Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
| "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" | |
|---|---|
| Single by Led Zeppelin | |
| A-side | "Immigrant Song" |
| Released | 5 November 1970 |
| Recorded | May–June 1970 (?); 29 May 1970[1] |
| Studio | Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire; Olympic Sound Studios, London[1] |
| Genre | Country rock[2] |
| Length | 3:55 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page |
"Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" is a rock ballad song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in 1970 as the B-side of the single "Immigrant Song" in the US.[3]
Releases
After its release on a single, "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" was included on the Atlantic Records compilation album The New Age of Atlantic in 1972.[a] The song was first released on CD in September 1990, on the Led Zeppelin Boxed Set collection.[3] In 1992, as a 20th-anniversary release, "Immigrant Song"/"Hey, Hey What Can I Do" was issued as a "vinyl replica" CD single.
In 1993, the song was included on The Complete Studio Recordings 10-CD box set, as one of four bonus tracks on the Coda disc as well as the subsequent 12-CD Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection box set released in 2008. In 2015, the song was also included on disc one of the two companion discs of the reissue of Coda.
Critical reception
ClassicRockHistory.com wrote: "I was completely blown away when I heard that country-esque introduction to “Hey Hey What Can I do.”"[5] AllMusic reviewed the 2000 single version by Jimmy Page & The Black Crowes and said: "This single, however, is useless to all but a completist, as the only track is the LP version and there are no exciting extras at all."[6]
Personnel
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin:[1]
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – acoustic guitars (six-string and twelve-string)
- John Paul Jones – bass, mandolin
- John Bonham – drums
See also
- List of cover versions of Led Zeppelin songs – "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" entries
Footnotes
References
- ^ a b c Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 218.
- ^ Case, George (2009). Jimmy Page: Magus, Musician, Man: An Unauthorized Biography. Backbeat Books. p. 103. ISBN 978-0-87930-947-3.
- ^ a b Williamson, Nigel (2 August 2007). The Rough Guide to Led Zeppelin. Rough Guides. pp. 66, 74–75, 214. ISBN 978-1-84353-841-7.
- ^ "Immigrant Song" / "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do" (Single notes). New York City: Atlantic Records. 1970. B-side label. 45-2777.
- ^ Kachejian, Brian (29 January 2018). "How Led Zeppelin's "Hey Hey What Can I Do," Surprised Everyone". ClassicRockHistory.com. Archived from the original on 12 May 2019. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ Griffith, JT. "Hey Hey What Can I Do Review by JT Griffith". AllMusic. NETAKTION LLC. Archived from the original on 6 September 2017. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
Bibliography
- Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2018). Led Zeppelin All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track. Running Press. ISBN 978-0-316-448-67-3.