How Many More Times
| "How Many More Times" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Led Zeppelin | |
| Released | 12 January 1969 |
| Recorded | 3 October 1968[1] |
| Studio | Olympic, London[1] |
| Genre | Blues rock[2] |
| Length | 8:28 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
"How Many More Times" is the ninth and final track on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin. The song is credited in the album liner to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, but Robert Plant was later added to the ASCAP credits.[4]
Composition
[edit]At eight and a half minutes, "How Many More Times" is the longest song on the album. It is one of three Led Zeppelin songs on which Page used bowed guitar.[5]
In an interview he gave to Guitar World magazine in 1993, Page stated that the song "was made up of little pieces I developed when I was with the Yardbirds, as were other numbers such as 'Dazed and Confused'. It was played live in the studio with cues and nods."[6]
The "Rosie" and "Hunter" components of the song came spontaneously to the group on the night of the recording session.[5] "The Hunter" was recorded by bluesman Albert King with Booker T & the MGs[7] and was written by Carl Wells and the members of Booker T. & the M.G.'s (Steve Cropper, Donald "Duck" Dunn, Al Jackson, and Booker T. Jones).
The title and Plant's vocals reference Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years" (1951), as well as another Howlin' Wolf tune, "You Gonna Wreck My Life", plus other songs by blues musicians he admired at the time of recording.[8]
Live performances
[edit]In 1970, "How Many More Times" was dropped from Led Zeppelin's typical setlist, although they continued to perform it on occasion until the early stages of their 1975 North American tour, when it was re-introduced in full as a result of Jimmy Page's injured finger, which temporarily prevented him from playing the more challenging "Dazed and Confused".[5]
Reception
[edit]In a contemporary review for Led Zeppelin on release, John Mendelsohn of Rolling Stone called "How Many More Times" the album's "most representative cut". Mendelsohn complimented Page's guitar solo and Bonham's drumming but criticized Plant's vocals, calling them "strained and unconvincing".[9]
Personnel
[edit]According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – guitars, bow
- John Paul Jones – bass, organ
- John Bonham – drums
See also
[edit]- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs
- List of Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 82.
- ^ Planer, Lindsay. "Led Zeppelin: "How Many More Times" – Review". AllMusic. Retrieved 26 August 2016.
- ^ Plant was later given a songwriting credit. ISWC T-070.075.920-1
- ^ "How Many More Times (Title Code: 380136049)". ASCAP. Retrieved 31 July 2009.
John Baldwin, John Bonham, James Patrick Page, R A Plant
- ^ a b c Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- ^ "Jimmy Page interview transcript". Iem.ac.ru. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ John Mendelsohn Led Zeppelin I Rolling Stone March 15, 1969
- ^ Frank Reddon; Lou Anne Reddon (10 July 2012). J. J. Jackson Remembers Led Zeppelin: The Music and the Guys Who Made It. eBookIt.com. p. 42. ISBN 9780978444631. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Mendelsohn, John (15 March 1969). "Led Zeppelin I". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
Bibliography
[edit]- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
