Led Zeppelin's extraordinary ascent involved the release of four studio albums in just over two years, alongside numerous worldwide tours. As they evolved, the band essentially crafted the blueprint for rock music, though some songs required more time to develop than others.
'Tangerine,' featured on ‘Led Zeppelin III’ in October 1970, has an intricate and lengthy background. Jimmy Page brought a draft of the song to Bron-Yr-Aur, the legendary Welsh cottage where Led Zeppelin refined their use of acoustic instruments.
Among the tracks completed during this significant stay was 'Tangerine.' This enchanting blend of English folk and California-inspired acoustic melody showcases Jimmy Page's guitar work complemented by pedal steel, with John Paul Jones contributing on mandolin.
In a 1977 interview with Guitar Player magazine, Jimmy Page remarked, “On the first LP there’s a pedal steel. I had never played steel before, but I just picked it up. There are many things I try for the first time. In fact, I hadn’t touched a pedal steel from the first album to the third. It draws a bit from the styles of Chuck Berry. Despite that, it fits well. I use pedal steel in ‘Your Time Is Gonna Come.’ It has a slide guitar feel. The tuning is a bit off on the first album because I didn’t have the right setup.”
Robert Plant delivers the heartfelt lyrics accredited solely to Jimmy Page on the album cover:
Measuring a summer’s day
I only find it slips away to grey
The hours, they bring me pain
However, the song actually took around three years to complete. As evidenced by the album ‘Yardbirds ’68,’ Jimmy Page was making significant progress with the Yardbirds prior to the band's breakup, which allowed Led Zeppelin to emerge.
Some of the final recordings by the Yardbirds include an instrumental piece titled ‘Knowing That I’m Losing You,’ which removes the vocals of singer Keith Relf.
It is evident that this song served as the foundation of 'Tangerine.' According to Jimmy Page, this song was dedicated to Jackie DeShannon, his girlfriend at the time it was written.
Interested in learning more about Led Zeppelin's formative years? The new documentary "Becoming Led Zeppelin" is now available.
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Led Zeppelin’s meteoric ascent led the band to release four studio albums in just over two years, while touring the globe numerous times along the way.