Houses of the Holy (song)

"Houses of the Holy" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin from their 1975 album Physical Graffiti.

Overview
The track is a mid-tempo rock song, heavy on bass and featuring a distinctive Jimmy Page guitar riff. In order to create the layered guitar introduction and fade-out, Page used a Delta T digital delay unit. The squeak of John Bonham's drum pedal can be heard throughout the song.

Lyrically, the song is an ode to Led Zeppelin concerts, with the "Houses of the Holy" referring to the arenas and auditoriums in which the band performed. Despite this, the song was never played live by Led Zeppelin.

Although the name of the song is "Houses of the Holy," the track does not appear on the earlier-released album Houses of the Holy. It was originally set to be the title track of that album but was removed when the band decided it did not fit. The song did not require any further re-mixing for its inclusion on Physical Graffiti, having already been fully mixed by audio engineer Eddie Kramer at the Electric Lady sessions in June 1972.