"Kashmir" is considered to be one of Led Zeppelin's most successful songs, and all four band members agreed that this was one of their best musical achievements.[1]John Paul Jones suggested that it showcases all of the elements that made up the Led Zeppelin sound, while Robert Plant cites it as his favorite Led Zeppelin song overall. Reportedly, this is partly due to Plant's annoyance at having to explain the lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven". In an interview he gave to Rolling Stone magazine in 1988, Plant stated that Kashmir was "the definitive Led Zeppelin song." He also said in an audio documentary that he loved this song not only because of its intensity but also because it was so intense without being considered "heavy metal", a label no one in the band liked. Plant wrote the lyrics in 1973 while driving through the Sahara Desert in Morocco, despite the fact that the song is named for Kashmir, a region in the northernmost part of the Indian subcontinent. The original title was "Driving To Kashmir."[2] The song is centered around a signature chord progression guitar riff, which originally began as a tuning cycle which guitarist Jimmy Page had been using for years. It is played in an alternative guitar tuning: the strings are tuned to 'Open Dsus4' or DADGAD. The body of the song also has a different beat between the guitars and the drums. The drums play the standard 4/4 time signature with a double stroke on the bass drum, while the guitars create tension by playing against it in [implied] 3/4 time [3]. Drummer John Bonham has been cited as the source for the main 3/4 riff and has an official credit as co-songwriter. Bonham's drums feature a phasing effect courtesy of an early Eventide phaser supplied by engineer Ron Nevison. [4] Plant has stated that Bonham's drumming is the key to the song: "It was what he didn't do that made it work." The song also includes many distinctive musical patterns of classical Moroccan, Indian, and Middle Eastern music. Orchestral brass and strings with electric guitar and mellotron strings are used in the song. This is one of the few Zeppelin songs to use outside musicians. Session players were brought in for the string and horn sections. According to Jones, "The secret of successful keyboard string parts is to play only the parts that a real string section would play. That is, one line for the First Violins, one line for Second Violins, one for Violas, one for Cellos, one for Basses. Some divided parts [two or more notes to a line] are allowed, but keep them to a minimum. Think melodically."[5] The song runs for 8:28, a length that radio stations usually consider too long to play. However, upon its release radio stations had no problem playing "Kashmir", especially after seeing "Stairway to Heaven", which was almost as long, do so well. (Original LP releases of Physical Graffiti incorrectly list the song's length as 9:41.) "Kashmir" was played live at every Led Zeppelin concert from its debut in 1975 to their reunion concert on December 10, 2007. One live version, from Led Zeppelin's performance at Knebworth in 1979, is featured on disc 2 of the Led Zeppelin DVD. "Kashmir" was also performed at Led Zeppelin's reunion show at the O2 Arena, London on December 10, 2007.
The song's undercurrent of Asian/Arabic rhythm led to a cover version by Ofra Haza, a song previously unreleased on her 1995 album "Queen in Exile", but later released in 2003 on the album "Greatest Hits - Volume 2". Another version was also recorded on the 1995 single "Mata Hari".
Progressive Rock band the Dixie Dregs have a live instrumental version of "Kashmir", with guitarist Steve Morse playing Robert Plant's vocal melody on guitar.
Also Finnish Progressive Rock band Five Fifteen have recorded "Kashmir". It was released on Spinefarm HardCovers compilation in 2004.
The tune was sampled by Sean "Puffy" Combs (now known as Diddy) in his song "Come With Me" from the soundtrack to the movie Godzilla (1998), which featured live guitar parts from Tom Morello. Jimmy Page, who endorsed Combs' adaptation, appears in the video and also played it with him on Saturday Night Live. Snippets of the song were used in the X Factor series 3 and in the German TV show TV Total.
In the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High, Mike Damone (Robert Romanus) tells Mark Ratner (Brian Backer) to always play side 1 of Led Zeppelin IV when he's on a date. In the next scene, he is on the date with "Kashmir" playing in the car. Mark therefore "blows" the date, since he plays the wrong Led Zeppelin album. In actuality, Universal Pictures couldn't get the rights to any of the songs on Led Zeppelin IV, despite screenwriter Cameron Crowe's prior relationship to the band, so they opted to use "Kashmir" instead.
The lyrics to "Kashmir" are featured in the movie Ocean's Twelve. Matt Damon's character quotes the first two lines of the song in a scene with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Robbie Coltrane. The other three men say seemingly non-sensical phrases and upon Matt Damon's turn he does not know what to say so he quotes "Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face/stars to fill my dream/I am a traveler of both time and space/to be where I have been." After Pitt, Clooney and Damon leave the restaurant where the scene took place, Pitt gives Damon a derisive look and sarcastically says "Kashmir?"
DrummerRoger Taylor cited that Queen's own epic track "Innuendo" was heavily influenced by this song. On the video "Champions of the World," he described the song as "Oscar Wilde meets Led Zeppelin." Robert Plant incorporated a fragment of the song in his performance of Innuendo with Queen at the Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert.
The song was featured (again without lyrics) for the final round of the Irish game show 'It's a Family Affair' which was hosted by comedian Dara Ó Briain.
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
References
^ Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke
^ Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Biography by Ritchie Yorke
^ Janovitz, Bill. "Kashmir", All Music Guide: "The main body has the drums playing a 2/4 time signature, while the rising musical theme tags along greatly by playing in 3/4 time."
