Jimmy Page came up with the guitar riff for "Whole Lotta Love" in the summer of 1968, on his houseboat on the River Thames at Pangbourne, England. John Paul Jones has stated that Page's famous riff probably emerged from a stage improvisation during the band's playing of "Dazed and Confused". Page denied that the song originated onstage and that he had the riff and the rest took it from there.

The song is in compound AABA form. Playing the loose blues riff for the intro, on a Sunburst 1958 Les Paul Standard guitar, which ascends into the first chorus. Then, 

beginning at 1:24 (and lasting until 3:02) the song dissolves to a free jazz-like break involving a theremin solo and a drum solo and the orgasmic moans of Robert Plant. Audio engineer Eddie Kramer explained that he and Page experimented with mixing the album and left in some audio tape bleed through from an earlier vocal take. Page also employed the backwards echo production technique.

Lyrics

You need cooling Baby I'm not fooling I'm gonna send ya Back to schooling

A-way down inside A-honey you need it I'm gonna give you my love I'm gonna give you my love

Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love

You've been learning Um baby I been learning All them good times baby, baby I've been year-yearning

A-way, way down inside A-honey you need-ah I'm gonna give you my love, ah I'm gonna give you my love, ah oh

Whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love

You've been cooling And baby I've been drooling All the good times, baby I've been misusing

A-way, way down inside I'm gonna give ya my love I'm gonna give ya every inch of my love I'm gonna give ya my love

Hey! Alright! Let's go!

Whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love Want to whole lotta love

Way down inside Woman, you need, yeah Love

My, my, my, my My, my, my, my Lord Shake for me girl

I wanna be your backdoor man Hey, oh, hey, oh Hey, oh, hey, oh Ooh Oh, oh, oh, oh

Cool, my, my baby A-keep it cooling baby A-keep it cooling baby Ah-keep it cooling baby Ah-keep it cooling baby Ah-keep it cooling baby

Songwriters: Robert Anthony Plant / John Bonham / John Paul Jones / James Patrick Page

Whole Lotta Love lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc