The introduction to a track can make or break it. The twangs and thuds that open ‘Eye of the Tiger’ are truly essential to the drama of the song, the bouncy synth riff that opens ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)’ makes it instantly recognisable, and ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ would be considerably less iconic without that blistering initial riff. Another band who mastered the art of the intro were Led Zeppelin.

Perhaps the most notable example of Led Zeppelin’s understanding of the intro is ‘Stairway to Heaven’. The 1971 track opens with a gorgeous guitar riff, provided by Jimmy Page, easing listeners into the track. From there, the eight-minute epic cycles through dramatic lyrics, increasingly rocking guitars and blistering vocal delivery. But those opening moments still remain perhaps the most iconic and instantly recognisable part of the track.

‘Stairway to Heaven’ isn’t the only Led Zeppelin song with a stellar intro. ‘Immigrant Song’ starts as it means to go on, with thudding drums, an iconic riff and a series of screeches. ‘Kashmir’ opens with those all too familiar strings, which increase in intensity through repetition throughout the duration of the song. And ‘Whole Lotta Love’ opens with a classic guitar riff.

However, there is one song on which Led Zeppelin didn’t quite nail the art of the intro, according to Page. In 1970, the band released their third self-titled record, Led Zeppelin III, which featured a large proportion of softer, more folk-adjacent rock tunes. One of those tracks was ‘Tangerine’, an album-only track initially penned for the Yardbirds.

The track never made it to a Yardbirds record, but it did become a Led Zeppelin song. Featuring gorgeously gentle twangs, harmonised vocals and swaying percussion, it’s a beautiful track that shows off a softer side to Led Zeppelin without losing their edge. “Tangerine, tangerine, living reflection from a dream,” Robert Plant sings, “I was her love, she was my queen, but now a thousand years in between.”

Although fans seem to love the track, Page has one regret surrounding ‘Tangerine’. In the introduction to the song, those soft strums can be heard for a few seconds before they quickly come to a halt. After a brief count-in, they return to the fore, and it sounds as if you’re right there in the practice room or the studio with Page and Plant. But Page soon lived to regret this artistic choice.

“That’s commonly known as a false start,” he shared, quoted in Led Zeppelin FAQ by George Case, “It was a tempo guide, and it seemed like a good idea to leave it in. I was trying to keep the tempo down a bit.” Beyond guiding the tempo, the start also adds to the raw folkiness of the song, as well as its honesty and vulnerability. But Page couldn’t quite get on board with it.

“I’m not so sure now if it was a good idea,” he admitted. It certainly does change the direction of the song, removing an element of polish from the opening with its brief pause and whispered counts. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that it wasn’t a good idea from Page. The unpolished opening fits with the mood of the rest of the song, the warm folk sound that ensues. It’s a production choice that some might disagree with, but others will love for its honesty.