Led Zeppelin appeased their fans with their feature-length concert film The Song Remains the Same. The 1976 movie offered Zep heads new takes on well-known tunes and approximated the energy of a real show for those who couldn’t attend. He had a long list of Led Zeppelin songs to choose from, but Jimmy Page’s favorite songs from The Song Remains the Same movie soundtrack cover the band’s light and shade approach.
Jimmy Page’s favorite songs from ‘The Song Remains the Same’ were ‘The Rain Song’ and ‘Dazed and Confused’
Page created an iconic classic rock song with “Stairway to Heaven.” His best guitar solos became must-hear events for heavy music fans. Page displayed his skills across various styles, and both he and singer Robert Plant describe “Kashmir” as the definitive Led Zeppelin song.
Yet when Page picked his favorite songs that appeared in The Song Remains the Same movie, he chose songs that represented the full range of Led Zeppelin’s musical capabilities (via Light & Shade director Brad Tolinski):
“I thought ‘The Rain Song’ was really good. I bet you didn’t expect me to say that, but it has a real drama to it. It’s not as good as the studio version, but I think it has its own character. I also like the bowed section on ‘Dazed and Confused,’ which really went well with the fantasy sequence.”
Jimmy Page
Led Zeppelin always displayed a dichotomy in their music. The guitarist said “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” was the key track from Led Zeppelin’s debut because it displayed their light and shade concept in one song. Page’s favorites from The Song Remains the Same did, too.
Some people seemed to forget that Led Zeppelin showed balance in their approach, starting with their debut album. The four members proved they could handle delicate songs just as well as the heavier ones. “The Rain Song” highlighted their soft side. As Page pointed out, the soundtrack version doesn’t surpass the Houses of the Holy version. The performance on The Songs Remains the Same put the power in “power ballad,” compared to the gentle swell on Houses, but the eight-minute song encapsulates Zeppelin’s range.
“Dazed and Confused” lasted nearly 30 minutes in the movie, and seven minutes of that (starting right around the nine-minute mark) featured Page’s bowed guitar. As the soundtrack’s longest song, “Dazed and Confused” thoroughly displayed Led Zeppelin’s improvisational skill and leaned on the heavy end of the spectrum. Page played several solos. As the guitarist said, the music suited his fantasy segment in the movie. Performing the song in concert was easier than filming his portion of the film, that’s for sure.
Page had regrets about shooting his fantasy sequence for the movie
Page picked two favorite songs from The Song Remains the Same, but shooting the movie wasn’t easy. Large gaps in the 1973 concert footage made assembling a complete and cohesive film tricky. The band recreated some performances on a soundstage years later, and each member of Led Zeppelin shot fantasy sequences to fill in the gaps.
Page climbed a mountain near his property in Scotland for his vignette. When he reached the summit, he encountered a hermit waiting for him, then became that character as he aged forward and backward. The segment showcased his love for magic and mysticism.
Yet Page regretted his sequence because he had to shoot at night in the winter. He had to go up and down the mountain multiple times, grappling with the cold weather and snow-covered ground for hours as the director got footage.
How did the ‘The Song Remains the Same’ soundtrack perform on the charts?
Critics blasted The Song Remains the Same as overindulgent and pretentious. Yet the movie became a hit with fans and made an estimated $10 million within a year. The soundtrack album was another success for Led Zeppelin.
The RIAA certified The Songs Remains the Same record gold within five weeks of its Oct. 1, 1976, release. It went platinum within two months. Over on the Billboard albums chart, it climbed to No. 2 within a week of its debut and spent nearly a year in the top 200. Not bad for an album without any new music, only variations of well-known tunes.
Jimmy Page’s favorite songs from The Song Remains the Same showcased his light and shade approach. “The Rain Song” and “Dazed and Confused” pointed back to the dichotomy Led Zeppelin had always displayed. The band didn’t include any new songs on the soundtrack (only variations of their best songs), but fans made the album another in Zep’s long list of his records.
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