The Folk Artist Jimmy Page Played on Repeat: “She Brings Tears to My Eyes, What More Can I Say?”

To be a truly great, iconic, and legendary artist, your influences can not come from one person or one genre. Rather, they have to come from everywhere, because like the age-old saying about lightning, inspiration rarely strikes the same place twice. Many great artists know this, and one of the many that does is Led Zeppelin‘s virtuoso guitarist, Jimmy Page.

Videos by American Songwriter

Music fans who aren’t well acquainted with the expertise and vision of Jimmy Page would probably assume that his influences merely reside in the rock ‘n’ roll genre. Well, that is not the case in the slightest. Page was and still is a student of music, and consequently, his playlists expand far beyond the genre he toils in. One musician outside of his genre that he admitted to playing on repeat at his home was Joni Mitchell.

Jimmy Page Thought Mitchell Could “Crystallize” a Moment in a Song

While Joni Mitchell’s fan base commercially seems to target a specific demographic, in reality, it is relevant to everyone with ears and the ability to feel something. Jimmy Page knew this, and he wasn’t going to let any preconceived notion stop him from loving the work of his musical contemporary.

Regarding Mitchell, he told Rolling Stone, “[Joni Mitchell] is the music I play at home all the time.” “The main thing with Joni is that she’s able to look at something that’s happened to her, draw back and crystallize the whole situation, then write about it. She brings tears to my eyes, what more can I say?”

Seemingly, receiving praise from artists such as Jimmy Page was not a commonality in Mitchell’s life. She told Interview Magazine, “Other artists would cross the street when I walked by. Initially, I thought that was due to elitism, but I later found out they were intimidated by me. They would come up to me and say, ‘My girlfriend really likes your music,’ as if they were the wrong demographic,” per Jonimitchell.com.

However, that is not what Jimmy Page and Led Zeppelin did. Mitchell attested by adding, “Led Zeppelin was very courageous and outspoken about liking my music. But others wouldn’t admit it.” Thanks to Mitchell’s work, Robert Plant wrote “Going To California” and referenced her work in the lyrics.

So, if this trivial story tells you anything, it should tell you that inspiration can be under any rock. You just have to have to courage to flip it over and look.

Photo by Andre Csillag/Shutterstock