| In the Light | |
| Artist: | Led Zeppelin |
| Album: | Physical Graffiti |
| Recorded: | 1974 |
| Studio: |
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| Genre: | |
| Length: | 8:46 |
| Label: | Swan Song |
| Producer: | Jimmy Page |
"In the Light" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song was composed primarily by bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones on synthesiser, though singer Robert Plant and guitarist Jimmy Page also received songwriting credits.
The unique sound of the intro was created by Page using a bow on an acoustic guitar, as a backdrop to Jones' opening synthesiser solo.[4] The song is based on an earlier band composition titled "In the Morning".[5]
Led Zeppelin also recorded an alternative version of the song, "Everybody Makes It Through" (In the Light) [Early Version/In Transit]". This version was released on 23 February 2015, as part of the remastering process of all nine albums. Led Zeppelin never performed "In the Light" in concert.[5]
In a contemporary review of Physical Graffiti, Jim Miller of Rolling Stone gave "In the Light" a mixed review, saying that while the track was "one of the album's most ambitious efforts", the track "fizzles down the home stretch."[6] Miller continues "the problem here is not tedium but a fragmentary composition that never quite jells: When Page on the final release plays an ascending run intended to sound majestic, the effect is more stilted than stately."
In a retrospective review of Physical Graffiti (Deluxe Edition), Jon Hadusek of Consequence of Sound called "In the Light" one of his favorite Zeppelin songs; Hadusek believed the song's arrangement "shouldn't work, but it does".[7] Describing the track, Hadusek said the track "erratically builds from solo organs and doom riffs to a cheerful chorus of major scales."
In an interview he gave to rock journalist Cameron Crowe, Plant stated that this song was one of Led Zeppelin's "finest moments".[8] Similarly, Page has stated that this is his personal favourite track on Physical Graffiti.[5]
According to Jean-Michel Guesdon and Philippe Margotin: