Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
1970 song by Led Zeppelin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" is a song recorded by English rock band Led Zeppelin for their third album, Led Zeppelin III, released in 1970.
| "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" | |
|---|---|
Netherlands single picture sleeve, 1970 | |
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Led Zeppelin III | |
| Released | 5 October 1970 |
| Recorded | 13 December 1969; May–June 1970 (?); 6 July 1970[1] |
| Studio | Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes, London; Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire; Island Studios, London[1] |
| Genre | |
| Length | 4:17 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
Background
The title of the song is a misspelling of Bron-Yr-Aur by omission of the 'r' in yr, and takes its name from a house in Gwynedd, Wales, where the members of Led Zeppelin retreated in 1970 to write much of Led Zeppelin III after having completed a concert tour of North America.[5][6] Bron yr Aur means "hill of gold". Its pronunciation is [ˈbrɔn ər ˈaɪr]. The cottage had no electricity or running water, but the change of scenery provided inspiration for many of the songs on the album, including "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp".
Composition and recording
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp" in 1970. The song was heavily influenced by a number called "Waggoner's Lad" by Bert Jansch, a Scottish folk musician and founding member of the band Pentangle. It is a country music-inflected hoedown,[7] with lyrics about walking in the woods with Plant's blue-eyed Merle dog named Strider.[5] Plant reportedly named his dog after Aragorn (often called Strider) from J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings.[8] However, there are no explicit references to Tolkien works in "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp".
The group recorded the song at Headley Grange in 1970, using the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.[9] They completed it at Island Studios in London, and Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee.[9] Guitarist Jimmy Page used an acoustic guitar, drummer John Bonham played spoons and castanets,[5] and bassist John Paul Jones played a double bass.[10]
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – acoustic guitars
- John Paul Jones – double bass
- John Bonham – drums, castanets, spoons
- Unidentified musicians – maracas, hand claps
Jennings Farm Blues
Led Zeppelin also recorded the song as an electric blues rock instrumental, "Jennings Farm Blues", a rough mix of which later surfaced as a studio out-take on a number of Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings.[5] Jennings Farm is the name of the property at Blakeshall on which the Plant family stayed in the early 1970s.[11] "Jennings Farm Blues" was released on 2 June 2014, as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.