D'yer Mak'er
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| “D'yer Mak'er” | |||||
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | |||||
| Album | Houses of the Holy | ||||
| Released | 28 March 1973 | ||||
| Recorded | 1972 | ||||
| Genre | Reggae/Rock | ||||
| Length | 4:23 | ||||
| Label | Atlantic Records | ||||
| Writer | Bonham/Jones/Page/Plant | ||||
| Producer | Jimmy Page | ||||
| Houses of the Holy track listing | |||||
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"D'yer Mak'er" (intended to be pronounced with a British non-rhotic accent as "jah-may-kah") is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, from their 1973 album Houses of the Holy.
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[edit] Overview
This song was meant to imitate reggae and its "dub" derivative emerging from Jamaica in the early 1970s. It emerged from rehearsals at Stargroves in 1972 when drummer John Bonham started with a beat similar to 1950s doo-wop, and then twisted it into a slight off beat tempo, upon which a reggae influence emerged.[1] The distinctive drum sound was created by placing three microphones a good distance away from Bonham's drums. A few members of the band have noted that part of the inspiration for this style came from listening to Dee Dee Warwick's version of "Foolish Fool".
"D'yer Mak'er" is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit. The sleeve on the album also credits "Rosie and the Originals", a reference to the doo-wop influence which was evident in the song's construction, as well as sharing the chord progression in its verse portions with the Rosie and the Originals' song "Angel Baby".[1]
This track, as well as "The Crunge", was not taken seriously initially, and many critics reserved their harshest criticism for these two arrangements.[1] Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones has also expressed his distaste for the song, suggesting that it started off as a joke and wasn't thought through carefully enough.[1] However, "D'yer Mak'er" has gathered critical respect in the years since, and has grown into something of a Led Zeppelin classic. Upon the album's release, Robert Plant was keen to issue the track as a single in the United Kingdom. Atlantic Records went so far as to distribute advance promotional copies to DJs (now valuable collectors' items). While it was released in the US, and the single peaked at #20 in December of 1973, it was ultimately never released in the UK.[1]
This song was never performed live in its entirety at Led Zeppelin concerts, although snatches of it were played during "Whole Lotta Love" during the 1975 concert tour of the United States and at the Earls Court shows in the same year.[1]
[edit] Song title pronunciation
The name of the song is derived from a play on the words "Jamaica" and "Did you make her", based on an old joke ("My wife's gone to the West Indies." "Jamaica?" "No, she went of her own accord.") On July 21st, 2005, Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant discussed the song during an interview with Mike Halloran, a DJ on radio station FM94/9 in San Diego. During the interview, he talked about the different interpretations and pronunciations of the name of the song (audio clip from the interview, 841k OGG audio file, 1:39 in length; the original full-length interview is hosted on the FM94/9 website). The title, which appears nowhere in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae flavour of the song. Plant has said that he finds it amusing when American fans completely ignore the apostrophes and pronounce it as "Dire Maker". The common mispronunciation is alluded to in the song "Joke About Jamaica" by The Hold Steady in the lines: "They used to think it was so cute when she said 'Dire Maker'/All the boys knew it was a joke about Jamaica". (The song's most repeated and most familiar line is "oh(x6), you don't have to go....")
[edit] Other versions
- Eek-A-Mouse covered the song for his 1991 album U-Neek.
- Sheryl Crow covered the song for the 1995 Led Zeppelin tribute album Encomium.
- Pop music trio No Mercy recorded a version of the song for their self-titled 1996 album.
- Bob Rivers made a Christmas-themed parody of the song titled "Sled Zeppelin".
- A cover version of "When I'm dead and gone" by German Rock band Fury in the Slaughterhouse starts with the same drum introduction that Bonham plays.
- Sean Kingston sampled elements of this song and used it for his 2007 single Me Love.
- This song was also played by 311 at their 311 Day show in 2004.
- The Disco Biscuits covered the song during their Caribbean Holidaze Tour in December of 2007.
- A Voice of the Beehive cover of this song appeared on the Just a City 12 inch, April 1987.
[edit] References
[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
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