There weren’t many Led Zeppelin songs that were throwaways. The band made music in the album era of classic rock. Records were complete artistic statements, not collections of singles and spare tunes. Led Zeppelin songs were usually well-crafted with plenty of forethought. That said, Led Zeppelin members hated some of their own tunes. Let’s look at six of them.
1. ‘Living Loving Maid’ might be Jimmy Page’ most hated Led Zeppelin song
It’s a brief song buried in the middle of Led Zeppelin II that segues quickly from the preceding song, but Jimmy Page hates “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).” He tossed off the song to fill the album, and the guitarist hated it so much that Led Zeppelin never played it live. We don’t agree with Page — the main riff is ear candy, and he plays a solid solo — but he has his reasons for detesting the song.
2. John Bonham and John Paul Jones loathed ‘D’yer Mak’er’
Led Zeppelin’s reggae attempt from Houses of the Holy didn’t sit well with the band’s rhythm section. Though a skilled drummer well versed in many styles, John Bonham wasn’t interested in learning the finer points of a reggae beat. Bonzo loathed playing it, and his rhythm partner reacted similarly. Bassist John Paul Jones hates the song because of Bonham’s uninspired playing.
3. Page detested the single version of ‘Whole Lotta Love’
Led Zeppelin II opener “Whole Lotta Love” remains one of the band’s signature songs. Ask almost any fan to assemble a Zep playlist, and the song would almost certainly make the cut. Still, Page hated the butchered single version, and he was right to. The record company trimmed out the psychedelic freakout section, a.k.a. the heart of the song. Considering all his hard work behind the scenes on “Whole Lotta Love,” we don’t blame him for listening to it once and never again.
4. Jones didn’t like ‘Royal Orleans’ because he felt it was homophobic
Presence’s shortest song sees the band sticking to a tight groove through its three minutes. Each band member shines on “Royal Orleans.” Page’s jaunty riff, Jones’ thick bass line, and Bonham’s tight playing are highlights. A seemingly strained Robert Plant shines a little less, though his lyrics might be some of his most playful. And that’s why Jones hates this Led Zeppelin song. The story of a man mistakenly going home with a cross-dresser (Plant repeatedly sings “Whiskers!” and says his date better not talk like Barry White) didn’t sit well with Jones, especially because he felt Plant ribbed him for having a similar experience during one tour stop.
5. Page felt ‘All of My Love’ was too tender to be a Led Zeppelin song
Jones must have moved past Plant’s “Royal Orleans’ slight because he and the singer collaborated on several songs for 1979’s In Through the Out Door. That included the synth-heavy ballad “All of My Love,” Plant’s ode to his son, Karac, who died suddenly in 1977. It’s a standout moment for the frontman, but the song didn’t sit right with Page, who felt it was too tender. Zep created ballads throughout their career, but none of them were as directly heartfelt. Page turns in an appropriately delicate solo on “All of My Love,” so it might not be his most hated Led Zeppelin song, but it was definitely one of his least favorite tunes in the band’s catalog.
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6. Robert Plant grew apart from Led Zeppelin’s signature song, ‘Stairway to Heaven’
“Stairway to Heaven” might be the quintessential Led Zeppelin song. It displays their acoustic prowess and electric power. It sits among the band’s best compositions. Every band member turns in a stellar performance. And yet Plant grew to hate Led Zeppelin’s signature song.
He wrote the lyrics quickly when he was in his early 20s. One, two, five decades later, he doesn’t relate to his words or the tune in the same way. Plant often called “Stairway to Heaven” a song of hope, and inserted the line, “Does anybody remember laughter?” during many live performances. Yet as he reflected on the lyrics years later, he found them naïve, and he refrained from playing the song live.
It might have been harder for Plant to find later in the 1970s. He and his family were lucky to survive a car accident while vacationing in Greece. Page implored Plant to leave his recovering family to write and record Presence while he was still confined to a wheelchair because of his injuries. Then his son died. Then his friend Bonham.
Seeing Heart perform it live at the Kennedy Center Honors (via YouTube) brought the singer to tears, so his stance might have changed slightly. Still, Plant has never been shy about his uneasy relationship with “Stairway to Heaven.” If it wasn’t one of his hated Led Zeppelin songs, it was at least one he felt no connection to as the years passed.
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