You Shook Me

The song You Shook Me, which you are now playing, has a story behind it that makes it quite particular. It was born as an instrumental blues piece in 1961, created by guitarist Earl Hooker for Chief Records. At that time, it was titled Blue Guitar and was recorded almost as a rehearsal, without Hooker knowing it would be released. Saxophonist A.C. Reed, present at the session, recalled that it was a spontaneous moment, where Mel London, the producer, decided to capture the magic of the moment. This instrumental version became popular in Chicago, playing alongside other well-known instrumental tracks of the era.

Later, Leonard Chess, of Chess Records, heard Blue Guitar and saw the potential to give it new life. He contacted Mel London to use the instrumental base and commissioned Willie Dixon to write lyrics. Thus, You Shook Me was born, with Muddy Waters adding his voice over Hooker's original recording in 1962. The interesting part is that Muddy Waters recorded his vocal part over the already existing instrumental track, an *overdubbing* technique that was novel for him at the time. Waters' vocal melody closely follows Hooker's slide guitar line, creating that distinctive hook we now recognize.

Years later, in 1968, Jeff Beck included his own version of You Shook Me on his album Truth. Shortly after, in 1969, Led Zeppelin recorded their interpretation for their debut album, Led Zeppelin. This version, produced by Jimmy Page and engineered by Glyn Johns, stands out for the use of the "backward echo" technique that Page had previously developed. John Paul Jones, who had played organ on Beck's version as a session musician, also contributed keyboards and bass to the Led Zeppelin recording. The similarity between Beck's and Led Zeppelin's versions generated some tension between the two musicians, who had been friends, but Jimmy Page explained that they both shared a similar musical taste, which led them to choose the same song.