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Song: Dazed and Confused
Album: Led Zeppelin [released Jan 12, 1969 (US) | Mar 28, 1969 (UK)]
Single: N/A
Credited to: Jimmy Page
Related Songs:
Dazed and Confused - Jake Holmes (original)
Dazed and Confused - The Yardbirds (music)
Think About It - The Yardbirds (music)
She's Nineteen Years Old - Muddy Waters (reference)
Lyrics:
Been dazed and confused for so long, it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Lots of people talkin', few of them know
Soul of a woman was created below
You hurt and abuse, tellin' all of your lies
Run 'round, sweet baby, lord, how they hypnotize
Sweet little baby, I don't know where you've been
Gonna love you, baby, here I come again
Every day I work so hard, bringin' home my hard-earned pay
Try to love you, baby, but you push me away
Don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been
Sweet little baby, I want you again
(Vocal Improvisation)
(Bow Solo)
(Guitar Solo)
(Oh, I don't like when you're mystifyin' me)
(Oh, don't leave me so confused, now)
(Whoa, baby)
Been dazed and confused for so long, it's not true
Wanted a woman, never bargained for you
Take it easy, baby, let them say what they will
Tongue wag so much when I send you the bill, oh, yeah, alright
Personal notes: This is an incredible song. The opening bass line is killer. And when the guitar kicks in, oh man. And the lyrics, voiced so powerfully. Not to mention the excellent solo, with and without the bow. Considering how great Led Zeppelin played this song, it's impressive how good the original Jake Holmes version is. But when Zeppelin took this number and stretched it out into an extended jam during their live concerts - out of this world.
Influences: This song was originally written and recorded by Jake Holmes, and released on his album 'The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes' in 1967. Jake Holmes opened for the Yardbirds, playing this number in his set, after which the Yardbirds decided to play it themselves. The general structure, atmosphere, and lyrics remained mostly the same, with some modifications to transform the song from folk into rock. Jimmy Page's guitar solo on the Yardbirds song Think About It is part of the solo that Jimmy plays in Dazed and Confused. The Yardbirds released a live album (Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page), with Dazed and Confused incorrectly titled I'm Confused, but the album was recalled. There is another version of the song on the unfinished Yardbirds album Cumular Limit. There is yet another version that was recorded for the BBC, but not released on The Yardbirds' BBC Sessions. (And many more bootleg versions). After the Yardbirds split and Jimmy Page found the members for the new band, Dazed and Confused survived and became a Led Zeppelin epic. The structure and atmosphere of the song again remained the same, but this time the lyrics were almost completely redone by Robert Plant.
Concerning the true history behind the song, in the liner notes to the unfinished Yardbirds album Cumular Limit, Greg Russo writes:
Much has been written about "Dazed And Confused," but very little of it is accurate. Here's the real story: On August 25, 1967 - two days after their WOR-FM radio appearance - The Yardbirds headlined a show at The Village Theatre in New York with folk singer Jake Holmes and The Youngbloods as opening acts. Jim McCarty heard Jake Holmes' original song 'Dazed And Confused' during his set at The Village Theater, and Jim was so impressed by the song that he purchased it on Holmes' album "The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes" the next day in New York. Jim McCarty suggested the song for inclusion in The Yardbirds' set, and as a band, they rearranged Jake Holmes' song with a new set of lyrics by Keith Relf.
Also, this may or may not be a stretch, but Robert Plant's lyric "don't know where you're goin', only know just where you've been" is very similar to the lyric "can't ask her where she's going, she tells me where she's been" from a song called She's Nineteen Years Old by Muddy Waters, a song that Robert Plant would borrow from in one live version of I Can't Quit You Baby.
Dazed and Confused - Jake Holmes
I'm dazed and confused, is it stay, is it go?
Am I being choosed, well I'd just like to know
Give me a clue as to where I am at
I feel like a mouse, and you act like a cat
I'm dazed and confused, hangin' on by a thread
I'm bein' abused, I'd be better off dead
I can't stand this teasin', I'm startin' to crack
If you're out to get me, you're on the right track
(Guitar Solo)
Yeah, I'm dazed and confused, and it's all upside down
Am I bein' choosed, do you want me around?
Secrets are fun to a certain degree
But this one's no fun, 'cause the secret's on me
Dazed and Confused - The Yardbirds (3/30/68 Anderson Theatre, New York - This version was featured on Live Yardbirds Featuring Jimmy Page)
I'm dazed and confused, is it stay, is it go?
I'm being abused, and I think I should know
Come on baby, I'm starting to crack
If you're out to get me, you're on the right track
I'm dazed and confused, hanging on by a thread
Come on, baby, do you want me dead?
I can arrange that for a dollar or two
I can't remember anything about you
(Guitar Solo)
I'm dazed and confused, hangin' on by a thread
I'm being abused, I'd be better off dead
If you're out to get me, you're on the right track
Quittin' teasin', I'm starting to crack
Dazed and Confused - The Yardbirds (3/9/68 Bouton Rouge, Paris - This version was planned for the album Cumular Limit)
I'm dazed and confused, is it stay, is it go?
Give me a clue, 'cause I just want to know
Give me a clue as to where I am at
Feel like a mouse, and you act like a cat
I'm dazed and confused, I'm hangin' on by a thread
I'm bein' abused, I'd be better off dead
Can't stand teasing, I'm starting to crack
If you're out to get me, you're on the right track
I'm dazed and confused, is it stay, is it go?
I still love you, but I still want to know
Secrets are fun to a certain degree
This one's no fun 'cause the secret's on me
(Guitar Solo)
I'm dazed and confused, is it stay, is it go?
I've been abused, and I sure wanna know
Give me a clue as to where I am at
Feel like a mouse, and you act like a cat
She's Nineteen Years Old - Muddy Waters
I'm gonna say somethin' to you
I don't care how you feel
You just don't realize
You got yourself a good deal
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied
I'm gonna say this to you
I don't care if you get mad
You about the prettiest little girl
That I ever had
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
To make this young woman feel satisfied
(What kind of woman is that?)
Can't ask her where she's going
She tells me where she's been
She starts a conversation
That don't have no end
She's nineteen years old
And got ways just like a baby child
Nothin' I can do to please her
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
Whoah, yeah!
To make this young woman feel satisfied
Unsolved Mysteries: (Please contact me if you have any information about the following)