The British-born classic rock band Led Zeppelin is known for playing songs so loud and with so much oomph that they likely broke as many radio speakers as Robert Plant did hearts during his heyday as a golden-locked frontman.
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But not every song from the band is comprised of big electric guitars, thumping bass and drums. No, sometimes the band would slow it down, get nuanced and thoughtful while lead guitar player Jimmy Page finger-picked his acoustic guitar. And along the way a few of those acoustic tunes from the band became timeless.
[RELATED: 3 Led Zeppelin Songs that Will Make Any Classic Rock Fan Tear Up]
Here below, we wanted to dive into those more delicate everlasting songs. Indeed, these are three eternal Led Zeppelin acoustic songs.
“Over the Hills and Far Away”
Released on the band’s 1973 album Houses of the Holy, this song, like the one below, was written at a small cottage in Wales where the band was working on new material. The song, like so many from Led Zeppelin, is one about love and devotion and desire. But this time, when played with an acoustic, it has a different tone and feeling than some big rock offerings. On the track, Plant sings,
Hey lady, you got the love I need
Maybe more than enough
Oh darling, darling, darling
Walk a while with me
Ohh, you’ve got so much, so much, so much
Many have I loved, and many times been bitten
Many times I’ve gazed along the open road
Many times I’ve lied, and many times I’ve listened
Many times I’ve wondered how much there is to know
“Bron-Y-Aur Stomp”
Like the above, this track was written at a house in Montgomeryshire, Wales, in 1970. But this song ended up on the band’s third record Led Zeppelin III. More than perhaps any other song from the band, this track lives and breathes country music. It’s a British Invasion honky tonk and on it the grinning dance leader Plant sings of love and courtship,
Ah Caught You Smiling At Me
That’s The Way It Should Be
Like A Leaf Is To A Tree So Fine
Ah All The Good Times We Had
I Sang Love Songs So Glad
Always Smiling Never Sad So Fine
“Going to California”
This song was released in 1971 on the band’s fourth album Led Zeppelin IV. It’s about traveling to America’s West Coast and the dream-like oasis it might offer. Love and sunshine—that has long been the promise of California and on this track Led Zeppelin sums it up, all over a beautifully strummed acoustic guitar. On the track, Plant sings,
Spent my days with a woman unkind
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going to California with an aching in my heart
Someone told me there’s a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Never let ’em tell ya that they’re all the same
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