J.R.R. Tolkien's Legacy: Led Zeppelin's Musical Tribute To 'Lord Of The Rings'
The British Rock Supergroup Sings A Song of Mordor and Gollum
Lord of The Rings and British classic rockers Led Zeppelin combining creative forces on some of the UK’s band’s most popular music? Whoa… Say again? Shocked like hearing the dread evil lord Sauron singing a sad, melancholy song? Yes, it obviously can be quite emotional. There, there. You’ll be fine after eating a 2nd breakfast.
Soothe your jangled nerves long enough to properly imagine for a moment such fantasy infused collaboration. Mind blowing when you ponder it long enough amid the fairy tale forests of Rivendell. However, one doesn’t need to plunge into a fantasy fever dream to appreciate such an artistic triumph. Because it’s no Elven crafted illusion nor Wizard spun fantasy at all, it actually happened.
Lord Of The Rings seems to be appearing to us Middle Earthers everywhere these days. With this Amazon produced lavish fantasy series, The Rings of Power coming out soon, loyal fans and even the wholly uninitiated are being ever watchful of J.R.R. Tolkien inspired creative works both past, present and future.
How much did the British rockers admire J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy epic? Led Zep lead singer Robert Plant was known to be such a fan of Tolkien’s work, he even named his dog Strider after the popular main character in LOTR.
Here are the classic rock band’s select songs chock full of the most powerful Tolkien goodness this side of Frodo and Sam’s beloved Hobbiton.
Battle of Evermore
Recorded in 1971 and found as a featured track on the album Led Zeppelin IV, the Jimmy Page and Robert Plant penned song sings of the Dark Lord and his lethal Ringwraiths, which Tolkien fans will recognize as the horrifying big bads of their beloved fantasy novels.
Queen Of Light Took Her Bow
And Then She Turned To Go
The Prince Of Peace Embraced The Gloom
And Walked The Night Alone
Oh Dance In The Dark Of Night
Sing To The Morn Ing Light
The Dark Lord Rides In Force Tonight
And Time Will Tell Us All
Oh Throw Down Your Plow And Hoe
Rest Not To Lock Your Homes
Side By Side We Wait The Might
Of The Darkest Of Them All
I Hear The Horses' Thunder
Down In The Valley Blow
I'm Waiting For The Angels Of Avalon
Waiting For The Eastern Glow
The Apples Of The Valley Hold
The Seas Of Happiness
The Ground Is Rich From Tender Care
Repay Do Not Forget No No
Oh dance In The Dark Of Night
Sing To The Morning Light
The Apples Turn To Brown And Black
The Tyrant's Face Is Red
Oh The War Is Common Cry
Pick Up You Swords And Fly
The Sky Is Filled With Good And Bad
That Mortals Never Know
Oh Well The Night Is Long
The Beads Of Time Pass Slow
Tired Eyes On
The Sunrise
Waiting For The Eastern Glow
The Pain Of War Cannot Exceed
The Woe Of Aftermath
The Drums Will Shake The Castle Wall
The Ring Wraiths Ride In Black
Ride On
Sing As You Raise Your Bow
Shoot Straighter Than Before
No Comfort Has The Fire At Night
That Lights The Face So Cold
Oh Dance In The Dark Of Night
Sing To The Mornin' Light
The Magic Runes Are Writ In Gold
To Bring The Balance Back
Bring It Back
At Last The Sun Is Shining
The Clouds Of Blue Roll By
With Flames From The Dragon Of Darkness
The Sunlight Blinds His Eyes
Misty Mountain Hop
With a clear reference to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, this made the list of best of Zep songs from musical magazine Rolling Stone which listed it as number 10 of all time Led Zep catalog tunes.
The John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant collaboration also figured into real life events in 1967, with references to The Legalize Pot rally in London, England. The track can be found on the band’s legendary Led Zeppelin IV released in 1971.
Walkin' in the park just the other day, baby
What do you what do you think I saw?
Crowds of people sittin' on the grass with flowers in their hair said
Hey Boy do you want to score?
And you know how it is
I really don't know what time it was oh, oh
So I asked them if I could stay awhile
I didn't notice but it had got very dark and I was really
Really out of my mind.
Just then a policeman stepped up to me and asked us said
Please, hey, would we care to all get in line
Get in line
Well you know
They asked us to stay for tea and have some fun
Oh, oh, he said that his friends would all drop by, oh
Why don't you take a good look at yourself and describe what you see
And baby, baby, baby, do you like it?
There you sit, sitting spare like a book on a shelf rustin'
Ah, not trying to fight it
You really don't care if they're coming oh, oh
I know that it's all a state of mind, oh.
If you go down in the streets today, Baby, you better
You better open your eyes
Folk down there really don't care, really don't care
Don't care, really don't
Which, which way the pressure lies
So I've decided what I'm gonna do now
So I'm packing my bags for the Misty Mountains
Where the spirits go now
Over the hills where the spirits fly, oh, I really don't know
Ramble On
Found on the band’s 1969 album, Led Zeppelin II, this one could be easily included on a Lord Of The Rings film or as a supplement composition soundtrack. With references to Mordor and the ring addicted Gollum, it’s easily the most heavily inspired Tolkien track of the Lord Of The Rings fan band.
I ain't tellin' no lie
Mine's a tale that can't be told
My freedom I hold dear
How years ago in days of old
When magic filled the air
'T was in the darkest depths of Mordor
I met a girl so fair
But Gollum, and the evil one
Crept up and slipped away with her
Her, her, yeah
Ain't nothing I can do, no
I guess I keep on rambling
I'm gonna, yeah, yeah, yeah
Sing my song (I gotta find my baby)
I gotta ramble on, sing my song
Gotta work my way around the world baby, baby
Ramble on, yeah