In the days before you could download just about anything you wanted, be it single songs, whole albums, live recordings, b-sides, Japanese releases, demos, or bootlegs, some things were really hard to come by. One of those rare gems was Led Zeppelin's "Hey Hey What Can I Do."Recorded at the time of their third album, HHWCID was released as a b-side to the legendary "Immigrant Song" but was the one Zeppelin cut that was unavailable on any of their albums, including the posthumous CODA record which compiled many rare tracks from throughout their career. The first time I heard it was on a local radio station's nightly "Getting the Led Out" segment that came on at 10:00. Since HHWCID was so hard to come by, it was frequently on DC-101's Zeppelin playlist. I ended up coming across the 45 of "The Immigrant Song" in a record store one day and saw the Holy Grail on the back of it. I was psyched and immediately recorded it onto a cassette tape to listen to in my car. Man... those were the days! Years later, when Zeppelin first remastered selections from their catalogue in a four disc box set, HHWCID was a big highlight.
I've always loved the style of HHWCID. It showcases the more mellow, acoustic side of Zeppelin, a band more famous for their pounding drums and overall heaviness. This little number is replete with acoustic guitars and mandolins. Even the thunderous throat of Robert Plant is held in check most of the time. The song is one sad fella's lament about his girl who just won't be true to him. Unfortunately, if you listen closely, the poor sucker is in love with a prostitute it seems, "a street corner girl" who wants to "ball all day" and do "the midnight shift... in the bars with the men who play guitars." Sorry, bro... you picked the wrong lady. It's a fun song and a humorous little narrative with a great sing-a-long chorus.
"Hey Hey What Can I Do" can be found on the four disc box set "Led Zeppelin." To hear the song, click on the icon in the widget jukebox along the side of the blog.
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