Kashmir (song)
Encyclopedia
"Kashmir" is a song by the English
rock
band Led Zeppelin
from their sixth album Physical Graffiti
, released in 1975. It was written by Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant
(with contributions from John Bonham
) over a period of three years, with the lyrics dating back to 1973.
", "White Summer
" and the unreleased track, "Swan-song". As bass player and keyboardist John Paul Jones
had been late for the recording sessions, Page used the time to work on the riff with drummer John Bonham
. The two demo
ed it late in 1973. Plant later added the middle section and in early 1974 Jones added all the string parts.
The guitar was played in an alternative guitar tuning
: the strings are tuned to 'Open Dsus4' or DADGAD
. Bonham's drums feature a phasing
effect (giving the bass drum its heavy, thundering "thump" sound) courtesy of an early Eventide phaser supplied by engineer Ron Nevison
. Plant has stated that Bonham's drumming is the key to the song: "It was what he didn't do that made it work".
The song also includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan
, India
n and Middle East
ern music. Page explained that "I had a sitar for some time and I was interested in modal tunings and Arabic stuff. It started off with a riff and then employed Eastern lines underneath."
Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar
and mellotron
strings are also used in the song. This is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. According to Jones, "the secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that a real string section would play. That is, one line for the First Violins, one line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one for Basses. Some divided parts [two or more notes to a line] are allowed, but keep them to a minimum. Think melodically".
The lyrics to the song—originally called "Driving to Kashmir"—were written by Plant in 1973 immediately after Led Zeppelin's 1973 US Tour
, in an area he called "the waste lands" of Southern Morocco, while driving from Goulimine to Tantan in the Sahara Desert. This was despite the fact that the song is named for Kashmir
, a region in the northwestern part of the Himalayas
. As Plant explained to rock journalist Cameron Crowe
:
Plant has also commented on the challenges he faced in writing lyrics for such a complex piece of music:
In an interview he gave to William S. Burroughs
in 1975, Page mentioned that at the time the song was composed, none of the band members had even been to Kashmir.
The song runs for 8:32, a length that radio stations usually consider too long to play. However, upon its release radio stations had no problem playing "Kashmir", especially after seeing "Stairway to Heaven
", which was almost as long, do so well. (Original LP releases of Physical Graffiti incorrectly list the song's length as 9:41.)
from its debut in 1975. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979
, is featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. This performance came from the band's first show at the venue on 4 August. The surviving members also performed the song at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary
concert in 1988. It was again performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show
at the The O2
, London
on 10 December 2007.
When the band performed the song live, Robert Plant would switch the last verse with the second verse after singing the first verse normally. The original second verse was "With talk and song of tongues of lifting grace...", but live, he would sing the fourth verse as the second verse, and the second verse as the fourth verse. The original fourth verse was "Oh father of the four winds, fill my sails..".
The third verse would also be sung normally in its original spot. When Led Zeppelin came together for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, Robert accidentally sang the second verse twice. He admitted to doing this by singing "Oh father of the four winds fill my sails (again) across the sea of years" during the fourth verse. He never ended up singing the third verse ("Oh pilot of the storm...") before the mistake. However, he did sing "With talk and song from tongues..." during the third verse while trying to correct it by singing "I will return again..." half way through.
Plant, known generally for his improvisation while performing live, would ad lib during live performances of "Kashmir". He would add in "sweet mama", "slowly dyin'", "now just a minute", "sweet darlin'", and he would stutter the words "baby" and "mama". He would also end that section with "there's no denyin'" and "Woman, talkin' to ya!"
Page and Plant
recorded another live version of "Kashmir" in 1994, released on their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
. For this arrangement, they added an orchestra and Egyptian musicians.
suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound. Plant has stated that "Kashmir" is the "definitive Led Zeppelin song", and that it "was one of my favourite [Led] Zeppelin tracks because it possessed all the latent energy and power that wasn't heavy metal. It was something else. It was the pride of Led Zeppelin." During a television interview in January 2008, he also named "Kashmir" as his first choice of all Led Zeppelin songs that he would perform, commenting "I'm most proud of that one". Page has indicated he thinks that the song is one of the band's best compositions.
Led Zeppelin expert Dave Lewis describes "Kashmir" as:
The song is listed highly in a number of professional music rankings:
(*) designates unordered lists.
under Peter Scholes covers this song on the instrumental release Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin.
Tim Reynolds
covers this song by himself on Dave & Tim Live in Vegas
.
Bond
, the all-girl Australia
n/British
classical crossover string quartet
, covers this song on their album Shine
.
UK band Anathema
covered it a few times during their 2010 tour.
Musician William Joseph
covers this song on his album Within
.
Israel
i singer Ofra Haza
performed a haunting a cappella
version of it, which was included on her second posthumous greatest hits album as a bonus track. A version more faithful to the original in both structure and instrumentation was released on the single for Ofra's song "Mata Hari" (both versions are from the unreleased album "Queen In Exile", but can be heard on Youtube
).
Violinist Lucia Micarelli
, playing with Jethro Tull
, covered this song during Tull's October–November 2005 United States tour.
Cellist Maya Beisir includes an instrumental version on her middle-eastern themed album Provenance.
Brazilian heavy metal band Angra
covered this song on their album The Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin
.
Kevin Gilbert
covered this song on a bonus CD that accompanied his album Thud
.
Alice in Chains
covered it live.
Alter Bridge
has also covered it live.
Escala
collaborated with Guns'n'Roses guitarist Slash
on a cover for their 2009 debut album, Escala
.
The US all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Lez Zeppelin
covered this song on their self-titled album. It has less orchestra than the original, more acoustic guitar and runs 8:43 being faster than the original.
David Garrett
covered it on his album Rock Symphony.
Gregorian
covered it on their album Masters of Chant Chapter VII
.
The song has been frequently used on BBC's Top Gear.
Jane's Addiction
performed it live with Maynard James Keenan
of A Perfect Circle
and Tool
song "Signifying Rapper", which samples "Kashmir", was the target of lawsuits following its use in the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant
. In 1994, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant successfully sued Home Box Office to have the song removed from televised showings of the film and Live Home Video and distributor Aries Film Releasing were ordered to destroy any unsold copies of Bad Lieutenant as part of a copyright infringement
ruling. Director Abel Ferrara
was angered by the incident, which he felt "ruined the movie".
The tune was subsequently sampled
with permission by Sean "Puffy" Combs (AKA, Puff Daddy, Diddy, and P. Diddy)
in his song "Come With Me
" from the soundtrack to the movie Godzilla
(1998). Jimmy Page
, who endorsed Combs' adaptation, appears in the video and also played it with him on Saturday Night Live
.
The opening riff of the 1992 song "Wake Up
" by Rage Against the Machine
is adapted from the opening chords of "Kashmir". Snippets of the song were used in The X Factor series 3 (2006) and in the German TV show TV total
.
Corner Stone Cues combined "Ten Years Gone" and "Kashmir" and created "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt I & II". The instrumental and choir versions of "Mvt II" were used in The X Factor, Top Gear, and many other British TV shows. Bob Marley's youngest son Damian provided new inspirational lyrics for the full mix version of "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt II".
The song has been adapted and is regularly performed live by Québécois singer Bruno Pelletier
into his song, "S'en aller."
This song is mentioned in the movie Ocean's 12
. It was also featured in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
.
has used an instrumental remix of "Kashmir" for one of their main performers, Kevin Nash
. Mixed Martial Artist Randy Couture used the song as entrance music for his bout against Brandon Vera at UFC 105. The UFC heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
came out to Puff Daddy's version of Kashmir for his UFC 134
fight against up and comer Brendan Schaub
. He won by knockout in the first fight he had in his native Brazil
. Philadelphia Phillies second basemen Chase Utley
uses the song as his batter introductory/walk up music at home games.
Note: The official UK Singles Chart
incorporated legal downloads as of 17 April 2005.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
band Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
from their sixth album Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti
Physical Graffiti is the sixth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 24 February 1975 as a double album. Recording sessions for the album were initially disrupted when bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones considered leaving the band...
, released in 1975. It was written by Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
(with contributions from John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
) over a period of three years, with the lyrics dating back to 1973.
Overview
The song centres around a signature chord progression guitar riff, which first appeared on Page's home-studio work tapes. It was initially created in a guitar tuning D-A-D-G-A-D, and was an extension of a guitar-cycle that Page had been working on for years. This was the same cycle that produced "Black Mountain SideBlack Mountain Side
"Black Mountain Side" is an instrumental by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on the band's 1969 début album Led Zeppelin. It was recorded at Olympic Studios, London during October 1968.-Song structure:...
", "White Summer
White Summer
"White Summer" is a guitar instrumental by English rock guitarist Jimmy Page, recorded with both The Yardbirds and, later, with Led Zeppelin.-The Yardbirds version:...
" and the unreleased track, "Swan-song". As bass player and keyboardist John Paul Jones
John Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
had been late for the recording sessions, Page used the time to work on the riff with drummer John Bonham
John Bonham
John Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
. The two demo
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
ed it late in 1973. Plant later added the middle section and in early 1974 Jones added all the string parts.
The guitar was played in an alternative guitar tuning
Guitar tuning
Guitar tunings almost always refers to the pitch of the open string, though some tunings may only realistically be attained by the use of a capo on an unmodified instrument....
: the strings are tuned to 'Open Dsus4' or DADGAD
DADGAD
DADGAD, D modal tuning or Celtic tuning is an alternative guitar tuning most associated with Celtic music, though it has also found use in rock and other genres. Instead of the standard EADGBE tuning, the six guitar strings are tuned, from low to high, DADGAD...
. Bonham's drums feature a phasing
Phasing
In the compositional technique phasing, the same part is played on two musical instruments, in steady but not identical tempo...
effect (giving the bass drum its heavy, thundering "thump" sound) courtesy of an early Eventide phaser supplied by engineer Ron Nevison
Ron Nevison
Multi-platinum record producer Ron Nevison, throughout his career, has operated much like a surgeon, brought in during a critical point in a band's career to bring them back to the top from the commercial brink...
. Plant has stated that Bonham's drumming is the key to the song: "It was what he didn't do that made it work".
The song also includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n and Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
ern music. Page explained that "I had a sitar for some time and I was interested in modal tunings and Arabic stuff. It started off with a riff and then employed Eastern lines underneath."
Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and mellotron
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical, polyphonic tape replay keyboard originally developed and built in Birmingham, England in the early 1960s. It superseded the Chamberlin Music Master, which was the world's first sample-playback keyboard intended for music...
strings are also used in the song. This is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. According to Jones, "the secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that a real string section would play. That is, one line for the First Violins, one line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one for Basses. Some divided parts [two or more notes to a line] are allowed, but keep them to a minimum. Think melodically".
The lyrics to the song—originally called "Driving to Kashmir"—were written by Plant in 1973 immediately after Led Zeppelin's 1973 US Tour
Led Zeppelin North American Tour 1973
Led Zeppelin's 1973 North American Tour was the ninth concert tour of North America by the English rock band. The tour was divided into two legs, with performances commencing on May 4 and concluding on July 29, 1973...
, in an area he called "the waste lands" of Southern Morocco, while driving from Goulimine to Tantan in the Sahara Desert. This was despite the fact that the song is named for Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
, a region in the northwestern part of the Himalayas
Himalayas
The Himalaya Range or Himalaya Mountains Sanskrit: Devanagari: हिमालय, literally "abode of snow"), usually called the Himalayas or Himalaya for short, is a mountain range in Asia, separating the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau...
. As Plant explained to rock journalist Cameron Crowe
Cameron Crowe
Cameron Bruce Crowe is an American screenwriter and film director. Before moving into the film industry, Crowe was a contributing editor at Rolling Stone magazine, for which he still frequently writes....
:
Plant has also commented on the challenges he faced in writing lyrics for such a complex piece of music:
In an interview he gave to William S. Burroughs
William S. Burroughs
William Seward Burroughs II was an American novelist, poet, essayist and spoken word performer. A primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodernist author, he is considered to be "one of the most politically trenchant, culturally influential, and innovative artists of the 20th...
in 1975, Page mentioned that at the time the song was composed, none of the band members had even been to Kashmir.
The song runs for 8:32, a length that radio stations usually consider too long to play. However, upon its release radio stations had no problem playing "Kashmir", especially after seeing "Stairway to Heaven
Stairway to Heaven
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio album . The song, running eight minutes and two seconds, is composed of several sections, which...
", which was almost as long, do so well. (Original LP releases of Physical Graffiti incorrectly list the song's length as 9:41.)
Live performances
"Kashmir" was played live at almost every Led Zeppelin concertLed Zeppelin concerts
From September 1968 through the summer of 1980, English rock group Led Zeppelin were one of the world's most popular live music attractions, performing hundreds of sold-out concerts around the world.-History:...
from its debut in 1975. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979
Knebworth Festival 1979
The Knebworth Festival 1979 consisted of two concerts performed by the English rock band Led Zeppelin and other artists at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, England, in August 1979.-History:...
, is featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. This performance came from the band's first show at the venue on 4 August. The surviving members also performed the song at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary
Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary
On 14 May 1988 the Atlantic Records label held its 40th Anniversary Celebration by staging a non-stop concert lasting almost 13 hours at Madison Square Garden, New York. The event was dubbed "It's Only Rock And Roll"....
concert in 1988. It was again performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show
Ahmet Ertegün Tribute Concert
The Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert was a benefit concert held in memory of music executive Ahmet Ertegün at The O2 in London on December 10, 2007. The headline act was the English rock band, Led Zeppelin, who performed their first full-length concert since the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980,...
at the The O2
The O2 arena (London)
The O2 Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the centre of The O2, a large entertainment complex on the Greenwich peninsula in London, England.With a capacity of up to 20,000 depending on the event, it is second largest...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
on 10 December 2007.
When the band performed the song live, Robert Plant would switch the last verse with the second verse after singing the first verse normally. The original second verse was "With talk and song of tongues of lifting grace...", but live, he would sing the fourth verse as the second verse, and the second verse as the fourth verse. The original fourth verse was "Oh father of the four winds, fill my sails..".
The third verse would also be sung normally in its original spot. When Led Zeppelin came together for Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, Robert accidentally sang the second verse twice. He admitted to doing this by singing "Oh father of the four winds fill my sails (again) across the sea of years" during the fourth verse. He never ended up singing the third verse ("Oh pilot of the storm...") before the mistake. However, he did sing "With talk and song from tongues..." during the third verse while trying to correct it by singing "I will return again..." half way through.
Plant, known generally for his improvisation while performing live, would ad lib during live performances of "Kashmir". He would add in "sweet mama", "slowly dyin'", "now just a minute", "sweet darlin'", and he would stutter the words "baby" and "mama". He would also end that section with "there's no denyin'" and "Woman, talkin' to ya!"
Page and Plant
Page and Plant
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, both formerly of English hard rock band Led Zeppelin, recorded and toured in the mid-1990s under the title Page and Plant. The pair re-united in 1994 and, after recording a highly successful first album, they embarked on a world tour. They then recorded a second album,...
recorded another live version of "Kashmir" in 1994, released on their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded
No Quarter is a live album by Page and Plant, both formerly of English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released by Atlantic Records on 14 October 1994. The long awaited reunion between Page and Plant occurred on a 90 minute "UnLedded" MTV project, recorded in Morocco, Wales, and London, which rated...
. For this arrangement, they added an orchestra and Egyptian musicians.
Accolades
All four members of Led Zeppelin have agreed that "Kashmir" is one of their best musical achievements. John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)
John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound. Plant has stated that "Kashmir" is the "definitive Led Zeppelin song", and that it "was one of my favourite [Led] Zeppelin tracks because it possessed all the latent energy and power that wasn't heavy metal. It was something else. It was the pride of Led Zeppelin." During a television interview in January 2008, he also named "Kashmir" as his first choice of all Led Zeppelin songs that he would perform, commenting "I'm most proud of that one". Page has indicated he thinks that the song is one of the band's best compositions.
Led Zeppelin expert Dave Lewis describes "Kashmir" as:
The song is listed highly in a number of professional music rankings:
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| "Classic Rock" | United States | "The Top Fifty Classic Rock Songs of All Time" | 1995 | 20 |
| "Classic Rock Classic Rock (magazine) Classic Rock is a British magazine dedicated to the radio format of classic rock, published by Future Publishing, who are also responsible for its "sister" publication Metal Hammer. Although firmly focusing on key bands from the 1960s through early 1990s, it also includes articles and reviews of... " |
United Kingdom | "Ten of the Best Songs Ever!!.. (Bubbling under)" | 1999 | 23 |
| VH1 VH1 VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly... |
United States | "The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time" | 2000 | 62 |
| Rolling Stone Rolling Stone Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J... |
United States | "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" was the cover story of a special issue of Rolling Stone, issue number 963, published December 9, 2004, a year after the magazine published its list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time".... " |
2003 | 140 |
| Blender Blender (magazine) Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities.... |
United States | "Standout Tracks from the 500 CDs You Must Own" | 2003 | * |
| Q Q (magazine) Q is a popular music magazine published monthly in the United Kingdom.Founders Mark Ellen and David Hepworth were dismayed by the music press of the time, which they felt was ignoring a generation of older music buyers who were buying CDs — then still a new technology... |
United Kingdom | "1010 Songs You Must Own!" | 2004 | * |
| Q | United Kingdom | "Ultimate Music Collection - Rock" | 2005 | * |
| Q | United Kingdom | "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" | 2006 | 74 |
| VH1 VH1 VH1 or Vh1 is an American cable television network based in New York City. Launched on January 1, 1985 in the old space of Turner Broadcasting's short-lived Cable Music Channel, the original purpose of the channel was to build on the success of MTV by playing music videos, but targeting a slightly... |
United States | "VH1 Greatest Hard Rock Songs" | 2009 | 21 |
| JJJ Triple J triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation... |
Australia | "Hottest 100 of All Time" | 2009 | 98 |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Covers
The London Philharmonic OrchestraLondon Philharmonic Orchestra
The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera...
under Peter Scholes covers this song on the instrumental release Kashmir: Symphonic Led Zeppelin.
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds
Tim Reynolds is a Grammy nominated multi-instrumentalist known as both a solo artist and as the lead guitarist for Dave Matthews Band...
covers this song by himself on Dave & Tim Live in Vegas
Live in Las Vegas (Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds album)
Live In Las Vegas is a live album by Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds. The recorded show was performed on December 12, 2009, at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada...
.
Bond
Bond (band)
Bond is an Australian/British string quartet that specialises in classical crossover music...
, the all-girl Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n/British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
classical crossover string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
, covers this song on their album Shine
Shine
Shine may refer to:* Reflection* Shine , a 1996 Australian film starring Geoffrey Rush* Shine * Shine Guitars* LG Shine, mobile phone* Donal Shine, Gaelic footballer...
.
UK band Anathema
Anathema (band)
Anathema are an English band from Liverpool primarily known for their ever evolving sound. Beginning as pioneers of the death/doom metal sub-genre, their later albums have been associated with genres such as alternative rock, progressive rock, art rock, new prog, and post-rock.-History:Anathema...
covered it a few times during their 2010 tour.
Musician William Joseph
William Joseph (musician)
William Joseph is a pianist and recording artist from Phoenix, Arizona.William Joseph won, at age 8, a full music scholarship provided by the Boys Club of America, enabling him to study piano with Russian pianist Stella Saperstein....
covers this song on his album Within
Within (William Joseph album)
Within is the 2004 major-label debut of pianist William Joseph. His music has been compared to both Yanni and George Winston. -Track listing:# "Within" – 3:02# "Eternal" – 4:04# "Stella's Theme" – 3:43# "Butterflies and Hurricanes" – 3:45...
.
Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
i singer Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza
Ofra Haza was an Israeli singer of Yemeni origin, an actress and international recording artist....
performed a haunting a cappella
A cappella
A cappella music is specifically solo or group singing without instrumental sound, or a piece intended to be performed in this way. It is the opposite of cantata, which is accompanied singing. A cappella was originally intended to differentiate between Renaissance polyphony and Baroque concertato...
version of it, which was included on her second posthumous greatest hits album as a bonus track. A version more faithful to the original in both structure and instrumentation was released on the single for Ofra's song "Mata Hari" (both versions are from the unreleased album "Queen In Exile", but can be heard on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
).
Violinist Lucia Micarelli
Lucia Micarelli
Lucia Micarelli is an American violinist and actress best known for her collaborations with Josh Groban and classic rock band Jethro Tull, and her role as Annie in Treme.-Early Life:...
, playing with Jethro Tull
Jethro Tull (band)
Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
, covered this song during Tull's October–November 2005 United States tour.
Cellist Maya Beisir includes an instrumental version on her middle-eastern themed album Provenance.
Brazilian heavy metal band Angra
Angra (band)
Angra is a Brazilian metal band from São Paulo, Brazil known for its symphonic interludes, highly technical instrumental playing and Brazilian regional elements.- Biography :...
covered this song on their album The Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin
The Music Remains the Same: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin
The Music Remains the Same is a tribute album of Led Zeppelin songs. It was released on 25 November 2002 by American record label Locomotive Music.-Track listing:#"Kashmir" – Angra#"Dazed and Confused" – Blaze...
.
Kevin Gilbert
Kevin Gilbert
Kevin Matthew Gilbert was an American songwriter, musician, composer, producer and collaborator born in Sacramento, California, later living in San Mateo, California where he attended Junipero Serra High School...
covered this song on a bonus CD that accompanied his album Thud
Thud (album)
-Track listing:#"When You Give Your Love to Me" - 3:20#"Goodness Gracious" - 4:08#"Joytown" - 4:53#"Waiting" - 5:05#"Tea for One" - 5:49#"Shadow Self" - 6:66#"The Tears of Audrey" - 4:47#"Shrug " - 3:54#"All Fall Down" - 5:35...
.
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains
Alice in Chains is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1987 by guitarist and songwriter Jerry Cantrell and original lead vocalist Layne Staley. The initial lineup was rounded out by drummer Sean Kinney, and bassist Mike Starr...
covered it live.
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge
Alter Bridge is an American rock band that was formed in 2004 in Orlando, Florida by lead guitarist Mark Tremonti, bassist Brian Marshall, and drummer Scott Phillips, who are all also members of Creed. Lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Myles Kennedy, formerly of The Mayfield Four and the frontman...
has also covered it live.
Escala
Escala (group)
Escala is an electronic string quartet, from London, England who rose to fame when they performed on and reached the final of the second series of Britain's Got Talent on ITV1 in May 2008.- Background :...
collaborated with Guns'n'Roses guitarist Slash
Slash (musician)
Saul Hudson , known by his stage name Slash, is a British-American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the former lead guitarist of the American hard rock band Guns N' Roses, with whom he achieved worldwide success in the late 1980s and early 1990s. During his later years with Guns N'...
on a cover for their 2009 debut album, Escala
Escala (album)
Escala is the self-titled debut album by British Quartet Escala, who appeared on the ITV talent contest Britain's Got Talent. It was released on 25 May 2009 in the United Kingdom.- Release :...
.
The US all-female Led Zeppelin tribute band Lez Zeppelin
Lez Zeppelin
Lez Zeppelin is an all-female tribute act, performing the work of Led Zeppelin.-History:In June, 2005, Chuck Klosterman wrote an article for SPIN Magazine that featured Lez Zeppelin as a leading protagonist in a trend of all-female hard rock “tribute” bands...
covered this song on their self-titled album. It has less orchestra than the original, more acoustic guitar and runs 8:43 being faster than the original.
David Garrett
David Garrett (violinist)
David Garrett is a record breaking German/American classical violinist and recording artist.-Personal life:...
covered it on his album Rock Symphony.
Gregorian
Gregorian (band)
Gregorian is a German band headed by Frank Peterson that performs Gregorian chant-inspired versions of modern pop and rock songs. The band features both vocal harmony and instrumental accompaniment.- Band history :...
covered it on their album Masters of Chant Chapter VII
Masters of Chant Chapter VII
Masters of Chant Chapter VII is the tenth album by Gregorian. The album was released September 25, 2009.- Track listing :# "Meadows of Heaven" # "One" # "It Will Be Forgiven"# "Sweet Child of Mine"...
.
The song has been frequently used on BBC's Top Gear.
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction is an American alternative rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1985. The band's original line-up featured Perry Farrell , Dave Navarro , Eric Avery and Stephen Perkins . After breaking up in 1991, Jane's Addiction briefly reunited in 1997 and again in 2001, both times...
performed it live with Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan is an American rock singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, winemaker, and actor. Originally from Ohio, Keenan spent his high school and college years in Michigan. After serving in the Army in the early 1980s, he attended Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids...
of A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock supergroup formed in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. The original incarnation of the band also included Paz Lenchantin on bass, Troy Van Leeuwen on guitar, and Tim Alexander on drums...
and Tool
Tool (band)
Tool is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1990, the group's line-up has included drummer Danny Carey, guitarist Adam Jones, and vocalist Maynard James Keenan. Since 1995, Justin Chancellor has been the band's bassist, replacing their original bassist Paul D'Amour...
Samples and copies
The 1988 Schoolly DSchoolly D
Jesse B. Weaver Jr. , better known by the stage name Schoolly D, is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- Career :...
song "Signifying Rapper", which samples "Kashmir", was the target of lawsuits following its use in the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant
Bad Lieutenant is a 1992 crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Harvey Keitel as the eponymous "bad lieutenant". The screenplay was written by actress-model Zoë Lund. She also played a small role in the film. Lund had been discovered by Ferrara and had starred in his earlier film, Ms...
. In 1994, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant successfully sued Home Box Office to have the song removed from televised showings of the film and Live Home Video and distributor Aries Film Releasing were ordered to destroy any unsold copies of Bad Lieutenant as part of a copyright infringement
Copyright infringement
Copyright infringement is the unauthorized or prohibited use of works under copyright, infringing the copyright holder's exclusive rights, such as the right to reproduce or perform the copyrighted work, or to make derivative works.- "Piracy" :...
ruling. Director Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara
Abel Ferrara is an American film screenwriter and director. He is best known as an independent filmmaker of such films as The Driller Killer , Ms. 45 , King of New York , Bad Lieutenant and The Funeral .-Early life:Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent...
was angered by the incident, which he felt "ruined the movie".
The tune was subsequently sampled
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
with permission by Sean "Puffy" Combs (AKA, Puff Daddy, Diddy, and P. Diddy)
Sean Combs
Sean John Combs , also known by his stage names Diddy and P. Diddy, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, actor, and entrepreneur. He has won three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards, and his clothing line earned a Council of Fashion Designers of America award. He was originally...
in his song "Come With Me
Come with Me (Puff Daddy song)
"Come with Me" is a song by Puff Daddy & Jimmy Page that was featured on the soundtrack for the 1998 Godzilla film. The song recreates the 1974 Led Zeppelin song "Kashmir", with Jimmy Page's approval. Page and producer Tom Morello also supplied live guitar parts . The song also features heavy...
" from the soundtrack to the movie Godzilla
Godzilla (1998 film)
Godzilla is a 1998 science fiction monster disaster film film co-written and directed by Roland Emmerich. It is a loose remake of the 1954 giant monster classic Godzilla. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Emmerich and Dean Devlin. The film relates a tale of a nuclear incident...
(1998). Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
, who endorsed Combs' adaptation, appears in the video and also played it with him on Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
.
The opening riff of the 1992 song "Wake Up
Wake Up (Rage Against the Machine song)
"Wake Up" is a song by American rap metal band Rage Against the Machine. It is the seventh track from their self-titled debut album. While never released as a single, it remains a staple of their live shows and is usually played as the last song before the encore...
" by Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group's line-up consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commerford, guitarist Tom Morello and drummer Brad Wilk...
is adapted from the opening chords of "Kashmir". Snippets of the song were used in The X Factor series 3 (2006) and in the German TV show TV total
TV total
TV total is a German late-night television comedy talk show that has run since 8 March 1999 on ProSieben, and is currently aired at around 23:15 from Monday to Thursday....
.
Corner Stone Cues combined "Ten Years Gone" and "Kashmir" and created "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt I & II". The instrumental and choir versions of "Mvt II" were used in The X Factor, Top Gear, and many other British TV shows. Bob Marley's youngest son Damian provided new inspirational lyrics for the full mix version of "Ten Years Kashmir Mvt II".
The song has been adapted and is regularly performed live by Québécois singer Bruno Pelletier
Bruno Pelletier
Bruno Pelletier , is a francophone Quebecer singer.-Life:Pelletier was born in Charlesbourg, a suburb of Quebec City. In 1983 Pelletier performed in the bands Amanite and Sneak Preview, which sang in English. He later started a group called Pëll, singing in French. At 23 years old, he moved to...
into his song, "S'en aller."
Movies
The song was employed on the soundtrack to the French 1977 action-adventure film Le Crabe-Tambour (The Drummer Crab).This song is mentioned in the movie Ocean's 12
Ocean's Twelve
Ocean's Twelve is a 2004 American crime comedy film, the sequel to 2001's Ocean's Eleven. Like its predecessor, which was a remake of the 1960 film Ocean's 11, the film used a celebrity ensemble cast. It was released in the United States on December 10, 2004. A third film, Ocean's Thirteen, was...
. It was also featured in Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High
Fast Times at Ridgemont High is a 1982 American coming-of-age teen comedy film written by Cameron Crowe and adapted from his 1981 book of the same name...
.
Sports
Since mid-2006, the wrestling company Total Nonstop Action WrestlingTotal Nonstop Action Wrestling
Total Nonstop Action Wrestling is a privately held professional wrestling promotion founded by Jeff Jarrett and Jerry Jarrett. The company broadcasts its events on television and the Internet fifty two weeks a year with over a million weekly viewers on its primary television program, Impact...
has used an instrumental remix of "Kashmir" for one of their main performers, Kevin Nash
Kevin Nash
Kevin Scott Nash is an American professional wrestler and actor. As of 2011, Nash is signed to a five year contract with WWE under their WWE Legends program and appears as part of their Raw brand roster...
. Mixed Martial Artist Randy Couture used the song as entrance music for his bout against Brandon Vera at UFC 105. The UFC heavyweight Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Antônio Rodrigo Nogueira is a Brazilian mixed martial artist known for his technical mastery of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He competes in the heavyweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, where he is a former UFCInterim Heavyweight Champion...
came out to Puff Daddy's version of Kashmir for his UFC 134
UFC 134
UFC 134: Silva vs. Okami was a mixed martial arts event held by the Ultimate Fighting Championship on August 27, 2011 at the HSBC Arena in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil...
fight against up and comer Brendan Schaub
Brendan Schaub
Brendan Peter Schaub is an American professional mixed martial artist and former professional football player for the AFL's Utah Blaze and as a member of the Buffalo Bills practice squad. He was a finalist and the runner-up of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter: Heavyweights.-Biography:Schaub was...
. He won by knockout in the first fight he had in his native Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Philadelphia Phillies second basemen Chase Utley
Chase Utley
Chase Cameron Utley is a second baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball. A native of the Greater Los Angeles area, he was raised in the city of Long Beach. He was a star baseball player at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, before moving on to UCLA...
uses the song as his batter introductory/walk up music at home games.
Formats and tracklistings
1975 7" single (Thailand: Atlantic T 026)- A. "Kashmir" (Bonham, Page, Plant) 8:28
- B1. "Boogie with Stu" (Bonham, Jones, Page, Plant, Stewart, Mrs. Valens) 3:51
- B2. "Black Country Woman" (Page, Plant) 4:24
Single (Digital download)
| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 80 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 64 |
| US Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart | 42 |
| US Billboard Hot Digital Tracks Chart | 49 |
| Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart | 33 |
Note: The official UK Singles Chart
UK Singles Chart
The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...
incorporated legal downloads as of 17 April 2005.
Personnel
- Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure... - Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
– lead vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - John Paul JonesJohn Paul Jones (musician)John Paul Jones is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, composer, arranger and record producer. Best known as the bassist, mandolinist, and keyboardist for English rock band Led Zeppelin, Jones has since developed a solo career and has gained even more respect as both a musician and a...
– bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, keyboards - John BonhamJohn BonhamJohn Henry Bonham was an English musician and songwriter, best known as the drummer of Led Zeppelin. Bonham was esteemed for his speed, power, fast right foot, distinctive sound, and "feel" for the groove...
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
Sources
- Lewis, Dave (2004) The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- Welch, Chris (1998) Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, ISBN 1-56025-818-7