Born May 13, 1948, John Bonham quickly grew up to become the hard-hitting backbone of the British-born rock band Led Zeppelin. While Robert Plant shrieked his glorious banshee melodies and Jimmy Page astounded on his six-string, Bonham blasted the drum kit as if it owed him $1,000,000.
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But along with being the bright comet onstage, Bonham, who passed away sadly in 1980, also helped write songs for the quintessential classic rock band. From instrumentals, and drum beats, to tempo changes, and even lyrics, it’s true.
Below are four songs you likely didn’t know John Bonham wrote for Led Zeppelin.
1. “Moby Dick”
Written by John Bonham, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones
The instrumental song features a long drum solo that has Bonham hitting the skins with his hands like a salsa player. The song, of course, is also named after the famous white whale novel from 1851. Released in 1969 on the Led Zeppelin II album, this song quickly became a fan favorite live, as you can see below.
2. “Kashmir”
Written by Robert Plant, John Bonham, Jimmy Page
One of the band’s most famous songs, “Kashmir” was released on Led Zeppelin’s 1975 album, Physical Graffiti. Written over the course of three years, it was primarily penned by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page but Bonham is also credited with adding to the number. In 1998, Puff Daddy sampled the song for his track “Come With Me.” The song’s original demo was recorded in 1973 by Plant and Bonham during a recording session when bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones was late.
3. “Out on the Tiles”
Written by Robert Plant, John Bonham, Jimmy Page
From the band’s 1970 album, Led Zeppelin III, “Out on the Tiles” song was written primarily by Bonham. He came up with the idea for the brazen guitar riffs that make the track sing. After those were established, Plant added vocals, and the rest of the band filled in the track, which concludes the first side of the album.
As I walk down the highway all I do is sing this song
And a train that’s passin’ my way helps the rhythm move along
There is no doubt about the words are clear
The voice is strong, is oh so strong
I’m just a simple guy, I live from day to day
A ray of sunshine melts my frown and blows my blues away
There’s nothing more that I can say but on a day like today
I pass the time away and walk a quiet mile with you
4. “Good Times Bad Times”
Written by Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, John Bonham
A romp of a song, “Good Times Bad Times” was rarely played by the band during their live shows in its entirety. Instead, it often served as something of an introduction for other songs like “Communication Breakdown.” Either way, you can hear Bonham’s influence on the song with his incessant snare hits, his endless energy, and his additional (cowbell?) production. It’s a monolith of a song.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
