Short answers, pulled from the story.
The title Misty Mountain Hop points directly to the Misty Mountains in J. R. R. Tolkien's The Hobbit. Robert Plant wove this fantasy reference into lyrics that also described real events from the 7th of July 1968.
Engineers captured the track at Headley Grange, a mansion located in Hampshire, England. The band sometimes lived within those walls while working on their music.
The United States received this single release on the 2nd of December 1971. Continental Europe also got access to the single version during that same period.
The band performed the song at the 3rd of May 1971 Copenhagen concert for its first live appearance. They continued playing it throughout the 1972 and 1973 concert tours.
Rolling Stone ranked the song number 10 on its list of the 40 greatest Led Zeppelin songs in 2019. This ranking placed it high within the band's extensive catalog.