"29 Palms" is a rock song by English musician Robert Plant. It’s included on his 1993 album Fate of Nations with songwriting credited to Plant, two of his backing musicians on the recording, Charlie Jones and Doug Boyle, Chris Blackwell and Phil Johnstone.[1]
| "29 Palms" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Robert Plant | ||||
| from the album Fate of Nations | ||||
| B-side | "21 Years" | |||
| Released | May 1993 (1993-05) | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 4:51 | |||
| Label |
| |||
| Songwriter(s) |
| |||
| Producer(s) |
| |||
| Robert Plant singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
A review in Billboard magazine described "29 Palms" as "richly emotive rock with strong, spell-casting power" and notes Plant's vocal and the guitars and percussion.[2] Released as a single, it became his second most successful single on the UK Singles Chart, where it reached number 21.[3][4] The song was mixed by Tim Palmer at Westside Studios in London.
In this song, the singer is fixated on a seductive person who lives there. Could this woman be the Canadian singer Alannah Myles, famous for the song "Black Velvet"? In a 1993 interview with Network magazine, Plant gave a non-denial denial, saying: "We did a tour together. We're good friends. I think the world of her. She's a great, powerful lady. But the road is the road. Forget about all the rumors, everything is true and untrue. '29 Palms’ was written on tour, the last time we were in California." However, there is an alternative theory the song was written about a certain disc jockey who worked at the 29 Palms radio station at the time. Plant is waiting to hear their voice as he's driving into the stations signal area. Once he can hear it, he knows he's not far from his destination.[5] Twentynine Palms, California, is a small town located in the Mojave Desert about 140 miles east of Los Angeles. It’s best known as one of the main entry points to the Joshua Tree National Park.
The song includes the refrain:
It comes kinda hard When I hear your voice on the radio (When I hear your voice on the radio)
Leading me back down the road that leads back to you
Oh, oh, oh
29 Palms
I feel the heat of your desert heart (Feel the heat of your desert heart)
Taking me back down the road that leads back to you
The CD single featured three non-album songs, "21 Years" and "Dark Moon", both written and performed with singer-songwriter Rainer Ptacek, and a cover of "Whole Lotta Love (You Need Love)", also performed with Ptacek.[6]
Billboard's single review notes "[v]ibrant electro-acoustic guitars" and "a percussive grandeur that includes skillful use of snare, tom-toms, and timpani".[2] The musicians are:[1]
| Chart (1993) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia (ARIA)[7] | 79 |
| Canada RPM100 Hit Tracks[8] | 11 |
| Germany (Official German Charts)[9] | 73 |
| New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[10] | 20 |
| Sweden (Sverigetopplistan)[11] | 28 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[3] | 21 |
| US Billboard Album Rock Tracks[12] | 4 |
{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)