‘Kashmir’ is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin. Included on their sixth album Physical Graffiti (1975), it was written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant with contributions from John Bonham over a period of three years with lyrics dating to 1973. The song became a concert staple, performed by the band at almost every concert after its release. It has been described as one of Led Zeppelin's two most overtly progressive epics (the other being ‘Stairway to Heaven’).
Page recorded a demo version with drummer Bonham late in 1973, when John Paul Jones was late for the recording sessions. Plant later added lyrics and a middle section; in early 1974, Jones added orchestration. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections and Jones added a Mellotron. Plant wrote the lyrics in 1973 while driving through the Sahara Desert on the way to the National Festival of folklore in Morocco. Kashmir is in Southern Asia; he was nowhere near it. In Mojo magazine, September 2010, Plant explained: "'Kashmir' came from a trip Jimmy and me made down the Moroccan Atlantic coast, from Agadir down to Sidi Ifni. We were just the same as the other hippies really."
This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. Jimmy Page told Rolling Stone in 2012: "I knew that this wasn't just something guitar-based. All of the guitar parts would be on there. But the orchestra needed to sit there, reflecting those other parts, doing what the guitars were but with the colors of a symphony." Speaking with Dan Rather in 2018, Robert Plant said: "It was a great achievement to take such a monstrously dramatic musical piece and find a lyric that was ambiguous enough, and a delivery that was not over-pumped. It was almost the antithesis of the music, this lyric and this vocal delivery that was just about enough to get in there."
All band members agreed this was one of their best musical achievements. Robert Plant said it was "One of my favorites... it was so positive, lyrically." Page has answered the question "What is the greatest Zeppelin riff of all" by citing this song. John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound. Led Zeppelin archivist Dave Lewis comments: “Unquestionably the most startling and impressive track on Physical Graffiti, and arguably the most progressive and original track that Led Zeppelin ever recorded. ‘Kashmir’ went a long way towards establishing their credibility with otherwise skeptical rock critics. Many would regard this track as the finest example of the sheer majesty of Zeppelin's special chemistry.”
The song runs for 8:31 minutes. Radio stations had no problem playing it, especially after ‘Stairway To Heaven,’ which was almost as long, did so well. Led Zeppelin played this in every live show from it's debut in 1975 to their last concert in 1980.
Label – Swan Song
Songwriters – John Bonham, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer – Jimmy Page
SONG LYRICS
[Instrumental Intro][Verse 1]
Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face
With stars to fill my dreams
I am a traveler of both time and space
To be where I have been
Sit with elders of a gentle race
This world has seldom seen
Talk of days for which they sit and wait
All will be revealed
[Verse 2]
Talk and song from tongues of lilting grace
Whose sounds caress my ear
But not a word I heard could I relate
The story was quite clear
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
[Bridge]
Ooooh
Oh, baby, I been flying
No, yeah, mama, there ain't no denying
Oh, ooh, yeah, I've been flying
Mama, mama, ain't no denying, no denying
Oh, all I see turns to brown
As the sun burns the ground
And my eyes fill with sand
As I scan this wasted land
Trying to find, trying to find, where I've been
[Verse 3]
Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
Like thoughts inside a dream
Here is the path that led me to that place
Yellow desert stream
My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon
I will return again
Sure as the dust that floats high in June
When movin' through Kashmir
[Verse 4]
Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails
Across the sea of years
With no provision but an open face
Along the straits of fear
Oh, oh
Oh, oh
Ooh
Ooooh
[Outro]
Oh, when I'm on, when I'm on my way, yeah
When I see, when I see the way you stay, yeah
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah, when I'm down, yeah
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah, but I'm down, so down
Ooh, my baby, ooh, my baby, let me take you there
Oh, oh, come on, come on, oh, let me take you there, let me take you there
Ooh, yeah-yeah, ooh, yeah-yeah, let me take you there, let me take you there