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For the film, see Dazed and Confused (film)

For the UK style magazine see Dazed & Confused (magazine)

"Dazed and Confused" is a song by folk singer Jake Holmes from his debut solo album "The Above Ground Sound" of Jake Holmes, released in June, 1967. The song has been incorrectly mislabeled as a song about a bad acid trip. From Jake Holmes himself, this is not the case. In 2001, he held an interview with Shindig! and said this about Dazed and Confused:

"I never took acid. I smoked grass and tripped on it, but I never took acid. I was afraid to take it. The song's about a girl who hasn't decided whether she wants to stay with me or not. It's pretty much one of those love songs." (Shindig! Article on Dazed and Confused)

The song was widely popularized by, and is still heavily identified with, English rock band Led Zeppelin's version, recorded in October 1968 at Olympic Studios, London, and included on their eponymous debut album.

During a 1967 tour of the United States by English rock group The Yardbirds, Holmes opened for them at Village Theater in Greenwich Village on August 25, 1967. The Yardbirds were inspired by his performance and decided to re-work the song for their own use. Their interpretation (which was included on the semi-illegitimate "Live in New York" album under the erroneous title "I'm Confused") featured long instrumental patches of bowed guitar courtesy of Jimmy Page, and dynamic instrumental flourishes. It quickly became a staple of The Yardbirds' live act during their final year of existence.

When the Yardbirds disbanded in 1968, the song was re-worked by Page yet again, this time for Led Zeppelin's 1969 debut album. It became a centrepiece for the group, before the success of "Whole Lotta Love" on their second album. The Led Zeppelin version contained altered lyrics, and with John Bonham on drums the song developed into a manic, menacing performance.

For reasons unknown, Jimmy Page claimed sole credit for the song upon release, and Holmes has never received any royalty payments for their recording. Holmes did not press charges against the band, but merely sent them a letter stating "I understand it's a collaborative effort, but I think you should give me some credit at least and some remunity." His letter was never replied to and he did not follow up on it.

"Dazed and Confused" begins with a slow-tempo bluesy rhythm, propelled by John Paul Jones' walking bass line. It then changes to a faster tempo during the darkest part of the song, followed by a furious Page guitar solo, before finally returning to the initial rhythm. John Bonham's drumming throughout helped define the song's power and intensity.

When Led Zeppelin performed "Dazed and Confused" live, it was (except for the fast middle section) played at a slower overall tempo, and gradually extended in duration (up to 45 minutes by 1975) as a multi-section improvised jam. This allowed Page the luxury of including riffs from other songs such as "The Crunge", "Walter's Walk", and Scott McKenzie's "San Francisco" (to name a few). Although initially performed in a manner similar to the studio version, some noticeable differences were gradually developed in live performances. By mid 1969, in the section where Page plays guitar with a violin bow, saw the rest of the band drop out completely, allowing him to perform a lengthier free-form improvisation. By 1972, another improvised section had been added between the verses and this. The fast section was extended to allow changes in dynamics and volume, as well as changing the beat, sometimes seguing in and out of another song altogether. There was a short jam at the end of the song after the final verse.

"Dazed and Confused" was featured on Led Zeppelin's 1976 concert film, The Song Remains the Same (and accompanying soundtrack), as part of Page's fantasy sequence.

The song was used as the basis for the title of the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, which chronicled the lives of various American youths on their last day of high school in 1976. However, it is not found on the film's soundtrack. Richard Linklater appealed to Led Zeppelin band members to use some of their songs in the movie but, although Jimmy Page agreed to this, Robert Plant was opposed, so the songs were not used.

External links

• Review: All Music Guide

Sources

• Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every Song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
• The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9

Trivia

• There are no drums on this song. The entire album was done without a drummer.
• Page performed this with The Yardbirds with different lyrics as "I'm Confused." It appears on the album Live Yardbirds.
• At live shows, Page played this using a violin bow on his guitar. He claimed that he got the idea from a session violinist he worked with who suggested it (the violinist was the father of actor David McCallum from The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). Eddie Phillips of the UK band The Creation guitarist pioneered the use of the violin bow on guitar strings, predating Page doing it in The Yardbirds by 2 years. You can hear it on the Creation song "Makin' Time."
• The guitar solo following the bow section is Page's solo from the Yardbirds' "Think About It."
• The first of 4 songs where Page used the bow. The others were "In The Light", "How Many More Times" and "In The Evening."

• 1967 songs
• Led Zeppelin songs