How Many More Times

Album: Led Zeppelin (1969)
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Songfacts®:

  • "How Many More Times" is based on some old blues songs that influenced the band. Some of the lyrics are from blues singer Albert King's song "The Hunter," and much of the song was derived from Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years." Some other Led Zeppelin reworkings of blues songs include "You Shook Me" and "The Lemon Song."
  • The writing credit on this song went to Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham - everyone in the band except Robert Plant, who didn't get a writing credit for any songs on the Led Zeppelin album, although he did help put this one together. The arrangement of old blues songs was something he'd done with his former band, Hobbstweedle. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Andy - Indiana, PA
  • This was the last song on the first Led Zeppelin album. It was listed as 3:30 on the album, but the correct length is 8:28. The reason that the song was listed as only being a little over 3 minutes was to promote radio play. Jimmy Page knew that radio would never play a song over 8 minutes long, so he wrote the track time as shorter on the album to trick radio stations into playing it.
  • Led Zeppelin used this to close many of their early concerts. During the instrumental section, Plant would often thank the audience and showcase the other band members.
  • Robert Plant contributed the line, "I got another child on the way, that makes 11," which referred to his unborn child, Carmen, who was born a month or two after Zeppelin recorded this album. >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Adrian - Wilmington, DE
  • This is one of three songs where Jimmy Page played his guitar with a violin bow. The others are "Dazed And Confused" and "In The Light." Jimmy's bowing can be heard in the section after his double-tracked guitar solo ("I was a young man, I couldn't resist...").
  • Talking about this song in the BBC book The Guitar Greats, Jimmy Page said: "We had numbers from the Yardbirds that we called free form, like 'Smokestack Lightnin',' where I'd come up with my own riffs and things, and obviously I wasn't going to throw all that away, as they hadn't been recorded, so I remodelled those riffs and used them again, so the bowing on 'How Many More Times' and 'Good Times, Bad Times' was an extension of what I'd been working on with the Yardbirds, although I'd never had that much chance to go to town with it, and to see how far one could stretch the bowing technique on record, and obviously for anyone who saw the band, it became quite a little showpiece in itself."
  • At the end of the song, the sound pans between the left and right channels.
  • When Led Zeppelin played this live, it would often stretch out well over 10 minutes, which was great for fans of extended instrumental passages, but tough on Robert Plant, who sometimes felt a little left out. "Those extensions had me interestingly foxed for a while" he told Barney Hoskyns.
  • Rik Emmett of Triumph rates the guitar performance on this song as one of the best in rock history. "Could there be anything heavier and sexier on a guitar than a low open E riff from Jimmy Page?" he told Songfacts. "No, there could not."

Comments: 57

  • Cando3d from Texas@Deniseclairesa.. Impressive little temper tantrum you vomited all over the comment section here, you made quite a spectacle of yourself.. well done!

    So, apparently you’ve just arrived to this topic, read up a bit, and are now ready to give yourself an aneurysm flipping out over artistic plagiarism, despite that it was SETTLED long ago, DEPITE what you “think” about the ethics of “lax copyright laws”???

    My question is why haven’t you done your homework researching all the interviews of many of the EXACT SAME BLUES ARTISTS you mentioned where they openly talk about how everyone “BORROWED” from each other.. even to the point that with many songs they could never be 100% sure exactly WHO came up with certain songs which developed into blues “standards” due to some early notable rendition that stood out from others, yet was never accredited to the sole creator who had already been long forgotten?

    I mean, you should just be mad round the clock over this stuff considering the innumerable times it’s happened (Did you read about how even Bob Dylan confessed to plagiarizing some content recently, or did you skip that newsflash?).. but for some reason you wanna act like Led Zeppelin WERE THE FIRST AND ONLY ONES to be guilty of it.

    You, yourself acknowledged that they mixed different song to make something new.. sounds like musical alchemy to me, so just because you learned the ingredients in the recipe YOU decided to cry foul ON BEHALF OF ALL THE REST OF US and feed us crumbs from TOOL (who also happen to be Led Zeppelin FANS?)? Aren’t you upset that Tool covered a LZ tune in the slightest, why would they do that? Why would they even wanna cover a band of “blatant plagiarists” Would Hendrix had wanted to cover Bob had he known what we know now?

    Do you REALLY THINK that had Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson would have heard these songs and felt embolden enough to try and lay intellectual claim to these Led Zeppelin productions when matched side by side with their recorded tracks? Have YOU bothered to even listen to the originals you listed? They never became huge radio hits on their own. Do you think Tool only listens to the originals and not the Led Zeppelin songs?

    I listen to the originals. I DO, just like Page, Richards, Clapton, Allman, Gibbons and Hendrix did. I also love Led Zeppelin, just like Maynard, Adam, Justin, and Danny apparently do. For my money the difference between Zeppelin and those originals is like night and day. In fact, they sound so extremely different in composition, production, and execution of delivery that I’d wager the vast majority of people wouldn’t often pick up on the similarities were they to hear em back to back.

    But here you are. Raging with vitriol at ONE BAND, while ignoring the reality that this happened ALL THE TIME in the days of the blues, as it had stretching as far back to the beginning of written composition itself. It is a very well documented FACT. It permeates ALL ART FORMS, and is really the fundamental basis of higher math and scientific innovation itself.. (improving upon a theme).

    Overall, your notion that plagiarism is ethically wrong is on point. Artists should credit those where credit is due, that’s why this case was settled, but let’s make it absolutely clear that it was because they made a lot of money thanks to the bands talent as musicians and their amazing production skills, and NOT SOLEY FOR THE SAKE OF INTELLECTUAL INTEGRITY, which is always argued as the crux of the cases that followed at this time, because it was making money. If it hadn’t, NO ONE WOULD'VE SAID A DAMN THING ABOUT IT. Just like they hadn’t regarding all those blues standards and the innumerable instances of it in every other genre there was up to that point.

    People like you, seem to think the entire world should just throw their records onto a bonfire because you found they “stole” something from someone else, who in turn, had stolen plenty of stuff themselves to build their act. It makes me wonder how much energy you really have to put into it before you put it to rest (even though the courts and legal teams already did so on THIS matter).

    Where is your rage over Bob Dylan? Or Andy Warhol? Or the entire Ska/Reggae movement? Were you somehow under the misgiving that only white artists are guilty of it? What about Reggae Dub or Hip Hop? Are you sure they sufficiently accredited all of their source material for DJ edits?

    How about the fact that every musician in the world owes a debt of (at least) gratitude to whoever played the first open E chord or the first 4/4 time signature? If we had an operable Time Machine would you be willing to do the leg work to right these wrongs and give credit where it’s due?

    And then can we start to calculate the “damage” caused to us by these “blatant” acts of plagiarism compared to the damage caused by YOU after we destroy all the music and artwork from the face of the earth? I’d bet you actually think you’re doing TOOL a favor with your comment, but would likely be very surprised were you to spend a day thumbing through their music collections at home. Maybe you can party with them someday, and throw on a mixtape of all the original versions of those blues tunes and they’d think you’re really knowledgeable and cool. Or maybe they’d have security escort you out for throwing a screaming fit once they drop the needle on an old Zeppelin tune they’ve loved since Middle School.
  • HouseTo Denisa Clarisa: don't be angry, they all stole from Mozart, or Bach ....It' not like this. They spread the world and gave up parts of themselves. And don't forget, they are your OVERLORDS.
  • Jeffrey from Manateawa, Wi.I watch this video every time I get drunk so I am very familiar with it & I love it.
  • Maria Luiza from Jundiaí Sp Brazil I'd like to know more about songs from Robert Plant solo career...My favourites albuns are Carry Fire and Lullaby.
  • Deniseclairesa from Laurel MdBlatant Thieves! Seriously in this song alone, ironically entitled because they stole 4xs for this 1 song "How Many More Times" they were successfully sued by Chester Burnett aka Howlin Wolf for his "How Many More Years" & for "Killin Floor " which is the beginning of Led Plagiarism's "The Lemon Song" & of course, the ending is Robert Johnson's, "Travelling Riverside Blues". Who Blatantly Steals from the man who made Muddy Waters & was the impetus for The Rolling MFG Stones 3xs? Willie "I AM The Blues" Dixon

    1. "I Cant Quit You Babe"
    2. "You Shook Me"
    3. "You Need Love" Dixon & Muddy Waters = "Whole Lotta Love"

    Again, successfully sued in out of court (admission of guilt) settlement. . . AGAIN! Little Richard's, "Keep A Knockin" is blatant plagiarized in the opening drum solo in "Rock & Roll" Eddy Cochrans "Nervous Breakdown" stolen by Led Zep "Communication Breakdown."

    Bert Jansch's "White Waterside" blatantly plagiarized by Zep's "Black Mountain Side" as well as "The Waggoner's Lad" Zep STOLE & renamed it, "Boogie With Stu". Hell Page even stole from Bob Dylan. "Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin Bed" (originally from Sonny Boy Williamson originally published "Jesus Gonna Make Up My Dyin' Bed" Dylan held the copywright when Led Plagiarism did "In My Dyin Day". Christ Page, all u had to do was ASK!

    Seriously though Dylan wrote 200 + songs & Hendrix asked him for, "All Along the Watchtower" Robert Johnson yet again (the man is to the guitar as Bernard "Buddy" Rich became to the drums. Keith Richards and Jimmi Hendrix BOTH asked HOW many people were playing the guitar when they 1st heard Robert Johnson...Just 1.

    "Terraplane Blues" (a terraplane was a race car or duece & heavily inspired "Trampled Underfoot". Moby Grape's "Never" ("workin from 11 to 7 kinda makes life a drag"
    ... plagiarized by Zep "Since I've Been Lovin You" ("workin from 7 to 11 kinda makes life a drag") Of course, not to mention "Dazed and Confused" which was originally that guy who wrote the "Army jingle be all that you can be" & others. Blind Boy Fulller's
    "Drop Dowm Mama" stolen to be "Custard Pie" for Zep. Sonny Boy Williamson "When The levee Breaks" same as Zep's version of the same name.

    His playing of a violin bow on an electric guitar...done b4. Imagine that? Same with Spirit's "Taurus" B4 they were the Mighty Led Plagiarism...oops, I meant, Zeppelin...they traded music with Spirit. The opening riff is descending chords in A minor, so is "Taurus". Its so disgusting. I wish I NEVER was a fan bc the more I learned, the more unoriginal and mediocre Page became to me. He's not even a Top 10 Guitarist Of All Time personally bc he was NOT original. At least "Kashmir" is theirs ... as far as we know. Then when Tool redid Led Zep's "No Quarter" ... holy s--t Maynard & the boys knocked it out of the ballpark! 40xs better. That's some Karma for you Jimmy, Robert. The unwritten hero is John Paul Jones. He made Page spund good.

    Roy "The Lemon Song " is an EXACT replica to the gr8 Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues " if you think it's OKAY to steal blatantly plagiarize from Robert Johnson, you need schoolin' in the Mississippi Delta black bluesman's influence on the classic rock genre ... at the end of Robert Johnson's "Travelling Riverside Blues", you'll hear Robert croon the exact same lyrics.

    ... about "squeeze me baby til the juice runs down my leg. Word for word. My my my I bet Robert Johnson, Willie Dixon, Howlin Wolf & Muddy Waters are rolling over in their graves.
    Disregard or complete lack thereof, for the music that made this genre. Lax copywrite laws does NOT mean you can steal.
  • Thomas from Roswell, NmKick ass riff to a kick ass song. The solo kicks major ass.
  • Michelle from Mcdonough, Gaain't no need to hide; ain't no need to run
    cause i've got you in the sites of my... gun
  • Jonathan from Everywhere, NcWhat made the 60-70s so special was that we were living this music as part of a great cultural revolution in the world - where the younger generation was clashing with the old value system for both good and bad on both sides. What made it cool was the fact that our parents often hated this music we listened too, and there really was a generation gap. It felt cool to make a statement. And you can't do that so much anymore, because the culture is now immersed in the counter culture. Your grandpa is ME, and I'm more hip than my grandkids are. All five of them.
  • Jonathan from Everywhere, NcActually, the line about "one more that makes eleven" was a line Robert added on his own that makes reference (at the time) to his soon-to-be-born daughter, Carmen. And I wonder what Plant's children are doing now. I guess I'll have to look it up.
  • Euan Dyer from Edinburgh, United KingdomHow many more times by Led Zeppelin is a blatant copy of Howlin Wolf's 'How Many More Years' and Fleetwood Mac's 'No Place to Go' (credited to Howlin Wolf as Chester Burnett).

    Couldn't believe it. I love Led Zep's How Many More Times, but was incredulous when I heard Mac's version and saw that Led Zep's version is credited to 'Page, Bonham and Plant'. Bollocks.
  • Lisa from Blountville , TnTexas International Pop Festiva,l Dallas 8-31-1969,I was lucky enough to get my grubby little Led Zeppelin lovin' hands on this bootleg almost 10yrs.I have a small bootleg collection....very small compared to others.If you can get your hands on this one you will love it.This song is so good live.Pagey is smokin on this one.The line "ring pearls ring pearls" where Jimmy copies Robert's vocal on guitar are right on and gives me the chills.By far my fav bootleg. JIMMY PAGE KICKS BUTT ON THIS ONE ,Robert so sultry and blusey.The name of the bootleg is" Zeppelin plays pure blues" A true tittle well earned. BTW on intro on the cd and close the band are introduced as THE Led Zeppelin funny huh.
  • Roy from Granbania, Ma"Killing Floor" is *definitely* a Howlin' Wolf original, written by Chester Arthur Burnett himself, which is the song "The Lemon Song" was based off of.
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiThis was played live regularly from 1968-1970 and again early in 1975 after Page broke his finger in an accident. It was very rarely played live in between.
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiThe BBC Sessions version features the infamous Squeeze My Lemon line.
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiBy the way, adding onto the 3:30 listed time on the album-at that approximate point in the song, there is a fake ending. What a good plan, isn't it?
  • Eddie from Rome, GaHard to believe this song was left off the "Remaster" set--IMO it's the epitome of the early Led years: hard-driving creative adaptations of the basic blues (LZ was the best ever at re-doing the blues)

    EDDIE, Rome GA
  • Matt from Poci, IdHey Peter, from RI. "Robert Anthony" is a self reference by Robert [Anthony] Plant.
  • Bill from Topeka, KsNice Guitar distortion in the begining
  • Peter Griffin from Quahog, RiThis song mentions someone named Robert Anthony. What I want to know is: Who is Robert Anthony?
  • Lalah from Wasilla, AkI first heard this song on a soundtrack to the forgettable movie "Homer".
  • Ivana from -, Czech RepublicIt's a really great song!!!
  • Matt from London, EnglandSome people are saying that parts of this song are taken from 'Beck's Bolero' like Jeff Beck wrote it, Page did actually write that song so he can't exactly steal it. Plus Bolero is a traditional rhythm.
  • Shane from Perth, Wathe opening guitar riff sounds a lot simular to the yardbirds song "smokestack lighning"
    jimmy page havin beent he lead guitarist for the yardbirds may have got some riff ideas from "smokestack lightning"

    who cares if they copied the lemon song and you shook me .........they made the songs twice as good to the original artist
  • Ameer from La, CaThe version on the DVD is one of my favourite live performances ever. I love the guitar playing by Jimmy.
  • Shane from Perth, Wafuken great song
    nothin can beat led zeppelins style and electricity
  • Ryan from Lakewood, Ohkyle from california, the yardbirds song you are referring to is "Smokestack Lightning".
  • Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScThey didn't rip off every song they did? The only one that got them in trouble is "Whole Lotta Love."
  • Jerry619 from San Diego, United Statesoh god,another zeppelin rip off song?and this was one of my favorite songs!is there a song they made that wasent a rip off?good loud band with no vision pass me the abbey road album or dark side album!
  • Jeanette from Irvine, Cayeah its sad that john paul jones was so underrated he was totally awesome too.
  • Spencer from Richmond, Vayeah mark your right i think he should have been more active and gotten himself some more attention that he deserved
  • Mark from Ann Arbor, MiI liked zeppelin in their early years like when this came out, after that john paul jones just looked like he was bored on stage.
  • Tom from Dosen't Matter, CtYa steve your right (check the extras for the how the west waw one DVD)
  • Steve from Oroville, CaI'm not sure but it sounds like Jimmy also uses a violin bow on this song.
  • Kyle from Redding, Cathe solo is actually from a jeff beck song and i do think its from becks bolero but just slowed to a crawl. lyrics are from howlin wolf and the bass line is from a yard birds tune. john bonham is the best drummer in the world, you can see emotion over technique which is rare. its not all about time signatures. its about playin the F*%&in drums.
  • Stefanie from Rock Hill, ScHe didn't really Jeanette. That line about one more making eleven, was just an imporvised one. Plant made that up.
  • Ryan from Havasu, AzDanny, I completely agree.
  • Ben from Chinatownwow jim if u think the intro's jazzy, u obviously don't know anything about jazz..great song though nonetheless, great for bands to jam out to for 10 minutes plus!
  • Marlon from Nyc, NyThe Riff is from the Yardbirds version of "Smokestack Lightning" when they played BBC Sessions, it was the bassline though, and it sounds alot better on this.
  • Marlon from Nyc, NyZeppelin at their best....The Blues never sounded better.
  • Danny from Sydney, AustraliaI love the main riff, so simple, yet so awsome. And Bonzo's drums near the end, words can't describe.
  • Paul from Minneapolis, MnThe Kieth Moon reference is part of a story that goes something like this; After the Yardbirds broke up, with a US tour already scheduled, Jimmy Page had decided to reform the band. The line-up was set with Robert Plant being asked to join the band (Plant didn't really want to play with a bunch of old guys). When asked what he planned to call the new band Page mentioned he would probably just call it the "New Yardbirds". Someone replied that the New Yardbirds would go over like a lead balloon, Kieth Moon, thinking even less of the idea, suggested that it would go over like a lead zeppilin!
  • Jim from Oxnard, CaThis song can inspire ANYONE to start a band. Especially with the jazzy intro and the middle section.
  • Nick from Baton Rouge, Laor as i like to call 'em GOD(s)
  • Taylor from Austin, TxI once heard an early live version of this. It was recorded after Led Zep made the album. They start playing the intro (which is awesome) and Plant started to introduce the band. Right after he introduces them, you can hear someone in the crowd yell "GET OFF THE STAGE!". If only they had known that they were in the presence of what would become a rock n' roll legend.
  • Stefanie Magura from Rock Hill, ScI always heard that "The Lemon Song" was based on "Killing Floor," and that "Killing Floor" was by Howlin' Wolf, non Albert King.
  • Nick from Baton Rouge, Laled zeppelin can do many types of songs, heavy/light, anything, and this is my favorite heavy song they did, i cant belive it didnt become as popular as "dazed", or STH
  • Chris from Bluffton, Sc"How Many More Years" was originally a Howlin' Wolf song that Albert King later covered. Also, Robert Plant received no writing credit at all on Led Zeppelin I because of contractual issues.
  • Colin K from Sndy Creek, Ohif you ever need inspiration to want to play rock n roll out and watch people's jaws drop, spin this tune
  • Bartholemew from Cork, IrelandThey played this awesome live on the Led Zeppelin DVD.
  • David from Pasadena, Cathe lemon song was actually based on an albert king song "killing floor", not a howling wolf song
  • Bret from Adelaide, AustraliaEarly Fleetwood Mac (with Peter Green - Blue Horizon recordings) did a version of Chester Burnett's (Howlin' Wolf) "How many more years" strangely while being credited to Chester Burnett it was titled "No Place to go" This song was on Fleetwood Macs first album in 1967. It starts out with the line "How many more years have you got to wreck my life" but after saying this twice the rest of the song is sung as "How many more times, you gonna treat me like you do"
  • Ben from Hilversum, NetherlandsOn the Tribute to Sun Records concert in Montreux, Switzerland in 2001, Page and Plant played the original "How Many More Years", also as hommage to Howlin' Wolf.
  • Ivan from Buenos Aires, ArgentinaOh, Rosie, oh, girl. [X2]
    Steal away now, steal away
  • Jeff from San Diego, CaThis song rocks. They never play it on the radio. When you hear it you know its a Led Zep song. Great song to play pool and drink beer to.
    There is this little bar in Rosarito Beach that has this album on it and when we roll into that place to kill some cervezas, I always play this song. ((Todos Santos Rules)))!!!
  • Chris from Las Vegas, Nvdoesn't Danzig use these lyrics on the song Hunter off the danzig lp? ceg24@cox.net
    let me know someone
  • James from Birmingham, AlThe riff and lyrics are loosely based on Howlin' Wolf's "How Many More Years".
  • Jefke from Barcelona, SpainThere has been used a small part from Beck's Bolero in the song. The song appeared on Jeff Beck's album Truth. It was recorded with Jimmy, Jeff, John Paul Jones and Keith Moon. They even thought about making a band at that point with Page, Beck, John Entwistle, Moon and Steve Winwood or Steve Marriot, calling themselves Led Zeppelin after a suggestion from either Entwistle or Moon.
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