"Celebration Day"

The third track off "Led Zeppelin III" is a tune titled "Celebration Day". The song had it's origins as a sort of ode to New York City, indeed, when Robert Plant would introduce it on their 1971 U.S. Tour, he would often refer to it as "The New York Song". "Celebration Day" almost didn't make it on to the album due to an error made by an engineer as Jimmy explained to Guitar World Magazine in 1993:

"The rhythm track in the beginning of "Celebration Day" was completely wiped by an engineer. I forget what we were recording, but I was listening through the headphones and nothing was coming through. I started yelling "What the hell is going on!!" Then I noticed that the red recording light was on what used to be the drums. The engineer had accidently recorded over Bonzo! And that is why you have that synthesizer drone from the end of "Friends" going into "Celebration Day", until the rhythm track catches up. We put that on to compensate for the missing drum track. That's called "salvaging"

The song itself is quite dynamic with an jangly repeating riffs thrown in and a bombastic solo in the middle. In the same interview as before Jimmy described his guitar work on the song,

"There's about three or four riffs going down on that one, isn't there? Half was done with a guitar in standard tuning and the other half was done on slide guitar tuned to an open A, I think. We put that together at Headley Grange. Because we rented the Rolling Stones' mobile recording studio, we could relax and take our time and develop the songs in rehearsals. I do not remember too much about that song other than that and what I told you earlier about the opening being erased. I used to play the whole thing live on my electric 12-string"

"Celebration Day" was included in the band's live set list from 1971 through 1973, when it was then dropped in favor of other songs from the band's catalog. It reappeared once again however at their Knebworth shows in 1979. If you'd like to see a live performance of the song, you can check it out on the live album/film "The Song Remains the Same"

Jimmy at Knebworth in 197

For this song a 12 string guitar is preferred but not necessary. It's a tricky number to be sure, especially the intro, but once you nail down the tempo you should be fine. What it basically boils down to in essence is two riffs and a solo that's a lot of fun to play. Enjoy!

[Intro]
E|6777777767777777|6777677767777888|899999999999999-|
B|5666666656666666|5666566656666777|788888888888888-|
G|6777777767777777|5666566656666777|899999999999999-|
D|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A|----------------|----------------|---------------0|
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|

E|------------------|------------------|----------999999|
B|------------------|------------------|----------888888|
G|------------------|------------------|----------999999|
D|------------------|------------------|----------------|
A|0-120010009707-053|0-120010009707-053|0-430-12--------|
E|------------------|------------------|----------------|

E|99---------------|----------999999|99---------------|
B|88---------------|----------888888|88---------------|
G|99---------------|----------999999|99---------------|
D|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|
A|----0-0010009003-|0-43-0-12-------|----0-0010009003-|
E|-----------------|----------------|-----------------|

[Riff 1]
                   (play this rapidly)
E| ----------------9--9--9--9--9-|9--9--------------- | 
B| ----------------8--8--8--8--8-|8--8--------------- |
G|o-----------2----9--9--9--9--9-|9--9---------------o|
D|o------------------------------|-------------------o|
A| --0-43--0---------------------|12-12-0-0010009003- |
E| ------------------------------|------------------- |

[Riff 2]
E|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
B|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
G|----------------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
D|8---8-----------|----------------|----------------|----------------|
A|10--10--------5-|--5-5--55-5-7-8-|--8-10888-----3-|--3-3-333-333-33|
E|8---8--80-1-2-3-|--3-3--33-3-5-6-|--6-6---6---0-1-|--1-1-111-111-11|

E|----------------|----------------|----------------|---------------------|
B|----------------|----------------|----------------|--8--8--8---77--7-7--|
G|----------------|----------------|---------------9|1010-10-10-899--9-9--|
D|8---------------|------------6---|----------------|---------------------|
A|10--12--------5-|--5-5-555-5-7-8-|--8-10888-8-----|---------------------|
E|8---8--80-1-2-3-|--3-3-333-3-5-6-|--6-6-666-6-0---|---------------------|

Song Progression:

[Intro]

With [Riff 1]:

Her face is cracked from smiling,
all the fears that she's been hiding,
and it seems that pretty soon
evr'ybody's gonna know.

And her voice is sore from shouting,
cheering winners who are losing,
and she wonders if their days are few
and soon they'll have to go.

[Riff 1] once more, then

With [Riff 2]: (chords shown here for reference)

C            G
My, my, my, I'm so happy,
Bb                F
I'm gonna join the band.
 C                     G
We are gonna dance and sing in celebration,
 Bb                   F  E
we are in the promised land.

With [Riff 1]:

She hears them talk of new ways
to protect the home she lives in,
Then she wonders what it's all about
when they break down the door.
Her name is Brown or White or Black;
you know her very well.
You hear her cries of mercy
as the winners toll the bell.

With [Riff 2]:

My, my, my, I'm so happy,
I'm gonna join the band.
We are gonna sing and dance in celebration,
we are in the promised land.

[Solo]:


E|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
B|-15b17--15b17--15b17r15p13-15b17-15-|-(15)-----------13-15p13---15p13---|
G|------------------------------------|-----12---12-14----------14-----14-|
D|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
A|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|
E|------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|

E|------------15------------|-------------8p5----------|
B|-13---15-13----15b17-15b17|-(17)-15b17-----8p5-8p5---|
G|--------------------------|-----------------------7p5|
D|--------------------------|--------------------------|
A|--------------------------|--------------------------|
E|--------------------------|--------------------------|

E|----------------------|------------------------|----------------8|
B|----------------------|------------------------|-----------------|
G|-7b9-7b9-7b9r7p5-7b9r7|-(17)------5-7p5-5-7p5--|-5--7-5--5--8h9--|
D|----------------------|-----5--5h7-----7-----7-|-----------------|
A|----------------------|------------------------|-----------------|
E|----------------------|------------------------|-----------------|

E|-------13----13--------12----12-|
B|--------------------------------|
G|-12/14----14-----12/13----13----|
D|--------------------------------|
A|--------------------------------|
E|--------------------------------|

With [Riff 1]:

There is a train that leaves the station
heading for your destination,
But the price you pay to nowhere
has increased a dollar more. Yes, it has!
And if you walk you're gonna get there
although it takes a little longer,
And when you see it in the distance
you will wring your hands and moan.

Repeat [Riff 1] until fade out