You Shook Me
| "You Shook Me" | |
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| Song |
| "You Shook Me" | |
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| Song |
"You Shook Me" is a blues song written by Willie Dixon and J. B. Lenoir. Earl Hooker first recorded it as an instrumental which was then overdubbed with vocals by Muddy Waters in 1962. It was later recorded by various rock musicians, including Jeff Beck on his album Truth, and most famously by English rock band Led Zeppelin on their 1969 debut album Led Zeppelin.
Since the Led Zeppelin version was released in 1969, months after Beck's, he accused them of stealing his idea. This, along with the overall similarity between the sound of Led Zeppelin and that of Truth, led to a long rift between Beck and Led Zeppelin's Jimmy Page. Beck and Page had been friends for years at that point.
On the Led Zeppelin recording, John Paul Jones double tracked the organ and the electric piano. Page used his "backward echo" technique on this towards the end with Robert Plant's screaming vocals and the guitar. This production technique involved hearing the echo before the main sound instead of after it, achieved by turning the tape over and employing the echo on a spare track, then turning the tape back over again to get the echo preceding the signal. Page had originally developed the method when recording the single "Ten Little Indians" with The Yardbirds in 1967.[1]
"You Shook Me" was one of the first Led Zeppelin songs to feature the call-and-response effect of blues style music, a style used frequently by the band on subsequent studio tracks and live in concert. Perhaps because the song so effectively showcases the talents of all four band members, it was played frequently during early Led Zeppelin concerts. From 1973, however, the song was dropped from the band's live setlist as they began to incorporate more material from subsequent albums into their on-stage performances.
Jimmy Page performed this song on his tour with The Black Crowes in 1999. A version of "You Shook Me" performed by Page and The Black Crowes can be found on the album Live at the Greek.
References
- ^ Brad Tolinski and Greg Di Bendetto, "Light and Shade", Guitar World, January 1998.
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
