Adam Lambert's 'Whole Lotta Love': The Story Behind The Cover

Glam rocker tackled the legendary 1970 Led Zeppelin song for 'American Idol' rock night.
By Gil Kaufman


Adam Lambert performs "Whole Lotta Love" on "American Idol" on Tuesday
Photo: R. Mickshaw/Getty Images/ Fox

Imagine a freight train speeding toward you at midnight. Or a rockslide barreling down a hill as you try to outrace it. That's the feeling of the ominous, chugging Jimmy Page riff that kicks off Led Zeppelin's 1970 Stonehenge of rock, "Whole Lotta Love." And that's before singer Robert Plant leans into one of the nastiest, ecstatic rock screams this side of the Who's "Won't Get Fooled Again."

That's the song Adam Lambert chose to sing on "American Idol" rock night Tuesday (May 5), and, needless to say, it was a challenge that the eyeliner-loving Los Angeles stage veteran was more than up for, hitting a series of high notes and rock screams that would have made Plant proud. It was a risky maneuver that paid off for Lambert, who chose a tune that came in at #75 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2004.

The legendary British rock act recorded the tribute to Chicago blues icon Willie Dixon during their second U.S. tour after working it out in their live show, including it on their 1969 classic album Led Zeppelin II. Like many of the songs Zeppelin performed early in their career, "Love" was a blues standard turned on its head with a heavy dose of crunching psychedelic guitar and thundering drums, courtesy of late drummer John Bonham. The song was based on a 1962 tune by another blues forefather, Muddy Waters, called "You Need Love," which was penned by Dixon.

For Zeppelin's version, Plant customized the lyrics by adding some lyrical quotes from a few other songs Dixon wrote for Howlin' Wolf, "Back Door Man" and "Shake For Me," nailing the tricky vocal in a single take. It was also inspired by 1966's "You Need Loving" from the British rock group the Small Faces, for whom Zeppelin had great affection, but they also did not credit Dixon for his part in writing the original lyrics. The song became Zeppelin's first U.S. single and their only U.S. top 10 hit. Though their manager would not let them release singles in the U.K. because he thought it cannibalized album sales, the song was finally released as the band's only British single in 1997.

Dixon sued Zeppelin over the song in 1985, claiming it borrowed too heavily from his "You Need Love," and Zeppelin reached an agreement with him, with Dixon using the money he received to set up a program that provided musical instruments for schools. A cornerstone of heavy rock, the tune -- which was the theme song for the long-running British countdown show "Top of the Pops" in the 1970s and '80s -- has been covered by dozens of artists over the years, from Tina Turner and Ben Harper to Prince, Slash, Leona Lewis, Train's Pat Monahan, the London Symphony Orchestra and Jane's Addiction.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

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New Led Zeppelin On The Way? Jason Bonham Hints At 'Jam' Sessions With Jimmy Page -- But Not Robert Plant

Drummer admits he doesn't know what will come of 'new material.'
By Chris Harris


Jason Bonham
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images

On Friday morning, mere hours before he was due to take the stage with classic rockers Foreigner at Detroit's GM Renaissance Center, drummer Jason Bonham — the son of late Led Zeppelin kitman John Bonham — told Jim Johnson and Lynne Woodison of local rock station 94.7 WCSX that he'd be an ex-member of Foreigner as of September 1. But that's not the only thing he said.

Much to the delight of Led Zeppelin fans everywhere, Bonham revealed that he's been meeting up with Led Zep guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones in recent months and that they've been "trying to do some new material and writing."

It was the first time since Led Zeppelin announced they would re-form for a single performance (which happened late last year at London's O2 Arena, in honor of the late Ahmet Ertegün, who signed the band to Atlantic Records in 1969) that anyone connected to the band has confirmed publicly that new music could be on the horizon for the iconic rockers. While the bandmembers have stopped short of definitively ruling out such a reunion, singer Robert Plant insisted in the wake of last year's show that he intended to focus on promoting and touring behind his critically lauded album with bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, Raising Sand.

Not that Bonham knows what — if anything — will happen with the new material he's been working on with Page (who collaborated with pop singer Leona Lewis on an uneven version of Zep's "Whole Lotta Love" at the Olympic closing ceremonies in Beijing on Sunday night) and Jones. He said he just shows up and takes his seat behind the kit.

"I've been over [to England] a couple of times," Bonham said. "I've been working with Jimmy and John Paul and trying to do ... some new material and some writing. I don't know what it will be, but it will be something. At the moment, all I know is I have the great pleasure to go and jam with the two guys and start work on some material. When I get there, I never ask any questions. If I get a phone call to go and play, I enjoy every moment of it. Whatever it ends up as, to ever get a chance to jam with two people like that, it is a phenomenal thing for me. It's my life. It's what I've dreamed about doing."

He said it's still too early to tell what will become of these "jam" sessions, but admitted that the "possibility of doing something is in the cards. I really felt it was in the cards from the moment we walked offstage at the O2." Bonham also explained that, before there could be a Led Zep LP, "lots of politics [would need to] get ironed out," but added that recording with Zep is "something I've always wanted to do."

Bonham noticeably didn't mention frontman Plant's name during the discussion. A spokesperson for Page's management had no comment on the matter, and a spokesperson for Jones' management could not be reached by press time.

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Britney Spears' Pop Rivalries, From Christina Aguilera To Lady Gaga

'She's sort of left a lot of these girls in the dust,' one Spears expert tells MTV News.
By Jocelyn Vena, with additional reporting by Christina Garibaldi


Lady Gaga and Britney Spears
Photo: Getty Images

For more than a decade, Britney Spears has been pitted against some of her pop peers, including Madonna, Jessica Simpson, Christina Aguilera and, most recently, Lady Gaga.

She's publicly buried the hatchet with Madonna and Aguilera — sharing a three-way kiss with the pair at the 2003 VMAs — and never really paid much attention to the hype of other so-called rivalries.

"Since the beginning of her career, she's always been pitted against whatever big pop person there is," MTV News' Jim Cantiello explained.

"I feel like artists have had rivalries with Britney and she hasn't really had rivalries with them," Entertainment Weekly's Leah Greenblatt added. "She's sort of left a lot of these girls in the dust."

While Brit has managed to stay on top all these years, a new pop princess might give her a run for her money. "I think Gaga's already been talking about what she is gonna do. She has said that her album is going to be more than just dance songs, and I'm guessing that Britney might be making a different type of album, which is great, because in that sense, Brit and Gaga don't have to compete," Perez Hilton said of any potential new rivalry. "They're each doing their own very distinct thing."

Greenblatt agreed: "It just seems like they're operating on different wavelengths right now. I mean, Britney's proven herself over such a longer period of time than Gaga has. I don't think that Gaga can just wipe her off the pop royalty board."

At the end of the day, it's not at all about competition, Cantiello explained. "Britney's going in the super dance route and Gaga's doing a super personal album," he said. "It comes a point where we've got to stop comparing the two."

Plus, it's hard for these two to really ever compete with one another, since Gaga has admitted to waving the Britney flag. "I was 13 when Britney became a star," she said in 2009. "I was amazed by the level of the superfan that Britney created. I want to bring back the feeling that I used to feel."

Who has been Britney's worthiest adversary? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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Justin Bieber's Magazine Covers Chart His Meteoric Rise

Teen sensation's Vanity Fair cover follows a spate of increasingly high-profile mag appearances.
By Jocelyn Vena


Justin Bieber on February cover of <i>Vanity Fair</i>
Photo: Art Streiber / Conde Nast

Justin Bieber first appeared on teen magazines like J-14 and Tiger Beat alongside fellow idols like the Jonas Brothers, but Bieber quickly established himself as a marquee cover boy. He was soon being profiled by industry publications like Billboard and embraced by mainstream mags like People.

Bieber's first big solo cover was the March 27, 2010, issue of Billboard. On the cover, Bieber sported a cardigan and those signature bangs while holding up a boom box. That appearance was quickly followed by his April 19, 2010, People magazine cover, which came out just weeks after the release of his My World 2.0.

Early on, Bieber proved he was comfortable on shoots. "He's always been a natural in front of the camera," said Melissa Victor, VP, Media & Artist Relations at Island Def Jam Music Group. "I don't think that kid can take a bad frame."

By the summer, Bieber was making headlines as teen magazines began proclaiming they had "Bieber Fever." He covered Seventeen's June/July issue and Teen Vogue's October edition. "He has very strong ideas of how he wants to look," Victor said of the Island Def Jam artist's visual evolution. "His mom is already working on a scrapbook of all his covers," she revealed. "She requests every single cover no matter how big or small; everything from J-14 to People magazine."

In addition to making the covers of some of the entertainment industry's most popular magazines, the singer also scored some memorable profiles in places like VMAN, Interview and Elle, in which he waded on the beach with Kim Kardashian.

With his latest cover for Vanity Fair, Bieber shows he's growing in terms of his public image, from teen heartthrob to pop superstar — one who can be appreciated by both teens and adults.

"Justin loves his core audience but it is important for him to continue to evolve as an artist, and with that evolution we want to insure that more and more people of all ages embrace his music," she said. "It is great that these magazines have been there to chronicle his journey."

2011 already looks to be a massive year for Bieber, and Vanity Fair is just the beginning. "He so honored and excited to grace the cover of Vanity Fair. He knows he is in great company, he doesn't take it for granted at all," Victor said. "This is has been a great way to kick off the New Year. But this is just the beginning. His fans can rest assured they will continue to get their 'Bieber Fix.' "

What do you think of Justin's Vanity Fair cover? Tell us in the comments!

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Dave Grohl, Josh Homme, John Paul Jones Unveil Supergroup

Them Crooked Vultures make their debut with a post-Lollapalooza set.
By James Montgomery


Dave Grohl (file)
Photo: Jewel Samad/AFP/Getty Images

Officially, Lollapalooza ended Sunday night in Chicago's Grant Park, with dueling sets from the Killers and Jane's Addiction. Unofficially, it ended very early Monday morning, across town at venerable rock club the Metro, with a surprise show by Them Crooked Vultures.

To the unfamiliar, the Vultures might seem like an odd choice to close out Lolla weekend ... until you realize that they're made up of Foo Fighters frontman/ former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, Queens of the Stone Age mastermind Josh Homme and Led Zeppelin legend John Paul Jones. And their gig at the Metro was their world premiere.

According to some reports, the Vultures actually turned down Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell's request to replace the Beastie Boys as headliners at the festival, opting to debut in front of some 1,100 super-psyched fans at the Metro, rather than 75,000 in Grant Park (tickets for the gig were announced via Foo Fighter/ QOTSA fan clubs). Meaning that, in a lot of ways, this was the most sought-after ticket in town.

Taking the stage just after midnight, the Vultures — Grohl on drums (of course), Homme on guitar and vocals, Jones on bass and keys and frequent QOTSA contributor Alain Johannes on guitar — ripped through 12 songs in 80 minutes, all taken from their upcoming debut, which may or may not be called Never Deserved the Future, and may or may not be hitting stores on October 23 (early "promo" videos touting both those facts were revealed over the weekend to be hoaxes perpetrated by QOTSA fans).

The songs, with appropriately Homme-ian titles like "Scumbag Blues," "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)," "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes," sounded pretty much how you'd expect, given the band's pedigree. They rocked, hard — Chicago Tribune critic Greg Kot described them as "fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty" — delving off into psychedelic, reverb-filled excursions and exploring proggy territory, "both of the old-school Yes variety, and the more modern Tool flavor," according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Jim DeRogatis.

It's not known if Monday's Metro performance was a one-off event for the Vultures — there have been whispers of a full-blown tour, but a spokesperson for Homme had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time. Nor was it clear whether or not they'll have an album out in October.

Early Monday, a Crooked Vultures Twitter account, which had previously posted links to the band's official-looking Web site and the Metro's online ticketing site — posted a link to what appears to be the group's first bit of official merchandise: a Deserve the Future T-shirt. Cost: $30.

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Lady Gaga Rep Debunks Leaked Song Rumor

'The reported leak is not a Gaga record,' rep tells MTV News about 'Animal.'
By Jocelyn Vena


Lady Gaga
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images

When a new tune called "Animal" hit the Internet on Friday (January 14), many fans believed that the song was a Lady Gaga leak. Its thumping beat, dance-floor-inspired melody and lyrics about sex could easily be features of a Gaga track. And indeed, the website hosting the alleged leak labeled it a Lady Gaga song.

But fans should know that "Animal" is in fact not a Lady Gaga song. "The reported leak is not a Gaga record," a rep for the singer told MTV News.

On the leaked track, a woman who sounds vaguely like the pop star sings, "I can see the way that you're looking at me/ Like you're hungry and I'm the only thing that you see/ Can't tame you from the way you're watching me/ Baby I'll keep you up all night/ Gonna tie you up/ I'll hit you right/ Animal, animal."

But new Gaga music is on the horizon. Born This Way is set for release on May 23, and Gaga will drop the first single from the album on February 13, the same day she is slated to perform at the Grammy Awards.

Last month Gaga revealed that she would be dropping her hotly anticipated single in February, and she let her little monsters know how excited she is to share the song with them. "Thank you for all of your support and I cannot wait to play you Born This Way. It is killing me," she said, adding that it will be "the greatest album of this decade. ... I promise you, I'll never let you down. And not for nothing: The album's finished and it's f---ing really good."

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Chris Cornell Filling In For Robert Plant On Led Zeppelin Tour? That's News To Him

'I have not been approached to fill in for Robert Plant on the Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be,' singer says.
By Chris Harris


Chris Cornell
Photo: MTV News

Former Soundgarden and Audioslave frontman Chris Cornell has spoken out for the first time about rumors that he's been asked to fill in for Robert Plant on a proposed Led Zeppelin reunion tour. The trek would feature original guitarist Jimmy Page, original bassist John Paul Jones and Jason Bonham taking over on drums for his late father, John Bonham.

Cornell has been mentioned — along with Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl, former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, White Stripes mastermind Jack White and Alter Bridge's Myles Kennedy — as a potential Plant fill-in. Plant has already said that he wouldn't take part in the tour.

"I have not been approached so far to fill in for Robert Plant on the upcoming Zeppelin tour, but that isn't to say I won't be," Cornell told MTV News. "I've heard that from about 200 people now, and it might be one of those situations where it's just an online rumor or it might be true. But if you see anyone from Led Zeppelin around, let me know. I think I should actually fill in for Jimmy Page on the Robert Plant/ Alison Krauss tour."

Cornell's denial comes just a day after Aerosmith guitarist Brad Whitford confirmed reports that frontman Steven Tyler recently met with Zeppelin for an impromptu jam session. "They did it for fun," Whitford said during an appearance on the syndicated show "Todd N Tyler Radio Empire." "I actually think Jimmy wanted Steven to come over and play a little bit because I think he was trying to light a fire under Robert."

Rumors of a Zeppelin reunion tour have abounded since the iconic band played a single reunion set last year at London's O2 Arena. Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider added fuel to the fire last month when he revealed that the group was thinking of touring, with or without Plant.

According to Snider, the rest of the band told Plant, " 'We're all rehearsed, we're ready to go. Here's a gazillion dollars on the table. If you don't do it, we're going out with this kid [Myles Kennedy].' "

"And he can sing the sh-- out of Zeppelin," Snider added. "They're going to hope that Robert, at the last minute, will go, 'OK,' and step in."

In a recent interview, Jones told BBC Radio Devon that a new singer was being sought to take over for Plant. "We are trying out a couple of singers," he said. "We want to do it. It's sounding great, and we want to get on and get out there."

But Jones insists that he, Page and Bonham aren't interested in finding a Plant clone. "It's got to be right," he said. "There's no point in just finding another Robert. You could get that out of a tribute band, but we don't want to be our own tribute band. There would be a record and a tour, but everyone has to be onboard."

Of course, even if Zeppelin were to approach him, Cornell might be too busy to take over vocals for the band. His upcoming Timbaland-produced solo LP, Scream, will be released within the next few months. Cornell told MTV News last month that some of his fans might consider Scream something of a departure, but he doesn't see it that way.

"It makes me happy that there's this perception that I have a group of fans that I'm now sort of throwing a curve at and what their reaction will be," he said. "But I've been in this situation so many times already. When I put out [1999's] Euphoria Morning, my main goal was to create an album that sounded like nothing I'd done in Soundgarden, and I did that. I also had that with Temple of the Dog, where I showed up with songs that weren't necessarily riff-based. And then, of course, the pairing of me and members of Rage Against the Machine had everyone sort of speculating about what that would sound like.

"It feels like I've done this so many times that when it's presented to me as being a departure, I feel that's a misconception," he added. "I feel like that's my theme at this point."

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