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The “Traditional” Mistake: Why Led Zeppelin Thought “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” Was Public Domain

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When you hear Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You by Led Zeppelin, you may not realize that the song started out as a folk song. This in itself is not surprising since Led Zeppelin was heavily influenced by folk. Songs like Black Mountain Side, Ramble On, The Battle of Evermore, and Going to California, among others, exemplify this influence.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin performing live in 1977.

Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You was first recorded by Joan Baez on her 1962 album, In Concert.

The song was so traditional-sounding that Baez, when she heard a student playing it at Oberlin College, assumed it was an old traditional folk song from the public domain. It turned out that the student, Janet Smith, had learned the song from its writer, Anne Bredon, when they were both students at the University of California, Berkeley. Baez listed the song as “traditional” on the album, consequently costing Anee Reardon 20 years of royalties. But, proper credit was given, later on, reading “Words and Music by Anne Bredon, by assignment from Janet Smith, C. 1963 by Ryerson Music Publishers.”

The Written Evidence: A Misprinted Label

The reason for the twenty-year royalty gap wasn’t just a rumor; it was printed in ink. When Jimmy Page first heard Joan Baez’s 1962 version, which he called “haunting,” he was looking at an early pressing of In Concert. Because Baez had misidentified the song as a public domain folk tune, the label read “Traditional.” By the time the credit was corrected to Anne Bredon on later pressings, Led Zeppelin had already laid down their definitive 1969 version. Page and Plant weren’t just “nicking” a song; they were following the instructions of a faulty record label.

The song appeared on Led Zeppelin’s 1969 first self-titled album. The credit read “Traditional, arr. Jimmy Page.” And arrange it Page did. He changed the acoustic guitar to a fingerstyle picking pattern, added flamenco parts, and, of course, explosive and loud sections absent from the original. The song is a complete original. Rather than talk about it, just compare the two for yourself.

It took twenty years for proper credit to be given for the song on Led Zeppelin copies after Bredon heard her son listening to it and was able to make arrangements for fair compensation. On the Zepellin boxed set re-release of 1990, the song is attributed to “Anne Bredon, Page, and Plant. It has been reported that she was also reimbursed for royalties owed to her, but there is no public-facing information to confirm this.

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page do seem to have genuinely believed that Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You was in the public domain, but they actually did knowingly rip-off, or ‘nick’ as Plant would say, several other songs, including Whole Lotta Love, Bring It On Home, Dazed and Confused, and Black Mountain Side. They were sued for all of these but Black Mountain Side, as, although Page based the guitar arrangement on Blackwaterside by Bert Jansch, the song itself was in the public domain which would have lead to a complicated case.

The Nicked Lyrics Tradition: While Led Zeppelin was famous for “nicking” full arrangements, Steve Miller had a different and somewhat odd habit: stealing nonsense. In The Pompatus of Love, Miller lifted his most famous line from The Medallions’ 1954 song “The Letter,” where they famously sang about “sweet words of pismotolity” and the “pulpitudes of love.”

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You: Session Notes

The 1969 recording of “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” is a masterclass in what Jimmy Page called “Light and Shade.” It wasn’t just a cover; it was a complete sonic deconstruction of the Joan Baez folk version.

The “Gold Star” Dynamics

  • The “Explosive” Transition: To achieve the massive contrast between the haunting fingerstyle verses and the “heavy” choruses, Page didn’t just step on a pedal. He utilized a Gibson J-200 acoustic guitar for the foundation, but the “explosive” sections were reinforced by his Fender Telecaster plugged into a small, cranked Supro amp.
  • The “Ghost” Vocals: If you listen closely to the breakdown (around the 1:41 mark), you can hear Robert Plant’s “ghost” vocal in the background. This wasn’t an intentional overdub; it was “mic bleed” from Plant singing passionately in the same room while the band tracked, which Page decided to keep because it added to the “haunting” atmosphere of the session.
  • Flamenco Influence: Page famously added Spanish-style flamenco flourishes and “down-up” percussive strums that were entirely absent from the original folk versions, bridging the gap between traditional folk and hard rock.

Recreating the “Light & Shade”

If you are a session musician on Fiverr, a musician in a cover band, or a producer trying to capture this specific 1969 vibe, follow this gear blueprint:

  • The Acoustic Chain: Use a large-bodied acoustic (like a J-200) and mic it with a Small Diaphragm Condenser mike pointed at the 12th fret, about 8 inches back. This captures the “air” and the string definition needed for the fingerstyle pattern.
  • The Electric “Push”: To get the chorus to “explode” without sounding like modern high-gain metal, use a vintage-voiced overdrive or a Tone Bender Style Fuzz with the guitar’s volume rolled back.
  • Modeler Tip (HX Stomp/Axe-FX): Use the “Supro 1605R” model. Keep the gain moderate but push the “Sag” and “Bias” settings high to mimic the way Page’s small amp was struggling to stay together under the volume of the drums.

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You: Quick Facts

  • Original Version: Recorded by Joan Baez (1962, In Concert)
  • Original Songwriter: Anne Bredon (written in the late 1950s)
  • Led Zeppelin Release: 1969 (Led Zeppelin I)
  • The Gear: Jimmy Page utilized a Gibson J-200 for the fingerstyle foundation and a small, cranked Supro amp for the heavy sections.
  • The Forensic Milestone: Proper credit for the song wasn’t settled until the 1990 boxed set release, ending nearly 30 years of misidentification.

Further Reading