Please Read the Letter

1998 song by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant

"Please Read the Letter"
Song by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant
from the album Walking Into Clarksdale
Recorded	1998
Genre	Folk rock
Length	4:21
Label	Atlantic (US) Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Charlie Jones, Michael Lee, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant
Producer(s)	Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

"Please Read the Letter" is a song originally written and recorded by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (as Page and Plant) for their 1998 album Walking into Clarksdale.^[1]

Plant and Alison Krauss later recorded a version of the song for their collaboration album Raising Sand released in October 2007. The song was well received by critics, and won the Record of the Year award at the 2009 Grammy Awards.^[2]

Music and lyrics

"Please Read the Letter" is in the folk rock genre.^[3]

Plant explained that "Please Read the Letter" is a song about yearning for someone, adding that the lyrics are about "unfinished business".^[4]

Release

A music video for the single was released in 2008. It was shot in a 1905-built house in South Los Angeles.^[4] The music video was nominated for Wide Open Country Video of the Year at the 2009 CMT Music Awards.

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss version

"Please Read the Letter"

Single by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

from the album Raising Sand

Released

2008

Recorded

2007

Genre

Folk rock, country

Length

5:55

Label

Rounder

Songwriter(s)

Charlie Jones, Michael Lee, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant

Music video

"Please Read the Letter" at CMT.com

Robert Plant singles chronology

"Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)"
(2007)

"Please Read the Letter"
(2008)

"Rich Woman"
(2008)

Alison Krauss singles chronology

"Gone, Gone, Gone (Done Moved On)"
(2007)

"Please Read the Letter"
(2008)

"Rich Woman"
(2008)

"Please Read The Letter"

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss' "Please Read The Letter" from Raising Sand

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Chart performance

Plant and Krauss' version of the song initially failed to chart, but after winning the Grammy Award for Record of the Year, the song entered the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart at #20 (the virtual equivalent to #120 on the Hot 100) in 2009.

Chart (2009)	Peak position
UK Singles Chart	102
U.S. Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100^[5]	20

Reception

The song has been well received by critics. Chris Jones, in his review for the BBC, felt that the version by Plant and Krauss is "completely improved" from the original track.^[6] Thom Jurek wrote for Allmusic: "Slow, plodding, almost crawling, Krauss' harmony vocal takes it to the next step, adds the kind of lonesome depth that makes this a song whispered under a starless sky rather than just another lost love song."^[7]

Track listing

2008 US CD single (Rounder RPAK102-R1)

"Please Read the Letter" (Radio Edit) (Jones, Lee, Page, Plant) – 3:47
"Please Read the Letter" (Jones, Lee, Page, Plant) – 5:55

References

^ Cohen, Jonathan (2007-08-03). "Plant, Krauss Cover Everlys, Waits On New Album". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. Archived from the original on September 14, 2014. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
^ MTV News Staff (2009-02-08). "Grammy 2009 Winners List". MTV. Retrieved 2009-02-09.
^ "Raising Sand". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 2007-10-27. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
^ ^a ^b Halperin, Shirley (2008-02-20). "A Tale of Two Singers". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-01-12.
^ Whitburn, Joel (2011). Top Pop Singles 1955–2010. Record Research, Inc. p. 500. ISBN 978-0-89820-188-8.
^ Jones, Chris (2007-10-19). "Robert Plant and Alison Krauss: Raising Sand". BBC. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
^ "Raising Sand: Review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2008-12-08.

Robert Plant

Strange Sensation: Justin Adams
John Baggott
Clive Deamer
Billy Fuller
Charlie Jones
Michael Lee
Pearl Thompson
Liam "Skin" Tyson

Studio albums/EPs

Pictures at Eleven
The Principle of Moments
Shaken 'n' Stirred
Now and Zen
Manic Nirvana
Fate of Nations
Walking into Clarksdale (with Jimmy Page)
Dreamland
Mighty ReArranger (with Strange Sensation)
Raising Sand (with Alison Krauss)
Band of Joy (with Band of Joy)
Lullaby and the Ceaseless Roar
Carry Fire
Raise the Roof (with Alison Krauss)

Live albums

No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded

Compilations

Sixty Six to Timbuktu
Nine Lives
Digging Deep: Subterranea

DVDs

Soundstage: Robert Plant and the Strange Sensation

Singles

"Burning Down One Side"
"Pledge Pin"
"Big Log"
"In the Mood"
"Other Arms"
"Little by Little"
"Heaven Knows"
"Tall Cool One"
"Ship of Fools"
"Hurting Kind (I've Got My Eyes on You)"
"Your Ma Said You Cried in Your Sleep Last Night"
"29 Palms"
"Most High"
"Shine It All Around"
"Rich Woman"
"Please Read the Letter"

v t e Jimmy Page
Studio albums and EPs	Little Games (with The Yardbirds) No Introduction Necessary (with Albert Lee and John Paul Jones) Lord Sutch and Heavy Friends (with Screaming Lord Sutch and John Bonham) The Honeydrippers: Volume One (with The Honeydrippers) Whatever Happened to Jugula? (with Roy Harper) The Firm (with The Firm) Mean Business (with The Firm) Outrider Coverdale–Page (with David Coverdale) Walking into Clarksdale (with Robert Plant)
Live albums	Live Yardbirds: Featuring Jimmy Page (with The Yardbirds) No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded (with Robert Plant) Live at the Greek (with The Black Crowes)
Compilations	Blues Anytime Hip Young Guitar Slinger
Soundtracks	Death Wish II Lucifer Rising and Other Sound Tracks
Related articles	Discography Led Zeppelin The Honeydrippers Page and Plant The Firm XYZ Coverdale•Page David Coverdale The Yardbirds Immediate All-Stars Scarlet Page It Might Get Loud Jimmy Page by Jimmy Page

v t e Alison Krauss & Union Station
Alison Krauss Barry Bales Ron Block Jerry Douglas Dan Tyminski John Pennell Jeff White Brent Truitt Mike Harman Adam Steffey Tim Stafford
Studio albums	Different Strokes Too Late to Cry Two Highways I've Got That Old Feeling Every Time You Say Goodbye I Know Who Holds Tomorrow So Long So Wrong Forget About It New Favorite Lonely Runs Both Ways Paper Airplane Windy City
Compilation albums	Now That I've Found You: A Collection Live A Hundred Miles or More: A Collection Essential Alison Krauss
With Robert Plant	Raising Sand Raise the Roof
Singles	"When You Say Nothing at All" "Baby Now That I've Found You" "Baby Mine" "The Lucky One" "Missing You" "Please Read the Letter" "Rich Woman" "Can't Let Go"
Featured singles	"Teach Your Children" "Somewhere in the Vicinity of the Heart" "It's Not Over" "Buy Me a Rose" "Whiskey Lullaby" "Do This Life"
Related articles	Discography Awards and nominations Alison Brown Robert Plant Viktor Krauss Up! Close and Personal

v t e Grammy Award for Record of the Year
1950s	"Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare)" – Domenico Modugno (1958) "Mack the Knife" – Bobby Darin (1959)
1960s	"Theme from A Summer Place" – Percy Faith (1960) "Moon River" – Henry Mancini (1961) "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" – Tony Bennett (1962) "Days of Wine and Roses" – Henry Mancini (1963) "The Girl from Ipanema" – Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz (1964) "A Taste of Honey" – Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass (1965) "Strangers in the Night" – Frank Sinatra (1966) "Up, Up and Away" – The 5th Dimension (1967) "Mrs. Robinson" – Simon & Garfunkel (1968) "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In" – The 5th Dimension (1969)
1970s	"Bridge over Troubled Water" – Simon & Garfunkel (1970) "It's Too Late" – Carole King (1971) "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" – Roberta Flack (1972) "Killing Me Softly with His Song" – Roberta Flack (1973) "I Honestly Love You" – Olivia Newton-John (1974) "Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille (1975) "This Masquerade" – George Benson (1976) "Hotel California" – Eagles (1977) "Just the Way You Are" – Billy Joel (1978) "What a Fool Believes" – The Doobie Brothers (1979)
1980s	"Sailing" – Christopher Cross (1980) "Bette Davis Eyes" – Kim Carnes (1981) "Rosanna" – Toto (1982) "Beat It" – Michael Jackson (1983) "What's Love Got to Do with It" – Tina Turner (1984) "We Are the World" – USA for Africa (1985) "Higher Love" – Steve Winwood (1986) "Graceland" – Paul Simon (1987) "Don't Worry, Be Happy" – Bobby McFerrin (1988) "Wind Beneath My Wings" – Bette Midler (1989)
1990s	"Another Day in Paradise" – Phil Collins (1990) "Unforgettable" – Natalie Cole with Nat King Cole (1991) "Tears in Heaven" – Eric Clapton (1992) "I Will Always Love You" – Whitney Houston (1993) "All I Wanna Do" – Sheryl Crow (1994) "Kiss from a Rose" – Seal (1995) "Change the World" – Eric Clapton (1996) "Sunny Came Home" – Shawn Colvin (1997) "My Heart Will Go On" – Celine Dion (1998) "Smooth" – Santana featuring Rob Thomas (1999)
2000s	"Beautiful Day" – U2 (2000) "Walk On" – U2 (2001) "Don't Know Why" – Norah Jones (2002) "Clocks" – Coldplay (2003) "Here We Go Again" – Ray Charles & Norah Jones (2004) "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" – Green Day (2005) "Not Ready to Make Nice" – Dixie Chicks (2006) "Rehab" – Amy Winehouse (2007) "Please Read the Letter" – Alison Krauss & Robert Plant (2008) "Use Somebody" – Kings of Leon (2009)
2010s	"Need You Now" – Lady Antebellum (2010) "Rolling in the Deep" – Adele (2011) "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra (2012) "Get Lucky" – Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers (2013) "Stay with Me" (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith (2014) "Uptown Funk" – Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars (2015) "Hello" – Adele (2016) "24K Magic" – Bruno Mars (2017) "This Is America" – Childish Gambino (2018) "Bad Guy" – Billie Eilish (2019)
2020s	"Everything I Wanted" – Billie Eilish (2020) "Leave the Door Open" – Silk Sonic (2021) "About Damn Time" by Lizzo (2022) "Flowers" – Miley Cyrus (2023)