In the Light (song)
| "In the Light" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Physical Graffiti | |
| Released | 24 February 1975 |
| Recorded | 1974 |
| Studio |
|
| Genre | Progressive rock |
| Length | 8:46 |
| Label | Swan Song |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
"In the Light" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was composed primarily by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones on synthesizer, though lead vocalist Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page also received songwriting credits. It was based on an earlier song the band had written called "In the Morning".
The unique sound of the intro to the song was created by Page using a violin bow on an acoustic guitar, as a backdrop to Jones' opening synthesizer solo. This was one of three Led Zeppelin songs on which Page used bowed guitar, the others being "Dazed and Confused" and "How Many More Times" (although for both of these he used a bow to play an electric guitar). The song "In the Evening" utilized a guitar equipped with a device called the "Gizmotron" to mimic the bow sound.
Led Zeppelin also recorded the song with alternate lyrics and a slightly different structure, "Everybody Makes It Through" (In the Light) [Early Version/In Transit]". "Everybody Makes it Through" was released on 23 February 2015, as part of the remastering process of all nine albums.
"In the Light" was never played live at Led Zeppelin concerts. According to Jones, Plant was emphatic about wanting to play the song onstage, but because Jones could not reproduce the synthesizer sound properly outside of the studio, he vetoed the idea.
In a contemporary review of Physical Graffiti, Jim Miller of Rolling Stone gave "In the Light" a mixed review, saying that while the track was "one of the album's most ambitious efforts", the track "fizzles down the home stretch." Miller continues "the problem here is not tedium but a fragmentary composition that never quite jells: When Page on the final release plays an ascending run intended to sound majestic, the effect is more stilted than stately."
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Wikipedia