This was first released as the second track from the English band’s fourth album in 1971. “Rock and Roll” stands as one of the band’s best-known songs.
Guitarist Jimmy Page mentioned that it came to be from a spontaneous jam session.
It is one of the few Led Zeppelin songs where all four members share the composer credit.
The lyrics were written by vocalist Robert Plant, referencing a number of 1950s and 1960s early rock hits, including “The Stroll,” “The Book of Love,” and “Walking In the Moonlight.”
The following is a live performance of the song from Madison Square Garden in July 1973. It was recorded for the band’s concert film The Song Remains the Same and accompanying soundtrack album.
It was the surviving trio’s first performance together since 1988. On drums was Jason Bonham, the son of the original drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980.
When the performance was announced in September, tickets were made available via a lottery system through Ahmettribute.com. When the website went live, it crashed almost immediately, due to it receiving 1 billion page impressions, and 20 million people registering for fewer than 20,000 available tickets. It was probably the largest demand for a show in rock history.
Written by guitarist Jimmy Page & vocalist Robert Plant, recorded between December 1970 and March 1971. Released on their 4th studio album, Led Zeppelin IV, 8th November 1971. It is the most requested and most played song on FM radio stations in the United States despite never having been released as a single there.
