The Crunge

"The Crunge"
"The Crunge"
	German single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album Houses of the Holy
A-side	"D'yer Mak'er"
Released	17 September 1973 (US)
Recorded	1972
Studio	Headley Grange, Headley, England
Genre	Funk rock
Length	3:10
Label	Atlantic
Songwriter(s)	John Bonham; John Paul Jones; Jimmy Page; Robert Plant;
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology

"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with "D'yer Mak'er".^[1] It was also released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in the US.

Composition and recording[]

The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. John Bonham started the beat, John Paul Jones came in on bass, Jimmy Page played a funk guitar riff (and a chord sequence that he had been experimenting with since 1970), and Robert Plant started singing.^[2]^[1] For the recording, Page played a Fender Stratocaster guitar and it is possible to hear him depressing a whammy bar at the end of each phrase.^[2]

Reception[]

In a contemporary review for Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Crunge" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "D'yer Mak'er", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted.^[3]

Fletcher added, "[It] reproduces James Brown so faithfully that it's every bit as boring, repetitive and clichéd as "Good Foot". Yakety-yak guitar, boom-boom bass, astoundingly idiotic lyrics ("when she walks, she walks, and when she talks, she talks") — it's all there. So is Jones' synthesizer, spinning absolutely superfluous electronic fills."^[3]

References[]

^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "Jimmy Page Interview with Guitar World". Guitar World. May 1993. Retrieved 16 June 2021 – via Classicrockreview.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.

[Complete-1] Jump up to: ^a ^b Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.

[page93-2] Jump up to: ^a ^b "Jimmy Page Interview with Guitar World". Guitar World. May 1993. Retrieved 16 June 2021 – via Classicrockreview.

[rolling_stone-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.

[1]

[2]

[3]

show v t Led Zeppelin songs
Led Zeppelin	"Good Times Bad Times" "Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" "You Shook Me" "Dazed and Confused" "Black Mountain Side" "Communication Breakdown" "I Can't Quit You Baby" "How Many More Times"
Led Zeppelin II	"Whole Lotta Love" "What Is and What Should Never Be" "The Lemon Song" "Thank You" "Heartbreaker" "Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)" "Ramble On" "Moby Dick" "Bring It On Home"
Led Zeppelin III	"Immigrant Song" "Celebration Day" "Since I've Been Loving You" "Gallows Pole" "Tangerine" "That's the Way" "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp"
Untitled (Led Zeppelin IV)	"Black Dog" "Rock and Roll" "The Battle of Evermore" "Stairway to Heaven" "Misty Mountain Hop" "Four Sticks" "Going to California" "When the Levee Breaks"
Houses of the Holy	"The Song Remains the Same" "The Rain Song" "Over the Hills and Far Away" "The Crunge" "Dancing Days" "D'yer Mak'er" "No Quarter" "The Ocean"
Physical Graffiti	"The Rover" "In My Time of Dying" "Houses of the Holy" "Trampled Under Foot" "Kashmir" "In the Light" "Ten Years Gone" "The Wanton Song" "Sick Again"
Presence	"Achilles Last Stand" "Nobody's Fault but Mine" "Candy Store Rock"
In Through the Out Door	"In the Evening" "Fool in the Rain" "Carouselambra" "All My Love"
Coda	"We're Gonna Groove" "I Can't Quit You Baby" "Bonzo's Montreux" "Wearing and Tearing"
Other songs	"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" "Travelling Riverside Blues" "White Summer" "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair" "Somethin' Else"

The Crunge

Contents

Composition and recording[]

Reception[]

See also[]

References[]