Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1610709/adam-lamberts-whole-lotta-love-story-behind-cover.jhtml

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Justin Bieber Calls Israel Concert 'Amazing Night'

'Never going to forget this one,' singer tweets after Tel Aviv show.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber performs in Tel Aviv on Thursday
Photo: Jack Guez/ AFP

It's been a trying week for Justin Bieber. After criticizing the paparazzi in Israel on his Twitter account, he then vowed to take a break from tweeting so that he could vacation with his family before his performance there on Thursday. Let's not forget he had to cancel his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as well.

But on Thursday Bieber finally hit the stage without a hitch. "Well hello there," he tweeted before he took the stage at Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park. "Time to do what i love best ... perform for the fans. Israel ... its almost time. #myworldtour."

According to a concert review in The Hollywood Reporter, Bieber took the stage at 8:00 p.m. to play to an estimated 35,000 fans. While most of the show sounded like standard Bieber fare, at one point Bieber's music director, Dan Kanter, played the country's national anthem, "Hatikva." Bieber then played his inspirational track "Pray," and even paid homage to manager Scooter Braun's grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who was in the audience.

"It was perhaps the one awkward moment in the show, if only because the next line he uttered enthusiastically was, 'Who wants to be my 'Baby?!' " the writer noted in her review.

After his show, he seemed as happy about the performance as his fans. "AMAZING NIGHT ... AMAZING PLACE ... AMAZING SHOW!!" he tweeted. "NEVER GOING TO FORGET THIS ONE. #BLESSED"

Next up Bieber takes his act to the Singapore Indoor Stadium. He has shows booked abroad through May.

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Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1662034/justin-bieber-israel-concert.jhtml

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