Thank You (Led Zeppelin song)

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"Thank You"
Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin II
Released22 October 1969 (1969-10-22)
Recorded1969
StudioMorgan, London[1]
GenreRock
Length
  • 3:50 (original LP)
  • 4:49 (2004 reissue)
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Music video
"Thank You" on YouTube

"Thank You" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their second studio album Led Zeppelin II (1969). It was written by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, and produced by Page.

Overview[]

"Thank You" signaled a deeper involvement in songwriting by singer Robert Plant: it was the first Led Zeppelin song for which he wrote all the lyrics.[citation needed] According to various Led Zeppelin biographies,[which?] this is also the song that made Jimmy Page realise that Plant could now handle writing the majority of the lyrics for the band's songs. Plant wrote the song as a tribute to his then-wife Maureen.

Instrumentation[]

The song features a Hammond organ, played by John Paul Jones, which fades into a false ending before concluding with a crescendo roughly ten seconds later. For the recording of this track, Page played on a Vox 12-string guitar.[2]

Composition[]

"Thank You" is notated in the key of D major in common time with a tempo of 76 beats per minute.[3] Plant's vocals span from B3 to F#5.[citation needed]

Reception[]

In a retrospective review of Led Zeppelin II (Deluxe Edition) (2014), Michael Madden of Consequence of Sound praised the remastering of "Thank You", believing the track now sounds "mellow and well-balanced".[4] Madden further praised the remastering, writing the track "breathes easy during the verses and ascends elsewhere in the song", along with "illuminating Page's touch and Bonham's haymakers".[4] When reviewing the added bonus tracks of the Deluxe Edition, Madden further praised the new version of "Thank You", titled "Thank You (Backing Track)", writing the track "magnifies the song's tasteful sheen, popping with Bonham’s drums and Jones' organ, which seems to have a mind of its own."[4]

Record producer Rick Rubin remarked on the song's structure: "The delicacy of the vocals is incredible; the acoustic guitar and the organ work together to create an otherworldly presence."[5]

Mark Richardson of Pitchfork found "Thank You" to be "musically brilliant", and that it "mix[es] folk with proto-metal" via "chiming acoustic guitars" which "provide the contrast to the crunch in a whole new way".[6]

Recognition and legacy[]

The 1970 bootleg Live on Blueberry Hill includes a performance of the song.

In November 2010, "Thank You" topped Gibson's list of "Top 10 Thanksgiving Songs".[7] Rolling Stone ranked it number 29 on "The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time" in November 2012.[8] In November 2017, "the song was ranked number 28 on Fuse's list of "35 Thank You Songs".[9]

"Thank You" was recorded by Page and Plant for the No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded album (1994). It was released as a single and reached number eight on Billboard magazine's Album Rock Tracks chart in 1995.[citation needed]

Cover versions[]

Main article: List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs

References[]

  1. ^ Lewis, Dave (6 December 2016). "Led Zeppelin: The Story Behind Led Zeppelin II". Metal Hammer. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  2. ^ Interview with Jimmy Page, Guitar World magazine, 1993
  3. ^ "Led Zeppelin - Thank You". musicnotes.com. Retrieved 24 October 2018.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b c Madden, Michael (4 June 2014). "Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin II [Reissue]". CoS. Retrieved 13 August 2017.
  5. ^ The Playlist Special: Fifty Artists Pick Their Personal Top 10s Archived 11 December 2010 at the Wayback Machine. Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2 January 2011.
  6. ^ Richardson, Mark (12 June 2014). "Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin / Led Zeppelin II / Led Zeppelin III Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  7. ^ Russell, Hall (24 November 2010). "10 Great Songs that Give Thanks". Gibson. Archived from the original on 19 January 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
  8. ^ "The 40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 7 November 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2018.
  9. ^ Sherman, Maria (21 November 2017). "35 Thank You Songs: The Full Playlist". Fuse. Retrieved 15 May 2018.
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