When the Levee Breaks

E439790

"When the Levee Breaks" is a classic blues song first recorded by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie in 1929, later famously reinterpreted by Led Zeppelin into a heavy, riff-driven rock track.

All labels observed (1)

Label Occurrences
When the Levee Breaks canonical 13

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (48)

Predicate Object
instanceOf Led Zeppelin song
blues song
rock song
song
song recorded by Led Zeppelin
album Led Zeppelin IV
Untitled fourth Led Zeppelin album
composer Kansas Joe McCoy
Memphis Minnie
countryOfOrigin United States
criticalReception widely regarded as a classic rock track
engineer Andy Johns
featuresInstrument drums
electric guitar
harmonica
genre blues rock
hard rock
heavy rock
hasCoverVersion Led Zeppelin version
hasInfluenced later rock and hip hop production techniques
inspiredByEvent Great Mississippi Flood of 1927
label Atlantic Records
language English
LedZeppelinVersionBassist John Paul Jones
LedZeppelinVersionDrummer John Bonham
LedZeppelinVersionGuitarist Jimmy Page
LedZeppelinVersionRecordingYear 1971
LedZeppelinVersionVocalist Robert Plant
lyricist Kansas Joe McCoy
Memphis Minnie
notableElement backwards echo effects in Led Zeppelin version
notableFor heavily processed drum sound in Led Zeppelin version
originalArtist Kansas Joe McCoy
Memphis Minnie
originalGenre blues
originalRecordingYear 1929
originalReleaseFormat 78 rpm record
performer Led Zeppelin
producer Jimmy Page
recordedBy Led Zeppelin
sampledIn multiple hip hop recordings
structure riff-driven
studio Headley Grange
Island Studios, London
subjectMatter flooding and displacement
tempo slow
title When the Levee Breaks
vocalStyle blues-influenced

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (13)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

The Levee's Gonna Break basedOn When the Levee Breaks
The Levee's Gonna Break sharesSourceWith When the Levee Breaks
Memphis Minnie notableWork When the Levee Breaks
Memphis Minnie wroteSong When the Levee Breaks
Don’t Hurt Yourself sampledWork When the Levee Breaks
John Bonham notableWork When the Levee Breaks
Rhymin & Stealin containsSampleFrom When the Levee Breaks
Rhymin & Stealin hasDrumBreakSample When the Levee Breaks
When the Levee Breaks title When the Levee Breaks
Led Zeppelin IV hasTrack When the Levee Breaks
Led Zeppelin IV notableTrack When the Levee Breaks
Minnie McCoy notableWork When the Levee Breaks
Lizzie Douglas notableWork When the Levee Breaks