The one guitar riff Jimmy Page wishes he’d written
At the forefront of the guitar-driven sound that made Led Zeppelin one of the most celebrated rock bands of all time, Jimmy Page is no stranger to a killer riff. From the droning tones of ‘Immigrant Song’ to the forbidden riff of ‘Stairway to Heaven’, Page has penned some of the most iconic guitar parts of all time.
Page’s path to claim his position as one of the most influential guitarists of all time didn’t come easy. He first picked up a guitar at the age of 12, teaching himself the instrument, “When I grew up, there weren’t many other guitarists,” he told NPR. “There was one other guitarist in my school who actually showed me the first chords that I learned, and I went on from there. I was bored, so I taught myself the guitar from listening to records. So obviously, it was a very personal thing.”
After spending his early years busking and flitting between bands, Page began working as a session musician in the 1960s for the likes of Eric Clapton, The Who, and The Kinks. By the mid-1960s, he began playing in bands again, namely with The Yardbirds. Initially brought in as a bassist, Page eventually assumed the lead guitarist position alongside Jeff Beck. Though the success of the project was later to be dwarfed by Led Zeppelin, it did provide the basis for much of Page’s later work.
In 1968, Page joined Robert Plant, John Bonham, and John Paul Jones to form Led Zeppelin. Securing a deal with Atlantic Records, they received the biggest advance of all time for a new band. An immediate commercial success, the band were praised for their unforgettable riffs in particular. Their success only grew as they reached unparalleled heights of success in the following decade.
A fact that we all know was even confirmed by Page himself, who described a Led Zeppelin riff as addictive, when in the Wall Street Journal, he recalled the thrilling inception of the riff that drives ‘Whole Lotta Love’. He shared: “When I played the riff for my band during rehearsals, the excitement was immediate and collective. We felt the riff was addictive, like a forbidden thing. As soon as I developed it, I knew it was strong enough to drive the entire song, not just open it.”
Many of Page’s riffs had this ability, and his guitar playing often took centre stage in the tunes of Led Zeppelin. Despite securing a legacy as one of the greatest guitarists of all time, he is open to the praise and envy of his rock peers. In an interview with USA Today, Jimmy Page revealed the guitar riff that he wishes he’d written: ‘Seven Nation Army’ by The White Stripes. The interview was accompanied by a clip of Page playing the riff in the 2008 documentary It Might Get Loud.
Deceptively classic sounding, The White Stripes released ‘Seven Nation Army’ as the lead single for their album Elephant in 2003. The simplistic yet ingenious guitar part has been referenced excessively throughout the last two decades, becoming one of the most iconic riffs of all time. Football fans have even embraced the melody.
Likewise, Jack White is a pretty big fan of the Led Zeppelin man. One thing that has never been up for contention is White’s love of Led Zeppelin, calling them “an immovable force in music,” and boldly stating, “I don’t trust anyone who doesn’t like them.” With that in mind, the first name on our list of Jack White’s favourite guitarists simply has to be Jimmy Page.
Page’s influence from The Yardbirds through to Led Zeppelin is there for all to see in White’s approach. Not only dealing with the gut-punch roar of a chunky riff but also playing around with the blues solos that made Page a hero and White a star. A similarly influential musician in White’s life may have had a similar musical upbringing to Page but operated way outside of the mainstream.
As the mind behind so many iconic riffs himself, it’s no surprise that Page would choose another guitar classic as the riff he wishes he’d written.
