Black Dog – Led Zeppelin (1971)

An individual, limited edition, example of vinyl record silhouette art made from a genuine, original, 45rpm, 7” single of Black Dog from 1971, by Led Zeppelin. Released on the Atlantic record label, this vinyl single has been reworked into a silhouette of a black dog.

The song’s title is a reference to a nameless, black Labrador Retriever that wandered around the Headley Grange studios during recording. The retriever, despite his advanced age, was still sexually adventurous, like the song’s protagonist who reiterates his desperate desire for a woman’s love and the happiness it provides.

Black Dog has another meaning after the World Heath Organisation (WHO) in 2012 created a global campaign to highlight depression and encourage sufferers to get help. The campaign included a video called ‘I had a Black Dog, his name was depression’. The video was designed to helps sufferers look at depression in a different way. Written and illustrated by Matthew Johnstone this vinyl record silhouette resembles the black dog depicted in the video.