Now, forgive me for this next part. I know that some of you consider Stairway to Heaven the Greatest Song Ever. I sure did back in the day. But please, look at these lyrics.
If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the May queen.
One summer night, five of sat on the open tailgate of a someone's mom's station wagon, parked in the last row of a drive-in theater (double feature: Kentucky Fried Movie and Groove Tube). For two hours, we discussed the meaning behind the lyrics to that song, spending an awful lot of time on the "bustle in your hedgerow" line. We each had a different interpreation of the song. We each took our own meaning from it. And that was deep, man. I mean, wow...they spoke to each one of us in a different way. How fucking cool!
It was only years later that I realized the words probably mean nothing except that Robert Plant read a lot of books. He strung some thoughts and words from his favorite novels together, mixed them in a blender and called it Stairway to Heaven.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.
Anyone care to explain that line? To be a rock and not to roll. They revisited that theme again in The Rover with the line You got me rockin' when I ought to be a-rollin', which took on a decidedly different tone than the rock and the roll from Stairway. Maybe he was just running out of words at this point, a consideration to be taken seriously when you realize that the next Zep album was Presence.
Led Zeppelin did not own the rights to bizarre lyrics passing as genius writing abilities. We enshrined Genesis (the Gabriel years) in the same manner.
From Supper's Ready:
Wandering through the chaos the battle has left,
We climb up a mountain of human flesh,
To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life.
A young figure sits still by the pool,
He's been stamped human bacon by some butchery tool.
(He is you.)
Social Security took care of this lad.
We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower.
Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - Bill Sherman
Just a few years' earlier and it was the Moody Blues: "Breathe deep, the gathering gloom" Sounded cool stoned, sitting on the edge of yer twin-sized dorm bed . . .
2 - Kenan Hebert
I keep telling people that Led Zeppelin was NOT the greatest band ever, but they don't believe me. Good to see I'm not completely alone, at least.
3 - Eric Olsen
Led Zeppelin may have been a great ROCK group, but they never played one measure of rock 'n' roll. Because of its suppleness, contact with reality, intimate connection to the body, rock 'n' roll will be considered a great art form 100 years from now. Rock will not.
4 - Sean Hackbarth
Alright Eric, I'll bite. What's the difference between Rock and Rock n' Roll?
5 - Eric Olsen
Rock 'n' roll is the music created in the '50s when rockabilly and R&B were melded. The music has a rhythmic groove. Regardless of its place of origin, it is profoundly American. Rock came along some time in the later 60s with the proto metal of Blue Cheer, Black Sabbath, LZ, and is European in its lack of rhythmic swing. It's the difference between Charlie Watts and John Bonham.
6 - Pete
There's a difference, but you haven't identified it. You're referring to what I call the "fuck beat". It's in Immigrant Song but not in, say, Pachelbel's Canon. You're better off considering whether pretense makes the difference. (I happen to like pretense in moderation.)
7 - Eric Olsen
Pete, You can have pretentiousness in rock 'n' roll and vice versa; no I think the difference is the beat. "Immigrant song" has a strong riff, but no groove, no swing - it's rock. There is no rock 'n' roll in LZ.
8 - Kenan Hebert
Maybe pretentiousness isn't the criterion (depending on how you define that sticky word), but I don't think "groove" or "swing" have much to do with it, either. The difference between Charlie Watts and John Bonham is bombast. Bombast is not volume, mind you -- The Stooges lack bombast, while Led Zep wallow in it, and both are loud as hell. Bombast is the difference between Iggy's haircut and Robert Plant's. One is loud and raw, and the other is loud and self-consciously big.
9 - Ed Driscoll
Michele,
At least you didn't write a postmodern arch-feminist book written in the dense style of rococo academia about Led Zeppelin.
What a bear that thing was to wade through.
(Incidentally I agree with your post 100 percent: Robert Plant's lyrics were silly. But I'm naive enough to still think that Jimmy Page, at his peak, was one helluva guitarist and producer.)
Ed
10 - Eric Olsen
My friends, I would still it all comes down to rhythm: attitude, personality, delivery style are all factors, but rhythm is the foundation of the difference.
11 - j
What a bunch of morons...get a life.
12 - Samantha Laserson
excuse me if i'm mistaken, but led zeppelin was MUSIC, and fuck, why label it so harshly? rock, rock and roll, what's the FUCKING difference? can you honestly write a song as beautiful as the rain song, or as heavy as dazed and confused, or as melancholy drenched as "since i've been loving you"? please oh please lay off, you are the true destructors of good music. who cares what it is, it's music, people like it for a reason, you obviously loved it at one point in your life, did the interest for spiritual harmonies fade with your youth? sure, you may say you grew wiser, but I say you grew more critical. Led Zeppelin is music, fuck, just leave it at that.
13 - adam
hey michelle...i bet you couldn't write anything close to the worst works of zeppelin. it doesn' take anythign to be a critic! your a scumbag.
14 - michele
That's "you're." YOU'RE a scumbag.
One L in my name, not two.
anything, not anythign.
thanks for playing.
15 - keith
No Rock n Roll in Led Zeppelin; what!!?!?!
How about the 25 minute Whole Lotta Love medleys they played during *every* show in the early 70's? These medleys were stuffed full of Elvis numbers et al. You are missing all of John Bonham subtleties and just hearing the Hammer Of The Gods! That's the point...Zeppelin could be anything they wanted to be, whenever they wanted to do it.
Keith.
16 - ZoSo
First of all it was "Battle of Evermore" not battle of "Nevermore." So this would lead one to believe that you were never a Zep fan to begin with, cause no zep fan would make that mistake. You were simply saying you were once a fan to make it sound more credible to bash them. Second, you laugh at the lyrics "Valhalla I am coming" and you have the right to, but personally such lyrics in todays age are verrrry refreshing. Todays music is full of "teen angst" type lyrics and over bearing mellow dramatic luvvy lyrics. Rock today consists mostly of monotone low vocals and sloppy power cords with unimaginative riffs. With all that said, to hear lyrics about mythology, tolkien, ect. along with a singer who has depth, and a band with true insturmental talent is not laughable, but refreshing. If anything i laugh at shit like "go go go, its you're birthday" and "please stand up, please stand up." Not lyrics like "and as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our souls" and "meet me jesus, meet me, meet me in the middle of the air. If my wings should fail me lord, please meet me with another pair. I don't see those as "silly" i see todays music as silly. And just because YOU can't figure out what the lyrics to stairway mean doesnt mean they are just something Plant threw together. He was brilliant in writing this song, look at all the conversation it has created.And he has been brilliant by not coming out and saying what its meaning is, its best to leave a song to be interpeted in many ways. Some think its about drugs http://www.spookypie.com/stairway.html ,some think its about the Bible http://www.divinesongs.com/Stairway/lyric1.htm ,and im sure there are other interpretations as well. Just because YOU personally don't know what "Bustle in your hedgegrow" means, doesn't by default mean Plant must of slapped a few random words together and sang. These lyrics are deep ok, and some people don't like deep lyrics and thats fine. But zep also had very blunt straight forward lyrics. So you would laugh at something like "Valhalla I am coming" (Valhalla-The palace of immortality, inhabited by the souls of heroes slain in battle.) But not "Hey, hey, mama, said, the way you move
gon' make you sweat, gon' make you groove." Or maybe you would laugh at that too, therefore making both deep and blunt lyrics laughable to you. And for the guy who said "Zofo"...you also seem like someone who never really liked them, and just want to seem credible to bash. Because it's "ZoSo" not "ZoFo."
17 - ZoSo
Also, ever heard of "paralysis through analysis?" Some people simply like Zeppelins sound ok. There is a reason they are one of 2 bands to ever go "diamond" in sales. People love their blusey rock/celtic/folk sound. They don't sit back and scrutinize(SP?) the lyrics. Anyhow I would much rather hear a guy sing about vikings and mythology rather than gangs,hoes, and drinking 40's.
18 - Plant's DN Gibson SG
I agree with Zoso. Furthermore, although it may seem extremely mature for you to recount over childhood days listening to music that you now fell is beneath you, I'm sure most people will be of the opinion that you probably don't deserve to have listened to them, ever. You sound like the kind of person who has lost their faith in music, who would say "fair play to Avril Lavine, she's done really well for her age" Don't listen to The Battle of "nevermore" then, infact, don't listen to any Led Zeppelin, I really don't care, just don't give me this 'I'm sooo over such childish music' shit.
19 - Scott
I like Zeppelin's music, but damn, you have to admit the lyrics are pretty stupid. Not that there's anything wrong with that, 3,000,000 Metallica fans can't be wrong, right?
20 - SCOTTO
Damn,Scott.You have to admit your pretty fucking stupid.There's no accounting for taste.
21 - SCOTTO
Eric,your pretty fucking stupid too.Oh,I posted that before,and schooled your ass on "swing" and Bonzo's superior talent.You of course responded by removing my post.Will James have to prove himself a fucking idiot again?Zeppelin's not rock and roll?And your not very intelligent.Kenan has no more of an idea what "groove" or "swing" is than your stupid ass.You two should get together and see if you can figure out how to wipe your asses.Take all the time you need.
22 - Eric Olsen
As far as stupidity goes, if you can't feel the difference beteen Led Zeppelin and Chuck Berry, you are subsentient. And as far as Bonham, he was great at what he did, but even on a reggae tune like "D'yer Maker" he pounds the hell out of his kit as if he was killing large spiders. LZ is the very foundation of "rock" and is not "rock 'n' roll" - why is that so hard to comprehend. I think maybe 10 months is long enough to wrap your feeble brain around that notion.
23 - Ayne
It is, however, amusing to watch ZoSo et al take Led Zeppelin and pop music so seriously. Or, for that matter, mistake ripping a few lines from books as 'inspiring' or 'deep.' Not to mention missing the point entirely. Rock music is entertainment boys and girls...not a mirror into Campbellian mythos. And that was the point she was making: trying to grasp deeper meaning from something like stairway to Heaven when there's absolutely nothing deep or profound about it is an exercise in pretentiousness. But anyone flaming an article like this seems to have pretention (not to mention a pronounced lack of a sense of humour) in spades.
24 - Steve
Jesus people leave it alone...Zep was amazing. More than you'll ever amount to. This is all a bunch of crap. Good music, is good music. Rock N' Roll is the same as Rock. You're trying to pick at the negative sides of Zep while not realizing the mass outnumbering of the positive sides. You are a waste of human beings.
25 - G
I can't tell you how deep Led Zeppelin's lyrics are or what genre they should be grouped in, but take a look at this band's success. Something about the music they made and the lyrics Plant sang caused Led Zeppelin to emerge as the ultimate winner.