• Writers: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
• Producers: Jimmy Page
• Recorded: Headley Grange, Hampshire, 1970
• Released: November 5, 1970
• Players:
  Robert Plant — vocals
  Jimmy Page — guitar
  John Paul Jones — bass
  John Bonham — drums
• Album: Led Zeppelin III (Atlantic, 1970)
• Also On:
  Led Zeppelin (Swan Song, 1990)
  Led Zeppelin Remasters (Swan Song, 1992)
  The Complete Studio Recordings (Atlantic, 1993)
  and other live albums and compilations
• Opening the album Led Zeppelin III, “Immigrant Song” became an instant Led Zeppelin classic, immortalized by Robert Plant‘s wail and guitarist Jimmy Page‘s hammering riff.
• Much of the album’s rehearsal and recording took place in the rustic Headley Grange mansion in Hampshire in the English countryside. The rural surroundings set a relaxed tone in which each member was able to contribute his own ideas and compositions, setting the tone for all future Zeppelin releases.
• Plant recalled his lyrical inspiration for the song: “We went to Iceland and it made you think of Vikings and big ships… and (drummer) John Bonham‘s stomach… and bang, there it was… ‘Immigrant Song’!”
• The same year the group’s third album was released, the Rolling Stones were in tax exile from the U.K. and the Beatles had broken up, leaving Led Zeppelin as Britain’s biggest musical export.
• Despite the band never wanting to release singles, “Immigrant Song” spent 13 weeks on the Billboard pop chart, finally peaking at Number 16 in January 1971. The album, released on October 5th, 1970, reached Number One on the Billboard 200, and also hit Number One on the U.K. chart. The RIAA certified Led Zeppelin III gold on October 8th, 1970.
• The abundance of acoustic material on the album was in sharp contrast to the driving rhythms of “Immigrant Song” and much of the band’s previous output, confusing critics and fans alike. It was a sign of the expansion of Zeppelin’s sound, made evident on all subsequent efforts.

FAST FORWARD:

• Following the death of drummer John Bonham on September 25th, 1980, the surviving members of Led Zeppelin chose to break up the band rather than continue on without him.
• Page, Plant, and Jones have reunited for special occasions, such as Live Aid in 1985 and the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary concert in 1988.
• Plant and Page hooked up for an “unledded” tour, which paved the way for the albums No Quarter and Walking Into Clarksdale.
• The group was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.
• Page played a handful of shows with the Black Crowes in late 1999 that led to the album Jimmy Page & the Black Crowes: Live At The Greek.
• Jones has released two solo albums and toured in recent years.
• Page and his wife Jimena (pronounced hee-MEN-uh) are active in trying to help Brazilian street children. That work earned the guitarist the honor of being named an Officer Of The Order Of The British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II.
• Led Zeppelin received the Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2005 Grammy Awards.
• Plant recently scored a hit album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, called Rising Sand, which opened at Number Two on the Billboard album charts.
• The band recently regrouped for a single show on December 10th, 2007, at London’s O2 Arena, with Jason Bonham on drums, at a tribute to the late Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The band’s future plans are unknown, and the band is meeting to decide what happens next.