| "The Crunge" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 German single picture sleeve | ||||
| Single by Led Zeppelin | ||||
| from the album Houses of the Holy | ||||
| A-side | " D'yer Mak'er" | |||
| Released | 17 September 1973 (US) | |||
| Recorded | 1972 | |||
| Studio | Headley Grange, Headley, England | |||
| Genre | Funk rock | |||
| Length | 3:10 | |||
| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |||
| Led Zeppelin singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"The Crunge" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The song is a takeoff on James Brown's style of funk similar to the group's attempt at reggae with " D'yer Mak'er". [1] It was also released as the B-side of "D'yer Mak'er" in the US.
Composition and recording
The song evolved out of a jam session in the studio. John Bonham started the beat, John Paul Jones came in on bass, Jimmy Page played a funk guitar riff (and a chord sequence that he had been experimenting with since 1970), and Robert Plant started singing. [2] [1] For the recording, Page played a Fender Stratocaster guitar and it is possible to hear him depressing a whammy bar at the end of each phrase. [2]
Reception
In a contemporary review for Houses of the Holy, Gordon Fletcher of Rolling Stone gave "The Crunge" a negative review, calling it a "naked imitation", along with "D'yer Mak'er", as well as "easily" one of the worst things the band has ever attempted. [3]
Fletcher added, "[It] reproduces James Brown so faithfully that it's every bit as boring, repetitive and clichéd as ' Good Foot'. Yakety-yak guitar, boom-boom bass, astoundingly idiotic lyrics ('when she walks, she walks, and when she talks, she talks') — it's all there. So is Jones' synthesizer, spinning absolutely superfluous electronic fills." [3]
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "The Crunge" entries
References
- ^ a b Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-3528-9.
- ^ a b "Jimmy Page Interview with Guitar World". Guitar World. May 1993. Retrieved 16 June 2021 – via Classicrockreview.
- ^ a b Fletcher, Gordon (7 June 1973). "Houses of the Holy". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 14 August 2017.
