League (NFL) is the 88th season played by the major professional American football league in the United States. ... City Minneapolis, Minnesota Other nicknames The Vikes, The Purple People Eaters Team colors Purple, Gold, and White Head Coach Brad Childress Owner Zygi Wilf General manager Rob Brzezinski Fight song Skol, Vikings Mascot Viktor the Viking League/Conference affiliations National Football League (1961–present) Western Conference (1961-1969) Central Division...

Other versions

Several bands have covered Led Zeppelin's song or played it live:

• Dread Zeppelin includes it on Un-Led-Ed, De-Jah Voodoo and The Song Remains Insane.
• Ann Wilson, lead singer of Heart, recorded a cover version of this song for her 2007 solo release Hope & Glory.
• Headface covers it on "The Song Retains the Name Vol. I"
• American alternative rock band Incubus performed the song live, during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show, October 24, 2001 [1].
• 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.
• Sebastian Bach covered the song on his solo album Bach To Basics.
• 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.
• The Trans-Siberian Orchestra played the first verse of "Immigrant Song" on their 2004 North American tour.
• Thrash metal band Dark Angel covered the song on their Leave Scars album.
• Queen played the song live on their Magic Tour.
• 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 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.
• Missouri metalcore band Coalesce recorded a version of this song for their album There is Nothing New Under the Sun, an album entirely composed of Led Zeppelin covers.
• TNT covered this song on their 1986 live album "Kings of Norway". Vocalist Tony Harnell's favorite band is Led Zeppelin, according to him. Guitarist Ronni Le Tekro modified the guitar solo slightly to include his machine gun technique.
• The aggrotech group, Informatik played a rendition of this song on its album Direct Memory Access V2.0.
• The Sword released a cover of this song on their split EP with Witchcraft.
• Bruiser Brody aka Frank Goodish-professional wrestling legend entrance music was the this song and the beginning of Ludwig van Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. However, in Japan, he had a cover of this song as his theme song. It was without lyrics.
• Another rendering of this song comes from Minimal Compact, Israeli rock band that operated during the 80s in Belgium and released multiple records under Crammed Discs label.
• Streetlab dance remix (2001), receiving radio support on BBC Radio1's Annie Nightingale show.

Dread Zeppelin is an American band best known for covering the songs of Led Zeppelin in a reggae style sung by an Elvis Presley impersonator named Tortelvis, though their act now encompasses many other songs and other styles of music. ... Un-Led-Ed is the debut album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1990. ... The song Remains Insane [1] is the tenth album by Dread Zeppelin, released in 1996. ... Ann Dustin Wilson (born June 19, 1950 in San Diego, California) is the lead singer and flute player[1] of Heart. ... For other uses, see Heart (disambiguation). ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... Alternative music redirects here. ... Incubus is a five-piece American alternative rock band based out of Calabasas, California. ... This article is about the radio show hosted by Howard Stern. ... is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... Grunge redirects here. ... This article is about the American grunge band. ... // In popular music, a cover version, or simply cover, is a new rendition (performance or recording) of a previously recorded song. ... With the Lights Out is a box set, containing 3 CDs and 1 DVD, from the American grunge band, Nirvana. ... A box set (sometimes referred to as a boxed set) is one or more musical recordings, films, television programs, or other collection of related things that are contained in a box. ... This article is about the rock singer. ... Power metal is a style of heavy metal music typically with the aim of evoking an epic feel, combining characteristics of traditional metal with thrash metal or speed metal, often within symphonic context. ... Demons and Wizards is a modern progressive rock band with a style resembling Iced Earth and Blind Guardian. ... Touched by the Crimson King is the second album of power metal/ heavy metal band Demons & Wizards and was released in June 2005. ... Progressive metal is a sub-genre of heavy metal music which blends the powerful, guitar-driven sound of metal with the complex compositional structures, odd time signatures, and intricate instrumental playing of progressive rock. ... Adagio is a French progressive/symphonic metal band. ... Sanctus Ignis is Adagios first release (2001). ... Trans-Siberian Orchestra (often abbreviated as TSO) is a rock orchestra founded by Paul ONeill, Robert Kinkel, and Jon Oliva in 1996. ... Thrash metal is a subgenre of heavy metal music, one of the extreme metal subgenres that is characterised by the high speed and aggression. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Leave Scars is the third album by Dark Angel, which was released in 1989. ... Queen are an English rock band formed in 1970 in London by guitarist Brian May, lead vocalist Freddie Mercury and drummer Roger Taylor, with bassist John Deacon joining the following year. ... The Magic Tour was the last Tour made by the british Rock band Queen with their lead singer Freddie Mercury, the next bands tour Queen + Paul Rodgers Tour was made by only 2 of the former membes of the band Brian May and Roger Taylor with Paul Rodgerss... Tomoyasu Hotei (布袋寅泰 Hotei Tomoyasu, born on February 1, 1962 in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture) is a Japanese musician, guitarist and actor. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Electric Samurai (The Noble Savage) is a 2004 album by Tomoyasu Hotei. ... Gotthard is a Swiss hard rock band. ... Classic Rock is a magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its sister publication Metal Hammer. ... A marching band performs in a parade A marching band is a group of instrumental musicians who generally perform outdoors, and who incorporate movement – usually some type of marching – with their musical performance. ... Look up Football in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Metalcore is a fusion of extreme metal and hardcore punk that began in the United States. ... For other uses of coalesce, see Coalescence. ... There is Nothing New Under the Sun is an EP by Missouri band Coalesce which features the band covering songs by Led Zeppelin. ... TNT is a Norwegian hard rock band. ... Category: ... For other uses, see The Sword (disambiguation). ... Witchcraft chronology The Sword/Witchcraft split is a split 12 EP from Texas-based band The Sword and the Swedish doom metal band Witchcraft. ... Frank Goodish (1946-1988) was a professional wrestler better known in the professional wrestling world as Bruiser Brody. ... Ludwig van Beethoven by Carl Jäger (Date unknown). ... Works with the title Symphony No. ... , Biography Between its foundation in 1981 and its dissolution seven years later, Minimal Compact played a crucial role in the European rock scene. ... Crammed Discs is an independent record label specializing in world music, pop, and electronica. ... Streetlab is an electronic rock music duo from Brooklyn formed in late 2001 by Mark Lamorg (coZ) and Ryan Leary. ... For other uses, see BBC (disambiguation). ... Annie (formerly known as Anne) Nightingale MBE (born in London on April 1, 1942) is a radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom. ...

External links

• Review: All Music Guide
• "The Levee" tribute band. Immigrant Song. Archived from the original on 2005-03-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
• songfacts.com. Immigrant Song. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.
• Joel Veitch. Mirror of the infamous Joel Veitch "Viking Kittens" video for The Immigrant Song". Retrieved on 2007-04-05.

Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 67th day of the year (68th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 95th day of the year (96th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

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