"Fool in the Rain"
Japanese single picture sleeve
Single by Led Zeppelin
from the album In Through the Out Door
B-side"Hot Dog"
Released7 December 1979 (1979-12-07) (US)
RecordedNovember–December 1978
StudioPolar, Stockholm, Sweden
Genre
Length6:08
LabelSwan Song
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin singles chronology
"Candy Store Rock"
(1976)		 "Fool in the Rain"
(1979)		 "Travelling Riverside Blues"
(1990)
Audio sample
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"Fool in the Rain" is the third song on Led Zeppelin's 1979 album In Through the Out Door. It was the last single released in the US before they formally disbanded in 1980. The song reached number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 16 February 1980.

Composition

Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant were inspired by samba beats that played during the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina.[2] Biographer Dave Lewis commented:

Thus the idea emerged to layer on their own samba halfway through the hop-skip riff arrangement. Crazed as it sounds, it works beautifully right through JP's [Jones] street whistles to Bonzo's [drummer Bonham] delightfully constructed timpani crashes.[2]

Critical reception

While In Through The Out Door was not regarded with the same praise as Led Zeppelin's previous albums, "Fool in the Rain" still managed to garner positive reception.[3][4][5][6] Scott Ludwig, writing for Courier News in 1980, highly praised Bonham's performance.[7] In a retrospective review, Andrew Doscas of PopMatters called it the "standout track", opining it was "the band’s last fun song" and "the only such found on In Through the Out Door".[4] Cash Box said it has "a zesty Latin-samba instrumental break, Page's sharp lead and rhythm guitar work and Plant’s high, tough vocals."[8]

Performances

"Fool in the Rain" was never performed live by Led Zeppelin.[2] However, band member Robert Plant teamed up with American rock band Pearl Jam in 2005 and performed the song live for the Hurricane Katrina benefit in Chicago's House of Blues. Pearl Jam originally did not plan it, but changed their itinerary after Hurricane Katrina went through New Orleans. All proceeds of the performance went to charities.[9]

Chart history

1980 singles charts
Chart Peak Ref(s)
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 21 [10]
U.S. Cash Box Top 100 Singles 31 [11]
U.S. Record World The Singles Chart 34 [12]
Canada RPM Top 100 Chart 12 [13]
2007 digital charts
Chart Peak Ref(s)
Canada Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart 69 [14]

Personnel

According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[15]

  • Robert Plant – vocals
  • Jimmy Page – electric guitars, acoustic guitars (six- and twelve-string)
  • John Paul Jones – bass, piano, synthesizer (?)
  • John Bonham – drums, timbales, agogo, marimba (?)
  • Unidentified musicians: maracas, shaker, guiro, whistle

See also

References

  1. ↑ Bream, Jon (17 September 2010). Whole Lotta Led Zeppelin: The Illustrated History of the Heaviest Band of All Time. Voyageur Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-7603-3955-8.
  2. 1 2 3 Lewis, Dave (2012). Led Zeppelin: From a Whisper to a Scream – Complete Guide to Their Music. London: Omnibus Press. eBook. ISBN 978-0-85712-788-4.
  3. ↑ Richardson, Mark (28 July 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence / In Through The Out Door / Coda Album Review". Pitchfork. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 19 January 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  4. 1 2 Doscas, Andrew (22 September 2015). "Led Zeppelin: In Through the Out Door (Deluxe Edition)". PopMatters. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  5. ↑ Reed, Ryan (13 August 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through the Out Door and Coda Reissue Reviews". Paste Magazine. Wolfgang's. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  6. ↑ Marszalek, Julian (28 July 2015). "Led Zeppelin: Presence, In Through The Outdoor, Coda (Reissues)". The Quietus. Retrieved 5 July 2018.
  7. ↑ "Zeppelin's Fury Continues". Courier News. 22 March 1980. p. 25. Retrieved 14 July 2018 – via Newspapers.com. (subscription required)
  8. ↑ "CashBox Singles Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 15 December 1979. p. 11. Retrieved 1 January 2022.
  9. ↑ Fischer, Blair (6 October 2005). "Pearl Jam, Robert Plant Unite Onstage". Rolling Stone. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on 5 July 2018. Retrieved 5 June 2018.
  10. ↑ "Hot 100 Singles – 16 February 1980". Billboard. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  11. ↑ "Top 100 Singles – 23 February 1980". Cash Box. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  12. ↑ "Top 40 for 1980 – February 1980". Record World.
  13. ↑ "RPM Singles Chart – 23 February 1980". RPM. Archived from the original on 6 October 2012. Retrieved 15 January 2009.
  14. ↑ "Hot Digital Singles – 1 December 2007". Billboard. Archived from the original on 8 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2009.
  15. ↑ Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 518.

Bibliography

  • Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.
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