Trampled Under Foot
As the likes of The Lemon Song, How Many More Times, Bring It On Home and In My Time Of Dying all prove, Led Zeppelin were no slouches when it came to reinterpreting and/or reimagining old blues songs. Trampled Underfoot could also be added to this list, in that it broadly reimagines Delta blues legend Robert Johnson’s car song Terraplane Blues, with Plant’s innuendo-laden lyrics (full of car-related metaphors such as “pump your gas” and “rev all night”) straying far from Johnson’s cautions against the dangers of infidelity.
It is, however, the song’s musical backdrop which is especially revelatory. Led Zeppelin were known primarily as purveyors of thunderous hard rock, yet thanks to Page’s angular riffing, Jones’ Stevie Wonder-esque Clavinet and even drummer John Bonham’ best Clyde Stubblefield impression, the group sound like the funkiest white boys on the block on this brilliant track which became a staple of Led Zeppelin’s live set for the remainder of their career.
