When the Levee Breaks - wikipedia When the Levee Breaks This article is about the Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie song. For the Spike Lee film, see When the Levees Broke. For the Supernatural episode, see When the Levee Breaks ( Supernatural ). For the actual event, see Levee breach. `` When the Levee Breaks '' Single by Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie Released 1929 ( 1929 ) Format 10 - inch 78 rpm Recorded June 18, 1929 Genre Country blues Length 3 : 11 Label Columbia ( 14439 - D ) Songwriter ( s ) Kansas Joe McCoy, Minnie Lawlers a.k.a. Memphis Minnie Kansas Joe McCoy & Memphis Minnie singles chronology `` When the Levee Breaks '' / `` That Will Be Alright '' ( 1929 ) `` Goin ' Back to Texas '' / `` Frisco Town '' ( 1929 ) Wikisource has original text related to this article : When the Levee Breaks `` When the Levee Breaks '' is a blues song written and first recorded by husband and wife Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929. The song is in reaction to the upheaval caused by the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. `` When the Levee Breaks '' was re-worked by English rock group Led Zeppelin as the last song on Led Zeppelin IV, released in 1971. The lyrics in Led Zeppelin 's version, credited to Memphis Minnie and the individual members of Led Zeppelin, were partially based on the original recording. Many other artists have also recorded versions of the song or played it live. Contents 1 Original song 2 Led Zeppelin version 2.1 Critical reception 2.2 Personnel 2.3 Other renditions based on Led Zeppelin 3 References 4 External Links Original song `` When the Levee Breaks '' was originally recorded by the blues musical duo Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. In the first half of 1927, the Great Mississippi Flood ravaged the state of Mississippi and surrounding areas. It destroyed many homes and devastated the agricultural economy of the Mississippi Basin. Many people were forced to flee to the cities of the Midwest in search of work, contributing to the `` Great Migration '' of African Americans in the first half of the 20th century. During the flood and the years after it subsided, it became the subject of numerous Delta blues songs, including `` When the Levee Breaks '', hence the lyrics, `` I works on the levee, mama both night and day, I works so hard, to keep the water away '' and `` It 's a mean old levee, cause me to weep and moan, gon na leave my baby, and my happy home ''. The song focused mainly on when more than 13,000 residents in and near Greenville, Mississippi evacuated to a nearby, unaffected levee for its shelter at high ground. The tumult that would have been caused if this and other levees had broken was the song 's underlying theme. Led Zeppelin version `` When the Levee Breaks '' Song by Led Zeppelin from the album Led Zeppelin IV Released November 8, 1971 ( 1971 - 11 - 08 ) Recorded Headley Grange, Headley, England, 1971 Genre Hard rock blues rock urban blues Length 7 : 08 Label Atlantic Songwriter ( s ) John Bonham John Paul Jones Memphis Minnie Jimmy Page Robert Plant Producer ( s ) Jimmy Page Led Zeppelin recorded a version of the song in December 1970 at Headley Grange, where the band used the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio. This version was later released as `` If It Keeps On Raining '' on the 2015 reissue of Coda. The song had earlier been tried unsuccessfully by the band at Island Studios at the beginning of the recording sessions for their fourth album. According to Led Zeppelin guitarist and producer Jimmy Page, the song 's structure `` was a riff that I 'd been working on, but Bonzo 's drum sound really makes a difference on that point. '' The famous drum performance was recorded by engineer Andy Johns by placing John Bonham and a new Ludwig drum kit at the bottom of a stairwell at Headley Grange, and recording it using two Beyerdynamic M160 microphones at the top, giving the distinctive resonant but slightly muffled sound. Page later explained : We were playing in one room in a house with a recording truck, and a drum kit was duly set up in the main hallway, which is a three storey hall with a staircase going up on the inside of it. And when John Bonham went out to play the kit in the hall, I went `` Oh, wait a minute, we got ta do this ! '' Curiously enough, that 's just a stereo mic that 's up the stairs on the second floor of this building, and that was his natural balance. Back in the Mobile Studio, Johns compressed the drum sound through two channels and added echo through guitarist Page 's Binson echo unit. The performance was made on a brand new drum kit that had only just been delivered from the factory. Page recorded Plant 's harmonica part using the backward echo technique, putting the echo ahead of the sound when mixing. `` When the Levee Breaks '' was recorded at a different tempo, then slowed down, explaining the `` sludgy '' sound, particularly on the harmonica and guitar solos. Because this song was heavily produced in the studio, it was difficult to recreate live ; the band only played it a few times in the early stages of their 1975 U.S. Tour, before dropping it for good. However, the song was revived for their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1995. `` When the Levee Breaks '' was the only song on the album that was not re-mixed after a supposedly disastrous mixing job in the U.S. ( the rest of the tracks were mixed again in England ). The mixing done on this song was kept in its original form. In the May 2008 issue of Uncut Magazine, Page elaborated upon the effects at the end of the song : Interviewer : How was the swirly effect at the end of `` When the Levee Breaks '' achieved ? I always imagine you sitting there with a joystick... Page : It 's sort of like that, is n't it ? It 's interesting : On `` Levee Breaks '' you 've got backwards harmonica, backwards echo, phasing, and there 's also flanging ; and at the end, you get this super-dense sound, in layers, that 's all built around the drum track. And you 've got Robert, constant in the middle, and everything starts to spiral around him. It 's all done with panning. In another interview, Page commented : `` When the Levee Breaks '' is probably the most subtle thing on ( the album ) as far as production goes, because each twelve bars has something new about it, though at first it might not be apparent. There 's a lot of different effects on there that, at the time, had never been used before. Phased vocals, a backwards echoed harmonica solo. Bonham 's opening drum beat has been widely sampled in hip hop music and other genres since the 1980s, as a result of its distinctly `` heavy '' sound. A different version of this song can be found on the second disc of the remastered two - disc deluxe edition of Led Zeppelin IV, released in 2014. This version, known as `` When The Levee Breaks ( Alternate UK Mix in Progress ) '', was recorded on May 19, 1971, at the Rolling Stones Mobile Studio at Headley Grange with engineer Andy Johns and mix engineers George Chkianz and Jerry. This mix runs 7 : 09, while the original runs 7 : 08. A third version is included on 2015 deluxe edition of the album Coda, titled `` If It Keeps on Raining ( When the Levee Breaks ) ( Rough Mix ) ''. This version features a faster tempo and a different arrangement than the final version. In 2015, Led Zeppelin 's version of `` When the Levee Breaks '' was prominently featured in the trailer for the movie The Big Short, and plays over the film 's closing credits. Critical reception Music critic Robert Christgau cited Led Zeppelin 's version of `` When the Levee Breaks '' as their fourth album 's greatest achievement. He argued that, because it plays like an authentic blues song and `` has the grandeur of a symphonic crescendo '', their version both transcends and dignifies `` the quasi-parodic overstatement and oddly cerebral mood of '' their past blues songs. Mick Wall said that Led Zeppelin revised the original song as a `` hypnotic, blues rock mantra. '' Q magazine wrote that the album 's `` big room ambience ( is ) still best described by ' When the Levee Breaks ' ''. Stephen Thomas Erlewine, writing for AllMusic, said that `` When the Levee Breaks '' was the only song on their fourth album on par with `` Stairway to Heaven '' and called it `` an apocalyptic slice of urban blues... as forceful and frightening as Zeppelin ever got, and its seismic rhythms and layered dynamics illustrate why none of their imitators could ever equal them. '' In The Rolling Stone Album Guide ( 2004 ), Greg Kot said that the song showed the band 's `` hard - rock blues '' at their most `` momentous ''. Personnel Robert Plant -- vocals, harmonica Jimmy Page -- lead and rhythm guitars John Paul Jones -- bass guitar John Bonham -- drums Other renditions based on Led Zeppelin Below is a list of recorded cover versions based on Led Zeppelin 's version as well as samples of their version. Album versions 1990 : Judge ( What It Meant : The Complete Discography ) 1991 : Dread Zeppelin ( 5,000,000 ) 1991 : W.A.S.P. ( The Crimson Idol ) 1991 : Rosetta Stone ( An Eye for the Main Chance ) 1993 : John Campbell ( Howlin ' Mercy ) 1994 : Kristin Hersh ( Strings ) 1997 : The London Philharmonic Orchestra ( Kashmir : Symphonic Led Zeppelin ) 1999 : Great White ( Great Zeppelin : A Tribute to Led Zeppelin ) 2004 : A Perfect Circle ( eMOTIVe ) 2005 : Yat Kha ( Recovers ) 2005 : Stream of Passion ( Live in the Real World ) 2006 : Stanton Moore ( III ) 2006 : Roadsaw ( Sucking the 70 's -- Back in the Saddle Again ) 2007 : Frankie Banali & Friends ( 24 / 7 / 365 : The Tribute to Led Zeppelin ) 2007 : Paul Jones & Dave Kelly ( Live at the Ram Jam Club ) 2009 : Buckwheat Zydeco with Sonny Landreth ( Lay Your Burden Down ) 2009 : Razer ( Dark Devotion ) 2013 : Ben Harper ( Live at Jazz a Vienne Festival ( special guest Charlie Musselwhite on Harmonica ) ) 2014 : Beverley Martyn ( The Phoenix & the Turtle ) Samples 1984 : Cocteau Twins ( Treasure ) 1987 : Coldcut ( `` Beats + Pieces '' and `` More Beats + Pieces '' ) 1989 : Beastie Boys ( `` Rhymin ' and Stealin ' '' and `` B - Boy Bouillabaisse : A Year and a Day '' ) 1990 : Saint Etienne ( `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart '' ) 1991 : Chapterhouse ( `` Pearl '' ) 1991 : Ice - T ( `` Midnight '' ) 1992 : Sophie B. Hawkins ( `` Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover '' ) 1992 : Ya Kid K ( `` Risky Business '' ) 1992 : Neneh Cherry with Michael Stipe ( `` Trout '' ) 1992 : Dr. Dre ( `` Lyrical Gangbang '' ) 1993 : Kazik ( `` Jeden Przykład Fortuny Z Rodzimego Kraju '' ) 1994 : Enigma ( `` Return to Innocence '' ) 1994 : Mike Oldfield ( `` Magellan '' ) 1995 : Björk ( `` Army of Me '' ) 1997 : The Tea Party ( `` Temptation '' ) 1998 : Massive Attack ( `` Man Next Door '' ) 1999 : Enigma ( `` Gravity of Love '' ) 2000 : Autour de Lucie ( `` Vide '' ) 2000 : Era ( `` Hymne '' ) 2000 : Scooter ( `` She 's the Sun '' ) 2000 : El Doopa ( `` Prohibition '' ) 2001 : Aphex Twin ( Taking Control ) 2002 : Rob Dougan ( `` I 'm Not Driving Any More '' ) 2009 : Karnivool ( `` Simple Boy '' ) 2012 : John Frusciante ( `` Walls and Doors '' ) 2014 : Black Knights ( `` Never Let Go '' ) 2016 : Beyoncé with Jack White ( `` Do n't Hurt Yourself '' ) Media 2006 : Ice Age : The Meltdown film score 2012 : Argo soundtrack 2014 : Super Bowl XLVIII during the Denver Broncos vignette 2015 : The Big Short soundtrack References Jump up ^ ISWC : T - 914.640. 308 - 9 Jump up ^ Cheseborough, Steve ( 1 May 2004 ). Blues Traveling : The Holy Sites of Delta Blues. Mississippi : University Press of Mississippi. pp. 132 -- 133. ISBN 1 - 57806 - 650 - 6. Jump up ^ Garon, Paul ( 1 April 1992 ). Woman With Guitar : Memphis Minnie 's Blues. Da Capo Press. ISBN 0 - 306 - 80460 - 3. ^ Jump up to : Dave Lewis ( 1994 ), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press, ISBN 0 - 7119 - 3528 - 9. ^ Jump up to : Dave Schulps, Interview with Jimmy Page, Trouser Press, October 1977. Jump up ^ Welch, Chris ( 1 October 1998 ). Led Zeppelin : Dazed and Confused -- The Stories Behind Every Song. Thunder 's Mouth Press. pp. 70, 72. ISBN 1 - 56025 - 188 - 3. Jump up ^ Lewis, Dave ( 1 September 2004 ). Led Zeppelin : The Complete Guide to Their Music. Omnibus Press. p. 33. ISBN 1 - 84449 - 141 - 2. Jump up ^ `` Guitar Legend Jimmy Page ''. Npr.org. 2003 - 06 - 02. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ Cavanaugh, David. `` Jimmy Page, ' Mission Accomplished. ' '' Uncut Magazine. Take 132 ( May 2008 ) : 49 - 50. Jump up ^ Lewis, Dave ( 2003 ). Led Zeppelin : The ' Tight But Loose ' Files ; Celebration II. Omnibus Press. p. 24. ISBN 978 - 1 - 84449 - 056 - 1. Jump up ^ `` Led Zeppelin Supply the Big Groove for ' The Big Short ' Trailer ''. Ultimateclassicrock.com. Retrieved 2016 - 07 - 26. Jump up ^ Christgau, Robert ( October 13, 1981 ). Christgau 's Record Guide : Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. p. 222. ISBN 0 - 89919 - 025 - 1. Jump up ^ Wall, Mick ( 2008 ). When Giants Walked the Earth : A Biography of Led Zeppelin. London : Orion. p. 246. ISBN 978 - 1 - 4091 - 0319 - 6. Jump up ^ `` Review : Led Zeppelin IV ''. Q. London : 141. October 1994. Jump up ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas ( 8 November 1971 ). `` Allmusic Review ''. Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 17 August 2011. Jump up ^ Kot, Greg ; et al. ( 2004 ). Brackett, Nathan ; Hoard, Christian, eds. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide ( 4th ed. ). Simon & Schuster. p. 479. ISBN 0 - 7432 - 0169 - 8. Jump up ^ `` 5,000,000 - Dread Zeppelin Songs, Reviews, Credits AllMusic ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2017. Jump up ^ `` Kashmir : The Symphonic Led Zeppelin - London Philharmonic Orchestra ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Great White - Great Zeppelin - A Tribute to Led Zeppelin ''. Discogs. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Stream of Passion Featuring Ayreon - Live in the Real World ''. Discogs. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` III - Stanton Moore ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Frankie Banali and Friends * -- 24 / 7 / 365 The Tribute to Led Zeppelin ''. Discogs. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lay Your Burden Down - Buckwheat Zydeco ''. AllMusic. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Beats & Pieces by Coldcut ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` More Beats & Pieces by Coldcut ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Rhymin & Stealin by Beastie Boys ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Tracks Sampled in B - Boy Bouillabaisse by Beastie Boys ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Only Love Can Break Your Heart by Saint Etienne ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Pearl by Chapterhouse ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Midnight by Ice - T ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Damn I Wish I Was Your Lover by Sophie B. Hawkins ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Trout by Neneh Cherry feat. Michael Stipe ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Lyrical Gangbang by Dr. Dre ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 9 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Return to Innocence by Enigma ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Magellan by Mike Oldfield ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ Pytlik, Mark ( 2003 ), Bjork : Wow and Flutter, ECW Press, p. 172, ISBN 9781550225563 Jump up ^ `` Man Next Door by Massive Attack ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Gravity of Love by Enigma ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Hymne by Era ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` She 's the Sun by Scooter ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` I 'm Not Driving Any More by Rob Dougan ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Simple Boy by Karnivool ''. WhoSampled. Retrieved 11 August 2017. Jump up ^ `` Beyonce 's ' Lemonade ' : Track - By - Track Album Review ''. Music News, Reviews, and Gossip on Idolator.com. Retrieved 9 August 2017. External links Led Zeppelin IV track listing Songs Side one `` Black Dog '' `` Rock and Roll '' `` The Battle of Evermore '' `` Stairway to Heaven '' Side two `` Misty Mountain Hop '' `` Four Sticks '' `` Going to California '' `` When the Levee Breaks '' Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin III Led Zeppelin IV Houses of the Holy Physical Graffiti Presence In Through the Out Door Coda Led Zeppelin John Bonham John Paul Jones Jimmy Page Robert Plant Studio albums Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin II Led Zeppelin III Led Zeppelin IV Houses of the Holy Physical Graffiti Presence In Through the Out Door Coda Live albums The Song Remains the Same BBC Sessions How the West Was Won Celebration Day Compilations Profiled BBC Sessions The Best of Led Zeppelin Mothership Led Zeppelin Deluxe Edition Boxed sets Led Zeppelin Remasters Boxed Set 2 The Complete Studio Recordings Definitive Collection Singles `` Good Times Bad Times '' / `` Communication Breakdown '' `` Whole Lotta Love '' / `` Living Loving Maid ( She 's Just a Woman ) '' `` Immigrant Song '' / `` Hey, Hey, What Can I Do '' `` Black Dog '' / `` Misty Mountain Hop '' `` Rock and Roll '' / `` Four Sticks '' `` Over the Hills and Far Away '' / `` Dancing Days '' `` D'yer Mak'er '' / `` The Crunge '' `` Trampled Under Foot '' / `` Black Country Woman '' `` Candy Store Rock '' / `` Royal Orleans '' `` Fool in the Rain '' / `` Hot Dog '' `` Travelling Riverside Blues '' `` Baby Come On Home '' `` The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair '' Films The Song Remains the Same Led Zeppelin DVD Celebration Day Tours Scandinavia 1968 U.K. 1968 North America 1968 -- 1969 U.K. & Scandinavia 1969 North America Spring 1969 U.K. Summer 1969 North America Summer 1969 Europe Autumn 1969 North America Autumn 1969 U.K. 1970 Europe 1970 North America Spring 1970 Iceland, Bath & Germany 1970 North America Summer 1970 U.K. Spring 1971 Europe 1971 North America 1971 Japan 1971 U.K. Winter 1971 Australasia 1972 North America 1972 Japan 1972 U.K. 1972 -- 1973 Europe 1973 North America 1973 North America 1975 Earls Court 1975 North America 1977 Knebworth 1979 Over Europe 1980 Reunions Live Aid ( 1985 ) Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary ( 1988 ) Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert ( 2007 ) Lists Discography Songs Awards and nominations Bootlegs Cover versions by others Led Zeppelin songs written or inspired by others Related Articles Swan Song Records Three Week Hero `` Beck 's Bolero '' Bron - Yr - Aur The Starship Caesar 's Chariot Shark episode Planned tour -- The 1980s, Part One Covers and tributes That ' 70s Show ( season 5 ) Bands The Yardbirds Band of Joy XYZ The Honeydrippers The Firm Coverdale Page Page and Plant Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes Them Crooked Vultures Strange Sensation Books Hammer of the Gods : The Led Zeppelin Saga Stairway to Heaven : Led Zeppelin Uncensored When Giants Walked the Earth People Jason Bonham Peter Grant Richard Cole Book Portal Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=When_the_Levee_Breaks&oldid=823807304 '' Categories : 1929 songs Blues songs Columbia Records singles Led Zeppelin songs Songs written by Jimmy Page Songs written by John Paul Jones ( musician ) Songs written by John Bonham Songs written by Robert Plant Song recordings produced by Jimmy Page Songs written by Memphis Minnie Hidden categories : Articles with hAudio microformats Pages using div col without cols and colwidth parameters Talk Contents About Wikipedia Deutsch Español فارسی Français Italiano Nederlands 日本 語 Norsk Norsk nynorsk Polski Português Русский Suomi Svenska Edit links This page was last edited on 3 February 2018, at 15 : 14. 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Question: who plays harmonica on when the levee breaks
Answer: Robert Plant