Dazed and Confused

Later releases credit the song to Page, inspired by Jake Holmes. Holmes recorded it in early 1967 for The Above Ground Sound of Jake Holmes, released on 10 July 1967, and has said it is about a girl's indecision. Jim McCarty of the Yardbirds saw Holmes open for them at the Village Theater in New York on 25 August 1967 and bought the album. Page added riffs and Keith Relf reshaped the lyrics. Page credited the bowed-guitar opening to the violinist David McCallum Sr.

The Yardbirds performed it regularly in 1968, in several radio and television sessions, and Page reused its solo on one of their last recordings, Think About It. Led Zeppelin used different lyrics, and Jones and Bonham developed the arrangement to suit their playing.

Led Zeppelin recorded it at Olympic in October 1968 in two takes. Holmes sued Page in June 2010, and the case was dismissed on 17 January 2012 after a settlement.

Live

On setlist.fm it is the most-played song on the band's page, with 384 plays, and live versions sometimes ran past 30 minutes. The improvisation could take in parts of The Crunge, Walter's Walk, Joni Mitchell's Woodstock and San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair). It was briefly dropped in 1975 after Page injured a finger. The last full performance of the main career was at Earl's Court that year, after which the bowed-guitar section survived as a standalone piece. It was revived complete at the 2007 Ertegun concert.