Fool in The Rain - Overview

Overview

The song exhibits a Latin feel. The main section is in 12/8 meter; this section employs an unusual 6-over-4 polyrhythmic groove, with the piano and bass playing 6 beats per measure and the melody (and parts of the drum kit) playing 4 beats per measure. The result is that most of the instruments appear to be playing quarter-note-triplets against the swing of the melody and drum kit. Drummer John Bonham plays a 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's supposed to meet a woman on a certain street corner. When the woman does not appear, he is filled with sorrow at being stood up. By the final verse, he realizes that he has not gone to the right place, making him "just a fool waiting on the wrong block," as Plant sings.

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. However, on 5 October 2005, Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant performed the song with Pearl Jam at a Hurricane Katrina benefit show.