Fool In the Rain by Led Zeppelin Song Info
"Fool in the Rain" is a song on English rock band Led Zeppelin's 1979 album, In Through the Out Door. It was their final U.S. single released during the band's tenure, reaching number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in February 1980. The song exhibits a Latin feel. Drummer John Bonham plays a half-time shuffle beat similar to the "Purdie shuffle" rhythm attributed to session drummer Bernard Purdie, along with a samba-style breakdown. A master drum track shows that the samba breakdown (2:25) was recorded separately. Bass player John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant developed the idea for the samba beat from watching the 1978 FIFA World Cup tournament in Argentina. Guitarist Jimmy Page used an MXR Blue Box effect pedal during the solo to produce the octave sound. Lyrically, the song is about a man who is supposed to meet a woman on a certain street corner. When the woman doesn't appear, he is filled with grief at being stood up. By the final verse, he realizes that he'd been waiting for her on the wrong corner, making him the "Fool in the Rain." This song was never performed live at Led Zeppelin concerts, as it was heavily studio-based. The piano was quite necessary in the song, but with John Paul Jones on piano, there could be no bass. There is also a twelve-string guitar line at one point in the song and the guitar solo that has to be pulled off. However, on October 5, 2005, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant performed the song with Pearl Jam at a Hurricane Katrina benefit show.
