"D'yer Mak'er" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, from
their 1973 album Houses of the Holy. The title is a play on the word
"Jamaica" when spoken in an English accent. The title, which does not
appear in the lyrics, was chosen because it reflects the reggae feel
of the song. In the United States, it was released as the only single
from Houses of the Holy and peaked at #20 on the Billboard Hot 100.
This song was meant to imitate reggae and its "dub" derivative emerging
from Jamaica in the early 1970s. It's genesis is traced to Led Zeppelin's
rehearsals at Stargroves in 1972, when drummer John Bonham started
with a beat similar to 1950s doo-wop, and then twisted it into a slight
off beat tempo, upon which a reggae influence emerged. In a 2005 interview,
Plant discussed the different interpretations and pronunciations of the
name of the song. He explained that the title is derived from an old joke,
where two friends have the following exchange: "My wife's gone to the
West Indies." "Jamaica?" (which in an English accent sounds like
"Did you make her?") "No, she wanted to go"
Houses of the Holy is the fifth studio album by the English rock band
Led Zeppelin. It was released on 28 March 1973 by Atlantic Records.
The LP topped the album charts in both the UK and the US.
A Playlist of all HT Class of '73 Songs of the Day is available by clicking below:
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