Black Dog

About this song

The title was taken from a Labrador that wandered around the studio while Led Zeppelin was recording. The song's iconic guitar riff was considered hard to play even by Jimmy Page. The riff was written by bassist John Paul Jones and is in 9/8 time, while drummer John Bonham played in 4/4.

What it's about

Robert Plant laments a failed relationship with a gold digger. The term black dog has also been used for negative emotions and for a Hellhound, a mythical creature said to follow someone before they die.

Fun facts

• Sampled in 6 other songs, like “Black by Galactic Hole”.
• Covered 9 times, including “Black Dog (1997) by Zakk Wylde”.
• Written by Robert Plant, Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones.
• Produced by Jimmy Page.
• Recorded at Rolling Stones Mobile.