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{{short description|1975 song by Led Zeppelin}}{{EngvarB|date=October 2014}}

factoids

Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire; Olympic Studios>Olympic, London{{sfnMargotinp=392}}| genre =

• Progressive rock{{sfn|Macan|1997|p=154}}
• hard rock| length = 8:37

Swan Song Records>Swan Song| writer =

• John Bonham
• Jimmy Page
• Robert Plant| producer = Jimmy Page

}}"Kashmir" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Featured on their sixth studio album Physical Graffiti (1975), it was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with contributions from John Bonham over a period of three years with lyrics dating to 1973. John Paul Jones was late arriving to the studio for the recording sessions, so did not receive a writers credit.The song became a concert staple, performed by the band at almost every concert after its release. It has been described as one of Led Zeppelin's two most overtly progressive epics (the other being "Stairway to Heaven").{{sfn|Macan|1997|p=154}}

Composition

Page uses a guitar tuning of D–A–D–G–A–D, which he had used for the instrumentals "White Summer" and "Black Mountain Side".{{sfn|Popoff|2018|p=155}}{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}} The song combines different rhythmic meters: the guitar riff is in triple meter, while the vocal is in quadruple meter.WEB, Robinson, Karl D.,weblinkweblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20130106013634weblink">weblink dead, 6 January 2013, STI Lesson 44 – Compositional Techniques, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, 4 August 2018, dmy-all, Plant felt that the drumming was an important component of the song and that Bonham did not overplay his part.{{sfn|Crowe|1993|p=17}}Page recorded a demo version with drummer Bonham late in 1973, when John Paul Jones was late for the recording sessions. Plant later added lyrics and a middle section; in early 1974, Jones added orchestration.{{sfn|Crowe|1993|p=17}}{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}} Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}} and Jones added a Mellotron.{{sfn|Yorke|1993|p=178}}The lyrics were written by Plant in 1973 immediately after Led Zeppelin's 1973 US tour.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}} None of the group members had visited Kashmir.William S. Burroughs, weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20071014170854weblink">Rock Magic: Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin, and a Search for the Elusive Stairway to Heaven, Crawdaddy!, June 1975. Instead, Plant was inspired during a drive through a desolate desert area of southern Morocco.{{sfn|Crowe|1993|p=17}}{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}}

Live performances

"Kashmir" was played live at almost every Led Zeppelin concert after its debut in 1975.WEB,weblink Led Zeppelin Shows, Led Zeppelin.com (official website), 16 December 1968, 22 April 2018, A version from Knebworth in 1979 appears on the Led Zeppelin DVD (2003).WEB,weblink Led Zeppelin [DVD Box Set] – Review, AllMusic, 22 April 2018, The surviving members performed the song at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in 1988.WEB,weblink Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary, Led Zeppelin.com (official website), 14 May 1988, 22 April 2018, Page and Plant recorded a longer, live version, with an Egyptian/Moroccan orchestra for (No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded) (1994)WEB,weblink Page & Plant: No Quarter – Review, AllMusic, 22 April 2018, and performed the song with an orchestra on their 1995 tour.Led Zeppelin, with John Bonham's son Jason on drums, performed "Kashmir" at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at The O2, London on 10 December 2007.WEB,weblink Led Zeppelin The O2 Arena - December 10, 2007, Led Zeppelin.com (official website), 15 October 2007, 22 April 2018, That rendition – released on Celebration Day in 2012WEB,weblink Led Zeppelin: Celebration Day – Review, AllMusic, 22 April 2018, – was nominated in 2014 for the Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance at the 56th Grammys.WEB,weblink 2014 Nominees, The Recording Academy, 3 August 2018, {{"'}}Kashmir' actually isn't that difficult", Page remarked during rehearsals for the show. "But it helps to have a drummer who understands the part and a bass player who can play bass with his feet. Sometimes it sounds like John's got three feet. It's intense."MAGAZINE, Robert, Robert Sandall, Sandall, The Q interview, Q (magazine), Q, 258, January 2008, 42,

Reception

All four members of Led Zeppelin have agreed that "Kashmir" is one of their best musical achievements.{{sfn|Yorke|1993|p=178}} John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound.{{sfn|Crowe|1993|p=17}} Led Zeppelin archivist Dave Lewis comments:{{blockquote|Unquestionably the most startling and impressive track on Physical Graffiti, and arguably the most progressive and original track that Led Zeppelin ever recorded. "Kashmir" went a long way towards establishing their credibility with otherwise skeptical rock critics. Many would regard this track as the finest example of the sheer majesty of Zeppelin's special chemistry.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|loc=eBook}}}}In a retrospective review of Physical Graffiti (Deluxe Edition), Brice Ezell of PopMatters described "Kashmir" as Physical Graffiti{{'}}s "quintessential track".WEB, Ezell, Brice, Led Zeppelin: Physical Graffiti (Deluxe Edition),weblink PopMatters, 28 July 2017, 27 February 2015, Ezell called "Kashmir"'s "doomy ostinato riff and rapturous post-chorus brass/mellotron section" as "inimitable moments in the legacy of classic rock".

Accolades

The song is listed highly in a number of professional music rankings:{|class="wikitable sortable"! Publication! Country! Accolade! Year! style="text-align:center;"|RankClassic Rock (magazine)>Classic Rock| USPUBLISHER=JACOBS MEDIA, 10 February 2009, | 1995| 20| Classic Rock| UKACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009, Classic Rock, | 1999| 23| VH1| USACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009 URL-STATUS=DEAD ARCHIVE-DATE=8 APRIL 2009, | 2000| 62| Rolling Stone| USRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time>The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"HTTPS://WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM/NEWS/STORY/_/ID/6596661/500SONGS >ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20041121052340/HTTP://WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM/NEWS/STORY/_/ID/6596661/500SONGS ARCHIVE-DATE=21 NOVEMBER 2004 ACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009, Rolling Stone, | 2010| 141| Rolling Stone| USRolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time>The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"HTTPS://WWW.ROLLINGSTONE.COM/MUSIC/MUSIC-LISTS/BEST-SONGS-OF-ALL-TIME-1224767/LED-ZEPPELIN-KASHMIR-2-1225190/>TITLE=KASHMIR #148ROLLING STONE >DATE=15 SEPTEMBER 2021, | 2021| 148Blender (magazine)>Blender| USACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009 ARCHIVE-URL=HTTPS://WEB.ARCHIVE.ORG/WEB/20120215040255/HTTP://WWW.ACCLAIMEDMUSIC.NET/CURRENT/S2588.HTM URL-STATUS=DEAD, dmy-all, | 2003| *Q (magazine)>Q| UKACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009 Q (MAGAZINE)>Q, | 2004| *| Q| UKACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009, Q, | 2005| *| Q| UKACCESS-DATE=10 FEBRUARY 2009, Q, | 2006| 74| VH1| USURL-STATUS=DEAD TITLE=VH1 GREATEST HARD ROCK SONGS - JANUARY 2009 WORK=VH1, | 2009| 21(*) designates unordered lists">

Charts and certifications{|class"wikitable plainrowheaders sortable" style"text-align:center;"|+Single (digital download)

! scope="col" | Chart (2007)! scope="col" | Peak position! scope="row" | UK Singles Chart{{efn|The official UK Singles Chart incorporated legal downloads as of 17 April 2005.}}| 80! scope="row" | Swiss Singles ChartWEB,weblink Top 100 Singles - 25 November 2007, hitparade.ch, 19 January 2009, | 64! scope="row" | US Billboard Hot Digital Songs ChartMAGAZINE,weblink Hot 100 Digital Songs - 1 December 2007, Billboard (magazine), Billboard.com, 19 January 2009, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20150116062747weblink">weblink 16 January 2015, | 42! scope="row" | US Billboard Hot Digital Tracks ChartWEB,weblink Hot 100 Digital Tracks - 1 December 2007, Billboard.com, 19 January 2009, 21 November 2021,weblink dead, 49! scope="row" | Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles ChartWEB, {{BillboardURLbyName, led zeppelin, Hot Canadian Digital Singles, |title=Hot Digital Singles - 1 December 2007 |work=Billboard.com |access-date=19 January 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130908195814weblink |archive-date=8 September 2013 |df=dmy}}| 33Certifications{{Certification Table Top}}{{Certification Table Entry |region=Italy |award=Gold |type=single |artist=Led Zeppelin |title=Kashmir |relyear=2011}}{{Certification Table Entry |region=United Kingdom |award=Silver |type=single |artist=Led Zeppelin |title=Kashmir |relyear=2007 |certyear=2020 |id=16468-2162-1 |access-date=12 June 2020}}{{Certification Table Bottom|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}

Copyright issue

The 1988 Schoolly D song "Signifying Rapper", which samples "Kashmir", was the target of lawsuits following its use in the 1992 film Bad Lieutenant.WEB,weblink Interview: Abel Ferrara, 27 November 2002, Tobias, Scott, The A.V. Club, The Onion, Onion, dead,weblink" title="web.archive.org/web/20090211170233weblink">weblink 11 February 2009, In 1994, Page and Plant successfully sued Home Box Office to have the song removed from televised showings of the filmJeffrey, Don. "Plant, Page Oust Song From Film", Billboard, 5 March 1994: 12 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.Sandler, Adam (14 December 1994). Live Must Destroy 'Bad' Vids Sez Judge. Variety

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2018|p=392}}

• Robert Plant – vocals
• Jimmy Page – electric guitars (six- and twelve-string)
• John Paul Jones – bass, Mellotron
• John Bonham – drums
• Unidentified musicians: strings and brass

See also

• List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs{{snd}}"Kashmir" entries

Notes

Footnotes{{notelist}}Citations{{reflist}}References

• AV MEDIA NOTES, The Complete Studio Recordings (Led Zeppelin album), The Complete Studio Recordings, Led Zeppelin, 1993, Crowe, Cameron, Cameron Crowe, Boxed set booklet, Atlantic Records, 82526-2, New York City, 29660775,
• BOOK, Lewis, Dave, Led Zeppelin: The Complete Guide to Their Music, London, Omnibus Press, 2010, 978-0857121356,
• BOOK, Macan, Edward, Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture,weblink registration, 1997, Oxford University Press, 978-0195098884,
• BOOK, Popoff, Martin, Led Zeppelin: All the Albums, All the Songs, Voyageur Press, 2018, 978-0760363775,
• BOOK, Yorke, Ritchie, Ritchie Yorke, Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography,weblink registration, 1993, Lancaster, PA, Underwood-Miller, 0-88733-177-7,

Bibliography

• BOOK, Jean-Michel, Guesdon, Philippe, Margotin, 2018, Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, Running Press, 978-0-316-448-67-3,

External links

• "Kashmir" at LedZeppelin.com
• {{YouTube|hW_WLxseq0o|"Kashmir" (live at Knebworth 1975)}}

{{Led Zeppelin songs}}{{Led Zeppelin}}{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2014}}{{authority control}}