Down by the Seaside

"Down by the Seaside"
Song

"Down by the Seaside" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. It was originally written as an acoustic piece by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Bron-Yr-Aur, the cottage in Wales where they went after their 1970 concert tour of the United States. It was then recorded in 1971 as an electric arrangement and was intended for release on Led Zeppelin IV but was held over and eventually placed on Physical Graffiti to fill up the double album.

The song alternates between soft and hard-rocking sections, with the lighter sections employing a tremolo effect on the guitar, or possibly by running it through a Leslie speaker, to give an 'underwater talking' feel. John Paul Jones plays an electric piano on the track.

"Down by the Seaside" was never performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts.

Plant would later record "Down by the Seaside" as a duet with Tori Amos for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium. Plant is a huge fan of Amos and wanted to get a different take on the song by having her sing while he played guitar. Tori Amos herself is a huge Led Zeppelin fan.

Neil Young influence

The song is said to be a tribute to Neil Young. The title may be a reference to the song "Down by the River" and the somewhat nasal inflection in Plant's vocals may be an homage to Young's distinctive voice. Plant had long admired the work of Young and Stephen Stills. While in the Band of Joy, he covered Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth", now available on Plant's compilation album Sixty Six to Timbuktu. Also, Plant sang lyrics from "On the Way Home," another Buffalo Springfield song, during "How Many More Times" at the Royal Albert Hall performance found on the Led Zeppelin DVD release. Additionally, during performances of "Dazed and Confused" in 1975, Plant often employed lyrics from "Woodstock," a Joni Mitchell song most familiar in its Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young incarnation. Plant also occasionally included Cinnamon Girl and For What It's Worth in the Whole Lotta Love Medley.

Sources

• Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
• The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9