| "Carouselambra" | |
|---|---|
| Song |
"Carouselambra" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through The Out Door. The name Carouselambra is a reference to the first section of the song sounding similar to carousel music. It is the second longest song the band recorded in the studio (to "In My Time of Dying"), clocking in at over ten-and-one-half minutes in length. It is also a very unusual song for the band, as Jimmy Page's guitar work is pushed almost to the background, while John Paul Jones dominates with heavy use of synthesizers. These characteristics have often prompted comparisons with progressive rock.
The song itself is split in three sections. The first section is a fast-paced showcase of Jones on synthesizer (he overdubbed a bass guitar part), with Robert Plant's vocals mixed down slightly underneath Jones and the drums of John Bonham and Page's guitar chord progression. The second section is a much slower paced part, highlighting Page's use of the Gibson EDS-1275 double-necked guitar, the only time he used that instrument on a Led Zeppelin studio song, while Plant sings some reflective lyrics. The final section returns to an up-tempo beat, with all four band members performing in unison.
The song is in standard 4/4 timing in the key of C major. The lyrics to the first section of the song follow a rough "ABAB" rythmical format. In the second and third sections of the song the format changes along with the instruments, but keeps the same tempo in 4/4 and stays in C major.
Plant's lyrics, particularly in the first section of the song, are somewhat buried in the mix and are difficult to discern. According to an interview Plant gave in 1979, the song was about someone who, when one day realising the song was written about them, would say, "My God! Was it really like that?"
The song was never played live by the band at Led Zeppelin concerts. It was rumored to be among one of the songs the band was to debut in concert on their 1980 North American concert tour. However, Bonham died a few weeks before that tour was to begin.
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