Led Zeppelin’s rapid rise through the rock stratosphere was nothing short of legendary. In just over two years, they released four groundbreaking albums and circled the globe in a whirlwind of tours and reinvention. But not every song came together overnight. Some, like the hauntingly beautiful “Tangerine,” carried years of quiet evolution.
Released in October 1970 as part of Led Zeppelin III, “Tangerine” felt like a pause in the storm—a delicate mix of English folk and West Coast acoustic dreaminess. It was during the band’s stay at Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in the Welsh countryside, that Jimmy Page began shaping the song into what fans would eventually hear.
At Bron-Yr-Aur, Zeppelin took a step back from their electric fury and embraced a softer, more introspective sound. “Tangerine” bloomed in that peaceful isolation. With Page adding gentle touches on pedal steel and John Paul Jones picking up the mandolin, the song shimmered with restraint. Robert Plant’s voice, tender and distant, wrapped around the lyrics:
“Measuring a summer’s day / I only find it slips away to grey…”
But the journey of “Tangerine” began long before Bron-Yr-Aur. In fact, its roots stretch back three years to Page’s final days with The Yardbirds. On the Yardbirds ’68 album, a track titled “Knowing That I’m Losing You” features an instrumental version of what would later become “Tangerine.” The original vocals by Keith Relf were stripped away, but the emotional thread remained.
For Page, the song carried personal weight. He later revealed it was inspired by and dedicated to Jackie DeShannon, his girlfriend at the time he first wrote it. The lyrics, filled with longing and reflection, hint at a love fading with time.
In a 1977 interview with Guitar Player, Page spoke about the evolution of the track and his spontaneous use of pedal steel:
“I had never played steel before, but I just picked it up… It’s a bit of a pinch really from the things that Chuck Berry did. Nevertheless, it fits.”
While it may not be Zeppelin’s loudest or most iconic song, “Tangerine” lingers like a memory—quiet, aching, and entirely human. It’s a reminder that behind every rock anthem lies a softer truth, one that sometimes takes years to find its voice.
