Ever since hard rock progenitors Led Zeppelin burst onto the scene in 1968, countless young hopefuls have been trying – and, largely, failing – to emulate the incredible guitar stylings of songwriter Jimmy Page. While many of Zeppelin’s tracks are based around relatively simple riffs, such as ‘Whole Lotta Love’, Page was not afraid to throw a few curveballs in there either, leaving many guitar obsessives scratching their heads.
One such moment comes on Led Zeppelin’s groundbreaking track ‘Immigrant Song’, taken from their 1970 record Led Zeppelin III. Built around a seemingly simple riff and the banshee vocals of lead singer Robert Plant, the song is among the band’s most recognisable tracks, so you would think that, by now, its guitar tabs and chord progressions have been extensively documented and repeated. On the contrary, one particular chord within the track remains shrouded in mystery.
For the uninitiated, this mystery chord can be heard in the track after Plant sings “For peace and trust can win the day in spite of all your losing,” before being repeated on the last beat of every bar. The exact chord used by Page has caused many a sleepless night for guitarists, as they fruitlessly try to work out what on Earth he was playing. Even today, many online tabs of the song incorrectly cite the chord as being everything from a C7 to a barred G minor, with some even believing it to be a C#.
Seemingly, Jimmy Page himself seems to have enjoyed the mysterious controversy surrounding the chord. Speaking to Guitar World back in 2010, he shared, “It’s a block chord that people never get right,” explaining, “It pulls the whole tension of the piece into another area or another dimension just for that moment. And a bit of backward echo makes it a bit more complete. It’s putting all these elements together that makes the music have depth”.
According to the guitarist, the strange chord took shape during the writing of ‘Immigrant Song’, with Page fondly recalling, “Not only was it audacious, but it’s a chord that nobody could work out, which is even better”. It is possible that this mystery chord has been the best-kept secret in rock history, leaving Zeppelin fans and guitar aficionados confused for over five decades. Thankfully, though, Page was not going to leave us all in the dark forever.
Under direct supervision of Jimmy Page, Alfred Music released a detailed collection of arrangements for the Platinum Edition of Led Zeppelin III. This songbook finally provided an answer to the chord that Page was playing on ‘Immigrant Song’. As it turns out, it was a G minor, but with a bit of a twist. Played from the bottom up, and only on the second, third, fifth and sixth strings, this strange chord invention speaks to the prolific talents of Page. The reason why so many tabs list the chord as a variation of C is likely due to the fact that the chord is overlaid with John Paul Jones playing a C on bass.
So, while it might still take a while to get used to playing this admittedly odd chord, fans of Led Zeppelin can now rest easy knowing that the correct arrangement for ‘Immigrant Song’ is finally out there, ready to be played and enjoyed.
