The Lemon Song
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| "The Lemon Song" | ||
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| Song by Led Zeppelin, Howlin' Wolf | ||
| From the album Led Zeppelin II | ||
| Album released | 22 October 1969 | |
| Genre | Hard Rock | |
| Song Length | 6:18 | |
| Record label | Atlantic Records | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |
| Track Number | Track 3 | |
"The Lemon Song" is a rock song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their 1969 album Led Zeppelin II.
"The Lemon Song" is laced with sexual innuendo, and features some of Led Zeppelin's most blues-influenced playing. The song borrows significantly from Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor", although Led Zeppelin II initially credited only the four members of Led Zeppelin. The band was later sued for copyright infringement, and Howlin' Wolf's name was added to the credits. Other lyrics -- notably "squeeze (my lemon) 'til the juice run down my leg" -- can be traced to Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues" (which was covered by Led Zeppelin for their BBC Sessions).
"The Lemon Song" was also performed by The Black Crowes at the Greek Theater when they toured with Jimmy Page.
The "squeeze my lemon, baby, juice run down my leg" line was used as a tagline by Australian teen author John Marsden in his book "Dear Miffy"
[edit] 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
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III ·  (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out DoorLive albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
- This is very similar to a Blues song by Howlin' Wolf called "Killing Floor." It was so similar, Wolf was eventually given a composer credit.
- Some lyrics are from Blues singer Robert Johnson's "Traveling Riverside Blues." Led Zeppelin played "Traveling Riverside Blues" for a BBC session in 1969, but the song was never released on an album. It was placed on their Box Set in 1990, and was also a bonus track on the Coda album for the Complete Studio Recordings.
- No electronic devices were used to create the echo on Robert Plant's vocal. It was made by the acoustics in the studio and by his voice.
- This contains a lot of sexual references ("squeeze my lemon"). Some people were offended, but Zeppelin's fans didn't have a problem with it.
- Led Zeppelin recorded this in Los Angeles when they were on their second tour of America.
- Plant often made up lyrics when he sang this live, usually making them even more sexually suggestive.
