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Under the thunder that opens Led Zeppelin's 'When the Levee Breaks'

Led Zeppelin performing at the Empire Pool in London.
Michael Putland
/
Getty Images
Led Zeppelin performing at the Empire Pool in London.

NPR turns 50 this year, and we're marking it by looking back on some other things that happened in 1971.

On this day fifty years ago, rock and roll fans lost their minds: It marks the release of Led Zeppelin's untitled fourth album.

While "Stairway to Heaven" remains one of the most beloved anthems of all time, and other songs like "Black Dog" and "Rock and Roll" became staples of rock radio, there's a piece of the record that has become singularly iconic.

At the beginning of the last track, "When the Levee Breaks," drummer John Bonham pounded out a storming passage for the ages. The Beastie Boys used it; Beyonce borrowed the beat for Lemonade; it's on Sophie B. Hawkins' biggest hit; it's in Tarantino's Kill Bill — to date, that break has been sampled on more than 200 songs.

Veteran music writer Tom Moon joins Morning Edition to dig into the specifics of why this undeniably resonant moment went on to become an indelible part of music history.

You can listen to the broadcast version of this story in the audio player above.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Phil Harrell is a producer with Morning Edition, NPR's award-winning newsmagazine. He has been at NPR since 1999.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.