Led Zeppelin’s discography is loaded with rich lore, but these three songs are particularly interesting. Let’s take a quick look at the lore behind three of Led Zeppelin’s most famous songs that every diehard fan should know!
Videos by American Songwriter
1. “Whole Lotta Love”
This iconic song from 1969 is one of Led Zeppelin’s most loved songs, and it initially took over a year to finish. Jimmy Page came up with the “original” riff sometime in 1968 while living in a houseboat. The track didn’t make it to their debut album, but fortunately, it eventually made it to their lexicon of music.
Page produced the song, which was a wise choice. He didn’t shy away from experimentation and used some unique recording methods to take “Whole Lotta Love” to another level. John Bonham’s drumming became the base of the song, which was recorded in an enormous room at Olympic Studios.
Unfortunately, unique recording prowess aside, the song became the subject of controversy. “Whole Lotta Love” was Led Zeppelin’s first “gold” hit, but some of its lyrics were stolen from “You Need Love” by Willie Dixon. Robert Plant even admitted it. The band endured a lawsuit in 1985 that was eventually settled, and the song is still closely associated with Led Zeppelin over Dixon.
2. “The Rain Song”
There’s some interesting and almost catty lore behind this Led Zeppelin hit from Houses Of The Holy. This slow-burn classic is one of the band’s longest songs at seven minutes, and there’s a lot of mystery around its true origins.
Some say Bonham thought it up, while others say that Page came up with the melody via his then-new mixing station. Others see it as a collaborative piece of work that would only have been as good as it was in 1973 with the mutual effort of the band members that produced it.
Allegedly, the song was created after The Beatles’ George Harrison had some criticism for Led Zeppelin after seeing one of their shows. Jimmy Page’s biography author said that Harrison bemoaned the band’s inability to write ballads. So, in Led Zeppelin fashion, they sought to prove him wrong. And they pretty much did.
3. “Immigrant Song”
“Immigrant Song” is probably the most well-known Led Zeppelin song of all time. It makes sense why. It’s an amazing song and one of Robert Plant’s greatest recorded performances. His vocalization is more iconic than the whole meat of the song.
According to Plant, the song was about an experience the band had in Iceland. It wasn’t supposed to be their third album’s opener, but it just sort of happened.
“We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission,” said Plant. “We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik, and the day before we arrived, all the civil servants went on strike, and the gig was going to be canceled. The university prepared a concert hall for us, and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable, and we had a great time.”
Photo by Barry Peake/Shutterstock
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.
Leave a Reply
Only members can comment. Become a member. Already a member? Log in.