Editing Led Zeppelin IV (section)

===Side one===
"[[Black Dog (Led Zeppelin song)|Black Dog]]" was named after a dog that hung around Headley Grange during recording. The riff was written by Page and Jones, while the a cappella section was influenced by Fleetwood Mac's "[[Oh Well (song)|Oh Well]]". Singer [[Robert Plant]] wrote the lyrics, and later sang portions of the song during solo concerts.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} The guitar solos on the outro were recorded directly into the desk, without using an amplifier.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=79}}

"[[Rock and Roll (Led Zeppelin song)|Rock and Roll]]" was a collaboration with Stewart that came out of a [[jam session|jam]] early in the recording sessions at Headley Grange. Drummer [[John Bonham]] created the introduction, which came from jamming around the intro to [[Little Richard]]'s "[[Keep A-Knockin']]".{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=74}} The track became a live favourite in concert and was performed as the opening number or as an encore.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=51}} It was released as a promotional single in the US, with stereo and mono mixes on either side of the disc.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=96}}

"[[The Battle of Evermore]]" was written by Page on the [[mandolin]], borrowed from Jones. Plant added lyrics inspired by a book he was reading about the [[Scottish Independence Wars]]. The track featured a duet between Plant and [[Fairport Convention]]'s [[Sandy Denny]],{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}{{efn|Plant knew Denny via a mutual friend, the Fairport Convention bassist [[Dave Pegg]]. Pegg, Plant and Bonham had played together on the 1960s Birmingham club circuit in the group the Way of Life.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=76}}}} who provided the only female voice to be heard on a Led Zeppelin recording.<ref>33 1/3 book</ref> Plant played the role of narrator in the song, describing events, while Denny sang the part of the town crier representing the people.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=76}}

[[File:Jimmy Page's double-neck Gibson guitar, Hard Rock Cafe Hollywood.JPG|thumb|upright|A [[Gibson EDS-1275]] similar to this was used for live performances of "[[Stairway to Heaven]]". The stop bars on the actual guitar were farther from the bridges.]]
"[[Stairway to Heaven]]" was mostly written by Page and most of the chord sequence was already worked out when recording started at Basing Street Studios. The lyrics were written by Plant at Headley Grange, about a woman who "took everything without giving anything back".{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=87}} The final take of the song was recorded at Island Studios after the Headley Grange session. The basic backing track featured Bonham on drums, Jones on [[electric piano]] and Page on acoustic guitar.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=87}} The whole group contributed to the arrangement, such as Jones playing recorders on the introduction and Bonham's distinctive drum entry halfway through the piece.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}} Page played the guitar solo using a [[Fender Telecaster]] he had received from [[Jeff Beck]]. It had been his main guitar on the group's first album and early live shows. He put down three different takes of the solo and picked the best to put on the album.{{sfn|Lewis|2010|p=89}}

The song was considered the standout track on the album and was played on [[FM radio]] stations frequently, but the group resisted all suggestions to release it as a single. It became the centrepiece of the group's live set from 1971 onwards. In order to replicate the changes between acoustic, electric and twelve-string guitar on the studio recording, Page played a [[Gibson EDS-1275]] double-neck guitar during the song.{{sfn|Lewis|1990|p=52}}