"Trampled Under Foot" is a song by English rock group Led Zeppelin. A funk-influenced piece with John Paul Jones on clavinet, it was included on their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was released as a single in several countries and was frequently performed in concert.
Lyrics
The lyrics were inspired by blues musician Robert Johnson's 1936 song "Terraplane Blues".[8] A Terraplane is a classic car, and the song uses car parts as metaphors for sex—"pump your gas", "rev all night", etc. The themes of these songs however differ; "Terraplane Blues" is about infidelity, while "Trampled Under Foot" is about giving in to sexual temptation.[9]
Composition and recording
The song evolved out of a jam session in 1972 and is credited to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.[10] Much rehearsal went into perfecting the relentless semi-funk riff that dominates this song.[8] John Paul Jones has credited Stevie Wonder with the inspiration for the beat ("Superstition", 1972), which he played on a clavinet.[8][11] Page played through a wah-wah pedal and, as producer, employed reverse echo on the recording.[8][12]
Reception and charts
Billboard described "Trampled Under Foot" as "the most commercial single [Led Zeppelin] put together in several years" and as having "a powerful staccatto beat."[13]Cash Box called it a "high-powered effort" that "packs a punch that is sure to be felt on top of the charts."[14]Record World said that "As Zeppelin-sanity begins to reach Beatlemaniacal proportions, the stage is set for the heavy metalmen to take their first single from Physical Graffiti to the top."[15] Released in April 1975, it reached number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100.[16]
Live performances and other versions
"Trampled Under Foot" became a standard part of Led Zeppelin concerts from 1975 onwards, being played on every tour until 1980.[8]In 2012, the song was performed during the London Olympics opening ceremony as a part of a selected playlist.[21]
A rough mix of the track with less overdubbing was titled "'Brandy & Coke' (Trampled Under Foot) [Initial Rough Mix]". It was released on 11 February 2015 (on iTunes), as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.[22] The rest of the album was released on 23 February 2015.
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
^Schuman, Michael A. (2009). Led Zeppelin: Legendary Rock Band. Enslow Publishers. ISBN 978-0-7660-3026-8. The keyboard-driven, hard rock track "Trampled Under Foot" was popular on FM stations.
^Schinder, Scott; Schwartz, Andy (2008). Icons of Rock: An Encyclopedia of the Legends Who Changed Music Forever. Vol. 2. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-313-33847-2. "Houses of the Holy" and "Trampled Under Foot" were tightly constructed, even danceable hard rock tunes.
^Bennun, David (14 June 2017). "Disco rock – 10 of the best". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 January 2024.
^Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic. "Led Zeppelin, O2 Arena, London". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 7 May 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2013.
^Elliott, Paul (30 May 2016). "The Top 20 Greatest Funk Rock Songs". TeamRock. Archived from the original on 2 June 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
^"CASH BOX Top 100 Singles – Week ending MAY 31, 1975". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 3 October 2012.
^"The Singles Chart" (PDF). Record World. 17 May 1975. p. 31. ISSN 0034-1622. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
^Heath, Sophia (19 June 2012). "London 2012 Olympics: the full musical playlist for the Olympic opening ceremony". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
^Grow, Kory (8 January 2015). "Led Zeppelin Announce Super-Deluxe 'Physical Graffiti' Reissue". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
Bibliography
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.