Australian singles chart:
Rock and Roll entered the Kent charts on 8 May 1972 and peaked at #51.
Album:
The songs is on Led Zeppelin IV which entered the Kent album charts in Australia on 20 December 1971 and peaked at #2.
Songwriters:
John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer:
Jimmy Page
Record label of Australian release:
Atlantic
Songfacts:
As the title suggests, the song is based on one of the most popular structures in rock and roll; namely, the 12-bar blues progression (in A). The phrase “Rock and Roll” was a term blues musicians used, which meant sex.
Robert Plant wrote the lyrics, which were a response to critics who claimed their previous album, Led Zeppelin III, wasn’t really rock and roll. Led Zeppelin III had more of an acoustic folk sound, and Plant wanted to prove they could still rock out.
The lyric “It’s been a long time since the book of love” is a reference to the Monotones’ 1958 hit Book Of Love.
Read more: www.songfacts.com/facts/led-zeppelin/rock-and-roll
This song is also on our Spotify playlists Bang a Gong – the 70s and Bang a Gong – rockin’ the 60s & 70s
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