A musician landing a massive career hit can be a blessing and a curse, as Robert Plant has shown with his repeated indifference toward a Led Zeppelin classic that has become synonymous with the band’s entire musical legacy. On the one hand, the track garnered the British rock band tremendous success. But on the other hand, Plant had no interest in being tied down to his former band’s magnum opus after Led Zeppelin dissolved in 1980.
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In fact, eight years after the band parted ways following the death of their drummer, John Bonham, Plant said he would “break out in hives” if he had to perform the Led Zeppelin staple again.
The Led Zeppelin Classic Robert Plant Would Rather Not Sing
Led Zeppelin is one of the most iconic classic rock bands of all time, making Robert Plant one of the most enduring rock frontmen of all time. But after the band split up in 1980 following the death of their drummer, Jason Bonham, Plant didn’t want to ride the coattails of his former band. His first solo albums shared little in common with Led Zeppelin besides his own presence, leaning toward a much more laid-back and mellow pop sound. Even in live performances, he would avoid including Led Zeppelin material.
But that hard-and-fast rule started to soften in the late 1980s. “I feel comfortable about my past now,” Plant told the Los Angeles Times in 1988. “I don’t have to consciously deny it anymore. The Zeppelin material is part of the spectrum of my career. I deal with it as such. The new songs are still the main part of the show.”
And while it’s true that Plant slowly started to reintegrate his Led Zeppelin past into his solo shows, there was one notable exception: the band’s 1971 magnum opus, “Stairway to Heaven.” Discussing whether he would include that particular song in his sets, Plant told the newspaper, “Definitely not. I won’t go that far. I’d break out in hives if I had to sing that song in every show.” He continued, “I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in 1971. But 17 years later, I don’t know. It’s just not for me. No more “Stairway to Heaven” for me.”
Maybe If He Contributed Something Else, He’d Feel Differently
“Stairway to Heaven” is far and away one of Led Zeppelin’s most iconic songs. The band released the song in November 1971 on their fourth studio album via Atlantic Records, and it quickly became a staple in their live performances. But as for frontman Robert Plant’s solo concerts? He had no interest in revisiting that time in his life. Interestingly, what sounded timelessly metaphysical to the rest of the world still sounded like it was coming out of the mouth of a 20-something to Plant. And frankly, that’s because it was.
Speaking of the song in an interview with Dan Rather, Plant said, “It belongs to a particular time. If I had been involved in the instrumentation, I would feel that it’s a magnificent piece of music, which has its own character and personality. It even speeds up in a similar way to some pieces of more highbrow music. But my contribution was to write lyrics and to sing a song about fate and something very British, almost abstract. They were coming out of the mind of a 23-year-old guy, you know.”
“It landed in the years and the era of 23-year-old guys,” he continued. “I think as time goes on, you may find another period of your life has got a little bit more substance. So, as much as I like it, I’m not wedded to that whole deal now.”
Photo by Barry Peake/Shutterstock
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