Since I've Been Loving You

Led Zeppelin, 1970. Solo by Jimmy Page.

Page's finest slow blues. The solo breaks sweat and cracks, and it sounds live even though it isn't.

The band's performance was captured largely live, but Page cut this solo in a single take in Memphis while finishing the album, through an amplifier left behind in the studio, with no special tone shaping. That rawness is part of the appeal: notes crack and strain, and it sounds like someone playing in the room. The solo builds from slow, pleading bends into faster, stinging runs that climb alongside John Paul Jones's organ and Bonham's crashing drums before handing back to Plant. It takes the slow blues form and pushes it somewhere personal rather than imitating older players. Listen for the moments where Page's tone breaks up and nearly cracks; those imperfections give the solo its sense of emotional strain.

Since I've Been Loving You by Led Zeppelin is ranked #27 in our consensus of 79 guitar-solo lists. The solo is played by Jimmy Page and the song was released in 1970. It appears on 19 lists, placing as high as #2 (Moises.ai blog).

The story of Since I've Been Loving You

Since I've Been Loving You was one of the first songs Led Zeppelin had ready for their third album. Its roots go back even further: the band had begun working on it during the Led Zeppelin II sessions, but it lost its place to Whole Lotta Love. They kept playing it and it became a concert favourite before it was ever released. Songfacts notes that the opening riff draws on the Yardbirds' New York City Blues, recorded before Jimmy Page joined that band.

Robert Plant's lyric follows the classic slow-blues story of a man worn down by work and an unfaithful partner. Its opening and closing lines closely resemble Never, a 1968 Moby Grape song from the Grape Jam bonus disc packaged with their album Wow, which Plant apparently used as a starting point. The song is written as a minor-key blues and gives Plant one of his most demanding vocal showcases, stretching from a hushed croon to piercing high cries.

Unlike many Zeppelin tracks, it was cut essentially live in the studio with very few overdubs, yet Page later said it was the hardest song to record on the album, despite the band knowing it well from the stage. John Paul Jones played Hammond organ and handled the bass line with his feet on the organ's bass pedals rather than playing bass guitar. John Bonham's Ludwig Speed King kick pedal squeaked audibly throughout the take, a noise that remains on the finished record.

Led Zeppelin III was assembled from sessions at Headley Grange using the Rolling Stones' mobile studio, plus Olympic and Island Studios in London, with final work at Ardent Studios in Memphis, where engineer Terry Manning assisted Page. Atlantic released the album on October 5, 1970. Some early critics were unkind; Lester Bangs dismissed the song in Rolling Stone as a dull seven-minute blues jam, while Robert Christgau praised its thick wall of organ and called it the ultimate power blues.

The solo

Jimmy Page's solo is the centrepiece of the track and is often ranked among the finest in rock. While the band's performance was captured largely live in England, Page cut the solo while finishing the album in Memphis, with engineer Terry Manning at the desk. Manning has said it was done in a single take through a forgotten brand of amplifier left behind by whichever group had last used the room, with no special tone shaping at all. The solo builds from slow, pleading bends into faster, stinging runs that climb in intensity alongside Jones's organ and Bonham's crashing drums, before handing back to Plant. Joe Satriani has praised it as a player taking a blues form and striking out in his own direction rather than copying.

Legacy

Since I've Been Loving You is widely considered Led Zeppelin's finest slow blues. Terry Manning called Page's solo the best rock guitar solo of all time, UK magazine Guitarist ranked it eighth in its 1998 list of the top 100 solos, and Guitar World placed it 53rd the same year. German magazine Sounds listed the track 16th among the top songs ever in 1992. It remained a live highlight throughout the band's career and was revived for their 2007 reunion concert in London.

Top 10 facts about Since I've Been Loving You

The song was started during the Led Zeppelin II sessions but was dropped in favour of Whole Lotta Love.
Songfacts
Its opening riff is derived from the Yardbirds' New York City Blues, recorded before Page joined that band.
Songfacts
The opening and closing lyrics closely resemble Moby Grape's 1968 song Never.
Wikipedia
John Paul Jones played the bass part on the organ's foot pedals instead of a bass guitar.
Wikipedia
John Bonham's squeaky Ludwig Speed King pedal can be heard throughout the recording, earning it the nickname Squeak King.
Wikipedia
Page called it the toughest track to record on Led Zeppelin III.
Cheat Sheet
Terry Manning said Page played the solo in one take through an unknown amp left behind by another band, with no tone tweaking.
Cheat Sheet
Lester Bangs' Rolling Stone review called it a lethally dull blues jam, while Robert Christgau hailed it as the ultimate power blues.
Wikipedia
The song was dropped from the 1975 tour setlist after Page broke his ring finger.
Songfacts
Guitarist magazine ranked the solo No. 8 in its 1998 list of the top 100 guitar solos.
Wikipedia

Live versions

How the West Was Won (Long Beach Arena) (1972) Eight-minute version from June 27, 1972, released on the 2003 live album.
The Song Remains the Same (Madison Square Garden) (1973) July 1973 performance with a fiery Page intro, added to the 2007 soundtrack reissue.
Celebration Day (The O2, London) (2007) Nearly nine-minute reunion performance from December 10, 2007, released in 2012.

Notable covers

Great White (1998) Live version recorded in Santa Ana in 1996 for Great Zeppelin: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin.
Gov't Mule with Jason Bonham (2016) Played in Miami Beach on the 36th anniversary of John Bonham's death.

In our lists

Deep Cuts — #2
The 25 Greatest Blues Rock Guitar Solos — #3
The 1970s — #10
Ballad Solos — #5
Best of Jimmy Page — #2
Played on a Les Paul — #8
Fans' Picks — #25

Sources

What guitar was used on the Since I've Been Loving You solo?

A gibson les paul through a Marshall amp, according to widely reported accounts.

Where does Since I've Been Loving You rank among the greatest guitar solos?

#27 in the GreatestSolos consensus of 79 published lists; it appears on 19 of them.

Who played the guitar solo on Since I've Been Loving You?

Jimmy Page, who also produced the album.

Where was the Since I've Been Loving You solo recorded?

According to engineer Terry Manning, Page recorded it in one take in Memphis while finishing Led Zeppelin III.

Who plays bass on Since I've Been Loving You?

John Paul Jones covered the bass part with his feet on the Hammond organ's bass pedals.

What is the squeaking noise in Since I've Been Loving You?

It is John Bonham's bass drum pedal, a Ludwig Speed King, squeaking throughout the take.

What album is Since I've Been Loving You on?

Led Zeppelin III, released by Atlantic on October 5, 1970.