Led Zeppelin had many songs with fantastical imagery. “Immigrant Song” is a perfect example of a song that blends visions of mythology into an epic rock song. One fantasy author who influenced members of Led Zeppelin was J. R. R. Tolkien, the legendary writer of The Lord of the Rings series. Here are three Led Zeppelin songs featuring Lord of the Rings references.
‘Ramble On’ mentions famous ‘Lord of the Rings’ characters and settings
“Ramble On” is a song from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 album Led Zeppelin II. Guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant co-wrote the track. The track references Lord of the Rings with lines like “in the darkest depths of Mordor” and “Gollum and the evil one.” In an interview with Rolling Stone, Plant says he is embarrassed by how his love of Middle Earth made it into his lyrics and blamed it on his youth.
“I can see from this window the hill where Tolkien used to sit and look out over the landscape, and that’s the Shire and the village just below it is called Bagginswood,” Plant said. “I was living in a dream then, talking about C.S. Lewis and Tolkien. And, of course, it brings hoops of derision into everybody who picked up a guitar or got near a microphone by 1980. But I was a kid…I was 22 when I wrote ‘Ramble On’ with Jimmy [Page], so what do I know?”
‘Misty Mountain Hop’ namedrops Bilbo Baggins’ favorite spot
“Misty Mountain Hop” is a song from the band’s 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV. The title alludes to the Misty Mountain, the favorite location of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit. However, the track is about a pro-pot legalization rally disrupted by police.
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“It’s about a bunch of hippies getting busted, about the problems you can come across when you have a simple walk in the park on a nice sunny afternoon,” McCartney shared. “In England, it’s understandable because wherever you go to enjoy yourself, ‘Big Brother’ is not far behind.”
Still, Bilbo was known to smoke a few puffs of his pipe, so maybe the two are more related than one might think.
‘The Battle of Evermore’ is Led Zeppelin’s tribute to an epic battle
1971 saw Led Zeppelin’s passion for Tolkien in full force as Led Zeppelin IV included two Tolkien-based songs. “The Battle of Evermore” is a reference to The Return of the King, and features lines like “The Dark Lord rides in force tonight and time will tell us all” and “The drums will shake the castle wall, the Ringwraiths ride in black.” Plant explained that “The Battle of Evermore” was relevant to him because the themes surrounding it were present in his life.
“I know a lot more about Tolkien now, because it’s still alive on the Welsh borders. ‘The Battle of Evermore’ is not over. Far from it. And the thing about ‘Evermore’ is … I said to Alison {touring partner Krauss], ‘I’m embarrassed by this,’” Plant said. “She said, ‘But you can’t be embarrassed because it’s a young person’s moment by living in an area which is like that, which resonates that period.’ But of course, that’s oblique, really, because that period is right now too.”
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