Hard Rock
The song is credited to group members John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant. And, after a lawsuit, credit has also been given to Willie Dixon, who wrote “You Need Love,” which was recorded in 1962 by Muddy Waters. There are a number of similarities between the songs, and the court found in favor of Dixon. The British band Small Faces recorded the song in 1966, titling it “You Need Loving.” Some stories say that this is where Page and Plant heard the song. No matter what the background is, “Whole Lotta Love” expresses the urgency of love very directly. Led Zeppelin released it in 1969 as the title track of their album Led Zeppelin II. They also released in the U.S., several European countries (but on the U.K.), and Japan as a single, and it was an international success. It went to #4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and in Canada, #2 on Cash Box, #1 in Australia and Germany, #3 in Austria, and #5 in The Netherlands and Sweden. They sold more than one million copies and earned an RIAA gold record. The B-Side of “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).”
“Whole Lotta Love” is a great example of Sixties hard rock. There are many accolades for the song, and it is on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Q Magazine has it on its list of the “100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.”
Led Zeppelin formed in London, England, in 1968. On the track are Robert Plant (lead vocals), Jimmy Page (electric guitars, theremin, slide guitar), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, backing vocals), and John Bonham (drums, maracas, shaker, tambourine, bongos, and congas).
