5 Songs That Show Off the Softer Side of Led Zeppelin

We know Led Zeppelin as paragons of the hard rock genre. But the quartet were way too talented and musically adventurous to get bogged down with one style. Zep would occasionally pull back on the reins a bit and show they could get it done at a slower tempo.

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These five songs display the softer side of Led Zeppelin. Some are well-known, others a bit more obscure, but all are brilliant.

“Your Time Is Gonna Come” from Led Zeppelin (1969)

Led Zep were still getting their songwriting legs underneath them on their debut album. That was understandable, as the four men had only been together a short time when that LP was released. It’s telling one of the songs on the album that wasn’t either written by someone else or owed a clear debt to another composition is a track that slowed down the pace a bit. “Your Time Is Gonna Come” gave John Paul Jones a showcase, as his gleaming organ sets the tone for this track about romantic retribution.

“That’s the Way” from Led Zeppelin III (1970)

After two albums’ worth of mostly pummeling rock, Led Zeppelin used their third album to display some other facets of their musical personality. Perhaps it’s why that record gets a bit overlooked by fans who like the band at their most thunderous. One of the highlights of that record, “That’s the Way,” demonstrates Jimmy Page’s winning ear for melody, as his phalanx of acoustic guitars creates a lilting feel. The restrained arrangement also gives Robert Plant a chance to modulate through it with an anguished vocal performance. Extremely pretty stuff.

“Going to California” from Untitled (1971)

Zep’s fourth album is generally regarded as their undeniable masterpiece, and most people point to the heavier numbers as the reasons why. But by this point, they were way more versatile than their stubborn detractors would have argued. “Going to California” sounds like it could have been pulled off an album by one of the top singer/songwriters of the day. There’s a sumptuous melancholy roiling beneath the surface of Robert Plant’s West Coast reveries. John Paul Jones’ lovely work on mandolin stands out as well on this lilting track.

“Rain Song” from Houses of the Holy (1972)

The legend goes that George Harrison, within earshot of at least one member of Led Zep, complained they were incapable of delivering a classic ballad. Challenge accepted by Jimmy Page. However, the gentleness displayed here is authentic, not just the case of four guys trying to show someone up. “The Rain Song” takes its time getting to the peaks where the full band kicks into gear. But even when that occurs, you never lose sight of the beauty of the tune. Plant’s poetic touch, for which he rarely gets enough credit, also shines through here.

“All My Love” from In Through the Out Door (1979)

In Through the Out Door, Led Zeppelin’s last proper album, relied a great deal upon the contributions of John Paul Jones and Robert Plant, as both Jimmy Page and John Bonham were feeling the ravages of the rock-and-roll lifestyle at the time. “All My Love” is very much a tag-team effort. Jones builds the musical foundation with his rich synthesizer work. Plant creates the necessary emotional pull by digging deep into his feelings of longing and loss after the sudden death of his young son a few years earlier.

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