| "Misty Mountain Hop" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 French single sleeve | ||||
| Single byLed Zeppelin | ||||
| from the albumLed Zeppelin IV | ||||
| A-side | "Black Dog" | |||
| Released | 2 December 1971 (1971-12-02) (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1971 | |||
| Studio | Headley Grange, Hampshire, England | |||
| Genre | Hard rock[1] | |||
| Length | 4:39 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriters | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Misty Mountain Hop" is a song by the English rock bandLed Zeppelin that was released in 1971 byAtlantic Records.[2] The song appears on the band'suntitled fourth album, and was released as theB-side to the single "Black Dog" and performed in most of the band's 1972 and 1973 concert tours. In 2019,Rolling Stone ranked the song number 10 on its list of the 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs.[3]
The most common interpretation of the song's title involves a reference to theMisty Mountains inJ. R. R. Tolkien'sThe Hobbit. The lyrics refer to the events of 7 July 1968 "Legalise Pot Rally" inHyde Park, London, in which police made arrests for marijuana possession.[4] The lyrics reflect Plant's quest for a better society, a place and time when hangups are replaced with individual freedom and a life of mutual support and rapport.[5]
The song was recorded atHeadley Grange, a mansion where the band sometimes lived inHampshire, England.[6]
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[7]
The song was released as theB-side to the single "Black Dog",[8] which was released in the United States on 2 December 1971,[9] continental Europe (the United Kingdom did not receive the single release), and Australia.
A different version of this song is featured on the second disc of the remastered two CD deluxe edition ofLed Zeppelin IV.[10]
The band performed the song at the 3 May 1971 Copenhagen concert (song's first concert performance) and then at the 1972 and 1973 concert tours. Band memberRobert Plant performed it for most of his own solo concerts since the 1980 band breakup. Plant also performed it with the surviving members of the band at the 10 December 2007 tribute concert forAhmet Ertegun.[11]
The fourth album also has its share of hard rock tracks. Three that received a lot of radio airplay are "Black Dog," "Misty Mountain Hop," and the appropriately named "Rock and Roll."
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