Led Zeppelin: The Rain Song

Led Zeppelin performing “The Rain Song” live at Knebworth, 1979:


The Rain Song
The Rain Song It is a ballad lasting over 7 minutes in length and is considered by singer Robert Plant to be one of his best overall vocal performances. It is from Led Zeppelin’s 5th album, Houses of the Holy.It features a mellotron played by John Paul Jones which adds the orchestral effect. The song was inspired by a comment that George Harrisonmade to Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, about the fact that the group never wrote any ballads. During Led Zeppelin concerts from late 1972 until 1975, the band played this song immediately following the song "The Song Remains the Same", presenting the songs in the same order as they appeared on the album. They organized their setlist in this manner because Page used a Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar for both songs: the top, 12-string portion for "The Song Remains the Same" and then switching to the bottom, 6-string portion for "The Rain Song". The song was dropped from the 1977 U.S. tour, but returned for Led Zeppelin's 1979 concerts in Copenhagen, Denmark and at the Knebworth Music Festival, as well as their European tour in 1980. "The Rain Song" was the only song from Houses of the Holyperformed on the 1980 European tour. Page again used his Gibson double-neck, however it was the only instance known that he used that guitar solely for the 6-string portion without using the 12-string portion on a preceding song. For all live versions of the song, the orchestral string sounds were played by Jones on either the mellotron (1972-1975) or a Yamaha synthesizer (1979-1980), as the band never utilised a string section on-stage. The reason Page used used the 6-string neck of the EDS-1275 for "The Rain Song" is because he could have two different tunings on the same guitar. The 12-string was tuned to Standard tuning (E-A-D-G-B-E) for his use on "The Song Remains the Same". However, the Rain Song utilizes an exotic tuning style, and the 6-string was tuned to Asus4 (E-A-D-A-D-E). However that is a step higher than the album cut, which is D-G-C-G-C-D. For those with a trained musical ear, you can drastically notice the key differences between the studio version and the live version. This is quite an uncommon modal tuning and makes for a very rich sounding accompaniment, led by John Paul Jones.



Lyrics to The Rain Song:
It is the springtime of my loving
the second season I am to know
You are the sunlight in my growing-
so little warmth I felt before.
It isn't hard to feel me glowing
I watched the fire that grew so low.

It is the summer of my smiles
flee from me Keepers of the Gloom.
Speak to me only with your eyes
it is to you I give this tune.

It isn't hard to recognize
these things are clear to all from
time to time.

I felt the coldness of my winter
I never thought it would ever go
I cursed the gloom that set upon us
but I know that I love you so

These are the seasons of emotion
And like the winds they rise and fall
This is the wonder of devotion
I see the torch we all must hold.
This is the mystery of the quotient
Upon us all a little rain must fall.



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