Presence cover art

  Studio Album · No. 7

Presence Songwriting Credits by Led Zeppelin

1976 Swan Song Records 7 tracks 44 min

Produced by Jimmy Page  ·  Engineered by Keith Harwood, Jeremy Gee

Swan Song Records Hard RockBlues Rock
100%
Authorship
Complete Artist

Holds writing credit on 7 of 7 tracks

Authorship Breakdown 7 / 7 documented

Who wrote the songs?

Scored across the 7 tracks with documented writers, by whether Led Zeppelin carries a lyricist or composer credit.

100%
7 trackswritten by Led Zeppelin 0 tracksoutside writers
Led Zeppelin's roles on this album

Share of the 7 tracks where a band member is credited, by role.

Lyricist100%
Composer100%
Producer100%
Performer100%

By the Numbers

7
Tracks
4
Lyricists
1
Producers
3 million
US Copies Sold
1976
Released
Data Insight

Page and Plant dominate the writing here, accounting for six of the seven tracks, with 'Royal Orleans' credited to all four members. 'Nobody's Fault but Mine' carries a Page/Plant credit but is openly adapted from the Blind Willie Johnson gospel-blues recorded in 1928. The ten-minute 'Achilles Last Stand' is a Page and Plant piece, with Page layering all of its guitar overdubs in a single evening. The album was written and recorded fast in late 1975 at Musicland Studios in Munich while Plant was recovering from a serious car accident, much of it tracked from a wheelchair.

Presence is the 1976 seventh studio album by Led Zeppelin and represents a deliberate return to hard rock and blues rock fundamentals. It was recorded at Musicland Studios in Munich over 18 days, the fastest turnaround since the band's debut, and produced by Jimmy Page while Robert Plant, recovering from a car accident, sang from a wheelchair. The album is the band's only studio record to feature no keyboards and contains minimal acoustic guitar, with Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on bass, and John Bonham on drums, across tracks such as "Achilles Last Stand", "Nobody's Fault but Mine", and "Candy Store Rock". It reached number 1 on both the Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart and was certified 3 times platinum in the United States. Though initially overshadowed by the band's concurrent film, it has been re-evaluated favorably for its directness and intensity.

Track Listing & Credits 7 tracks

Written by the artist Written by outside writers
#TitleLyricist(s)Composer(s)Producer(s)Performers
1
Achilles Last Stand
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
2
For Your Life
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
3
Royal Orleans
Jimmy PageRobert PlantJohn Paul JonesJohn Bonham Jimmy PageRobert PlantJohn BaldwinJohn Bonham Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
4
Nobody's Fault but Mine
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
5
Candy Store Rock
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
6
Hots on for Nowhere
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)
7
Tea for One
Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy PageRobert Plant Jimmy Page Robert Plant (Lead Vocals)

Songwriter & Credit Spotlight 5 contributors

JP
Jimmy Page
Writer · Producer
On this album7 written
RP
Robert Plant
Writer · Vocals
On this album7 written
JB
John Baldwin
Writer
On this album1 written
JB
John Bonham
Writer
On this album1 written
JP
John Paul Jones
Writer
On this album1 written

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Frequently Asked Questions Presence

When was Led Zeppelin's Presence released and on what label?
Presence was released on March 31, 1976 in the US on Swan Song Records, the band's own label. It was produced by Jimmy Page. The album topped both the US Billboard 200 and the UK Albums Chart.
Why was Presence written and recorded so quickly?
Led Zeppelin wrote and recorded Presence in a matter of weeks in late 1975 at Musicland Studios in Munich, working against a tight studio booking. Robert Plant was recovering from a serious August 1975 car crash in Greece and recorded much of his vocals from a wheelchair. That circumstance directly shaped the album's urgent, guitar-heavy mood.
Is Nobody's Fault but Mine a Led Zeppelin original?
It carries a Page and Plant credit but is adapted from a Blind Willie Johnson gospel-blues first recorded in 1928. The band reworked the traditional material into a heavy rock arrangement. The attribution has been a frequent point of discussion about Led Zeppelin's use of blues sources.
How long is Achilles Last Stand?
'Achilles Last Stand' runs 10 minutes and 26 seconds, making it one of Led Zeppelin's longest studio tracks. Jimmy Page recorded all of its layered guitar overdubs in a single night. Its working title was 'The Wheelchair Song,' a reference to Plant's injury at the time.
What single was released from Presence?
'Candy Store Rock' was the album's only single, released in the US on June 18, 1976 backed with 'Royal Orleans.' It failed to chart on the Billboard Hot 100. No other singles were issued from the album.
Who wrote the songs on Presence?
Page and Plant wrote six of the seven tracks, with 'Royal Orleans' credited to all four members. John Paul Jones and John Bonham contributed less to the writing than usual on this record. The focus is heavily on Page's guitar work rather than keyboards.
How did Presence sell compared to other Led Zeppelin albums?
Presence is the band's lowest-selling studio album, though it was still certified 3x Platinum by the RIAA on November 25, 1997 for 3 million US units. It also reached Platinum in the UK, Canada, and New Zealand. Despite the lower sales, it debuted at number one in both the US and UK.

Sources

Wikipedia: Presence Wikipedia: Presence (album) Wikipedia: Candy Store Rock Wikipedia: Achilles Last Stand MusicBrainz release group Cover Art Archive front cover Cover Art Archive: Presence by Led Zeppelin