I wrote this track at 4:00am in late August 2016. About 90% of the words and the guitar riff in its entirety came to me as a trade-off for my lack of sleep that night. So, unusually, I didn’t write it with a guitar in my hands or seated at a piano; it just arrived unsolicited in my head. At first I thought the riff was a Beatlesesque one, in the same mould as “Day Tripper” or “Paperback Writer”, perhaps, but as soon as I played it on my acoustic guitar later that morning I realised that it was a classic Led-Zeppelin riff and the rawness of the vocal line left me in no doubt as to the treatment which the song demanded.
I used the score writing software Sibelius to score a provisional drum track for the song. This is where 50 years of standing beside the kick drum in bands left its mark; I know which drum grooves work and which ones don’t. However, my first attempt was far too busy, even by John Bonham’s standards, and when I played an early (and very rough) mix of the track to Mark Thomas, he pointed me in the direction of “Kashmir” for inspiration. In this classic LZ track it is the simplicity and power of the drum track which holds together the cross-rhythms in Jimmy Page’s guitar line and in the string orchestra parts. Mark’s instinct was, as ever, rock solid. As soon as I stripped back the basic beat to a simple four-in-the-bar, the drum fills became twice as effective as they had been in the old version.
The bass guitar part almost wrote itself, as the song is entirely riff-based. I used a Rickenbacker virtual bass which may not be authentic John Paul Jones (who used Alembic instruments) but it works in context. Nowadays I would have used my Variax bass guitar which does emulate an Alembic bass, among many others.
The Jimmy Page part was comparatively easy to put together. My soloing style has always borrowed a great deal from him. I am not the fastest of players so I tend to use cross rhythms a lot when soloing. For the musos out there, this means lots of three-quaver licks crossing over the beats in a four-crotchet bar.
But then came the hardest part of all - singing the Robert Plant vocal. I put this off for a long while, thinking I would never come close, and my first few despondent attempts singing to the backing track convinced me that I wouldn’t be able to do it. But then after about a dozen practices (and a couple of glasses of wine to loosen my inhibitions) a raspy rawness began to develop in my voice - not surprisingly, as the vocal line is very high. A few “ooohs” and “ah yeahs” during the guitar solo also helped to create the live feel to the track.
I have placed this track at more-or-less the mid-point of the CD to counter-balance the opening “Better Late” and “One Day” which is near the end: three tributes to the classic triumvirate of hard rock - the Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Genesis.
Incidentally, my photo featured on the front cover of my CD was taken less than half a mile from Headley Grange – where Led Zeppelin recorded “Stairway to Heaven” among many other tracks.
Instrumentation: All instruments played or programmed by Brian Parks:
Variax guitar (simulating a Les Paul standard guitar), programmed 1970s Ludwig Vistalite Tequila Sunrise drumkit recorded at Abbey Road, programmed upright piano, lead vocals, backing and harmony vocals.
Lyrics
Well you can call me a stranger or you can call me a friend
But don’t you call me your lover ‘cos that’ll be where it ends
Don’t need to spell out the danger ‘cos we should both know the score
So if you call me a stranger we won’t be friends any more
I don’t think you quite understand where you’re going to.
Where you’re gonna wind up. Where you gonna wind up?
Well you can walk if you’re going or try to run if you can
But don’t you stand in my shadow ‘cos honey I’m a marked man
Don’t need to spell out the danger ‘cos you should know me by now
And if you call me a stranger well you’d be better off somehow
I don’t think you quite understand where you’re going to.
Where you’re gonna wind up. Where you gonna wind up?
I don’t think, I don’t think, I don’t think you quite understand where you gonna wind up
Well you can call me a devil or you can call me a saint
But if I call you my woman Well you won’t have much complaint
Don’t need to spell out the danger ‘cos are you sure that you’re not
Just like a dog in a manger who doesn’t need what he’s got
I don’t think you quite understand where you’re going to.
Where you’re gonna wind up. Where you gonna wind up?