History Music / LedZeppelin

* InsultBackfire: Responding to a derisive remark that only potheads listened to Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page once famously said, "That's a relief, we were afraid the music would be too loud for stoned people."

** The surviving band members were (in)famous for rarely licensing their stuff for movies and TV shows (unless it involved Creator/CameronCrowe, who was the only music journalist to ever give them positive reviews in ''Rolling Stone''), and never for video games (Page at least in the latter case; Jones seems to be okay with it, as we know from the Music/ThemCrookedVultures songs in ''VideoGame/RockBand''[[note]]however, Them Crooked Vulture's appearance may be attributed to the group's two other members, Josh Homme (Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge) and Music/DaveGrohl (Music/FooFighters and Music/{{Nirvana}}), whose respective bands have made multiple appearances in the ''VideoGame/RockBand'' franchise[[/note]], and one of Plant's solo songs is in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' -- which is not a rhythm game, but it's still a game for which a song by a Led Zeppelin member is licensed).

** The surviving band members were famous for rarely licensing their stuff for movies and TV shows (unless it involved Creator/CameronCrowe, who was the only music journalist to ever give them positive reviews in ''Rolling Stone''), and never for video games (Page at least in the latter case; Jones seems to be okay with it, as we know from the Music/ThemCrookedVultures songs in ''VideoGame/RockBand''[[note]]however, the two other members of Them Crooked Vultures, Josh Homme (Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge) and Music/DaveGrohl (Music/FooFighters and Music/{{Nirvana}}), are staples in the ''VideoGame/RockBand'' franchise[[/note]], and one of Plant's solo songs is in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' -- which is not a rhythm game, but it's still a game for which a song by a Led Zeppelin member is licensed).

* TheDrifter: Song-wise, Plant has often mentioned that he has to leave his girlfriend or some town or whatever because he has to "ramble on" or something like that, for example: "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You", "Ramble On", "Bron-Y-Aur Stomp", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "Going to California".

* OutlivingOnesOffspring: Robert Plant's five year old son Karac died of stomach illness in 1977. ''All My Love'' was written in tribute to him.

* {{Cosplay}}: John Bonham famously donned [[Film/AClockworkOrange Alex DeLarge's]] gang attire during some shows of the band's 1975 North American tour.

* InTheStyleOf: "Trampled Under Foot" is a Led Zeppelin song in the style of Music/StevieWonder (specifically, "Superstition"). "D'yer Mak'er" is a reggae song, and "The Crunge" is a funk song in the style of Music/JamesBrown.

* {{Jerkass}}: The executioner in "Gallows Pole" accepts monetary and sexual bribes from a condemned prisoner's family and then goes on to execute him ''anyway''. Notably, this is a change from the traditional ending of the song, in which the prisoner was released at the end. Could be considered AnAesop against capital punishment, although it's not clear if the band intended it this way.

Long story short: Led Zeppelin formed in 1968 after Music/TheYardbirds disintegrated and Jimmy Page recruited three other lads to satisfy contractual obligations for The Yardbirds, naming themselves [[SpiritualSuccessor The New Yardbirds]]. The band was originally to be a {{Supergroup}} consisting of Page, Music/JeffBeck, Nicky Hopkins on piano, [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon, and John Entwistle]]. They actually recorded one song (but with John Paul Jones on bass instead, because Entwistle couldn't make the session) called "Beck's Bolero", which made its way onto The Jeff Beck Group's ''Truth''. The group never amounted to more, as Entwistle and Moon allegedly said it would go over "like a lead balloon". After Chris Dreja threatened legal action, Page -- remembering Moon and Entwistle's quote -- changed the name from The New Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin. They went on to release many albums, tour heavily, become one of the most successful and famous bands in RockAndRoll, be a significant influence on HeavyMetal, and generally rock so hard as to blow people's minds and inspire them to form bands of their own. They broke up in 1980 after drummer John Bonham asphyxiated on vomit after a day of binge alcoholism. They were famously trashed at first by critics in TheSeventies but gained a huge fanbase, and those critics (particularly ''Rolling Stone'' magazine) have since [[VindicatedByHistory reversed themselves]] and realized that Led Zeppelin is awesome after all. The band is as emblematic of '70s rock as Music/TheBeatles were of '60s rock.

-->I want to go and seize the Western shore!

But, as with every mega-successful and influential band, there are downsides. Negative marks on their record include Plant's habit of lifting lyrics from old blues songs without credit (which led to the occasional lawsuit), their occasionally embarrassing lyrics (they referenced ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' about thirty years before [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings the movies]] made it [[FantasyGhetto cool to do that]][[note]]if you were a hippie and/or a college student at the time, their use of Tolkien was ''extremely'' cool, while the Professor himself didn't even notice they were doing it[[/note]]), the band inevitably allowing success to go to their heads and descending into overblown excess post-1975, and the infamous 1976 {{Rockumentary}} film ''Film/TheSongRemainsTheSame'', commonly cited as one of the [[SoBadItsGood worst concert films ever]], thanks to the subpar performances and self-indulgent [[ClicheStorm fantasy sequences]]. Also to be mentioned is their continued refusal to allow their songs into rhythm games such as ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/RockBand''[[note]]Reputedly this is due to Jimmy Page's contention that playing on plastic guitars is nothing like playing on real guitars. The introductions of 6-string x 17-fret play modes in ''[=Rocksmith=]'' and ''Rock Band'''s Pro Mode do not appear to have shifted Page's opinion.[[/note]].

* BlackSheep:
** While classic rock radio plays large chunks of ''I'', ''[[Music/LedZeppelinII II]]'', ''IV'', and ''Houses of the Holy'', for some strange reason, they don't play much from ''III'' outside of "Immigrant Song" and the sadly-excluded B-side "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?". ''Maybe'' "Gallows Pole", if you're lucky.
** Also, radio stations rarely ever play anything off of ''Presence'', save for "Nobody's Fault But Mine". This could be because the album's two other good songs are each over nine minutes long, though.
** "Fool in the Rain" and "All My Love" are the only two songs really played off of ''In Through the Out Door''.

* CoolOldGuy: Robert, John, and Jimmy on ''Celebration Day''. Two guys in their sixties and one nearly sixty and they proved they could still rock as hard as '''anybody''' out there today. And the material they release independently is further proof.

[[index]]

* TitleOnlyChorus: "Whole Lotta Love", "Heartbreaker".

** The surviving band members were famous for rarely licensing their stuff for movies and TV shows (unless it involved Creator/CameronCrowe, who was the only music journalist to ever give them positive reviews in ''Rolling Stone''), and never for video games (Page at least in the latter case; Jones seems to be okay with it, as we know from the Music/ThemCrookedVultures songs in ''VideoGame/RockBand''[[note]]however, the two other members of Them Crooked Vultures, Josh Homme (Music/QueensOfTheStoneAge) and Music/DaveGrohl (Music/FooFighters and Music/{{Nirvana}}), are staples in the ''VideoGame/RockBand'' franchise[[/note]], and one of Plant's solo songs is in ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' -- which is not a rhythm game, but it's still a game for which a song by a Led member is licensed).

* StairwayToHeaven: TropeNamers, but subverted, as she's buying the stairway to Heaven and does not AscendToAHigherPlaneOfExistence.
* StoppedNumberingSequels: ''[[Music/LedZeppelin1969 Led Zeppelin]]'' (sometimes called ''Led Zeppelin I''), ''Music/LedZeppelinII'', ''Music/LedZeppelinIII'' and, depending on your point of view, the untitled fourth album (usually called ''Music/LedZeppelinIV''. The fifth album is called ''Music/HousesOfTheHoly'', braking the numbering.

But, as with every mega-successful and influential band, there are downsides. Negative marks on their record include Plant's habit of lifting lyrics from old blues songs without credit (which led to the occasional lawsuit), their occasionally embarrassing lyrics (they referenced ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' about thirty years before [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings the movies]] made it [[FantasyGhetto cool to do that]][[note]]if you were a hippie and/or a college student at the time, their use of Tolkien was ''extremely'' cool, while the Professor himself didn't even notice they were doing it[[/note]]), the band inevitably allowing success to go to their heads and descending into overblown excess post-1975, and the infamous 1976 {{Rockumentary}} film ''Film/TheSongRemainsTheSame'', commonly cited as one of the [[SoBadItsGood worst concert films ever]], thanks to the sub-par performances and self-indulgent [[ClicheStorm fantasy sequences]]. Also to be mentioned is their continued refusal to allow their songs into rhythm games such as ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/RockBand''[[note]]Reputedly this is due to Jimmy Page's contention that playing on plastic guitars is nothing like playing on real guitars. The introductions of 6-string x 17-fret play modes in ''[=Rocksmith=]'' and ''Rock Band'''s Pro Mode do not appear to have shifted Page's opinion.[[/note]].

!! Members:

* '''John Baldwin (John Paul Jones)''' - bass, keyboard, mandolin, ukulele, guitars, sitar, cello, recorder, piano, organ, vocals (1968-1980, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2007)
* '''John Bonham (Bonzo)''' - drums, percussion, vocals, timpani (1968-1980, died 1980)
* '''[[Music/TheYardbirds Jimmy Page]]''' - guitar, vocals, theremin (1968-1980, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2007)
* '''Robert Plant''' - lead vocals, harmonica (1968-1980, 1985, 1988, 1995, 2007)

!! Studio Discography:

* 1969 - ''[[Music/LedZeppelin1969 Led Zeppelin]]''
* 1969 - ''Music/LedZeppelinII''
* 1970 - ''Music/LedZeppelinIII''

* 1973 - ''Music/HousesOfTheHoly''
* 1975 - ''Music/PhysicalGraffiti''
* 1976 - ''Presence''
* 1979 - ''In Through the Out Door''
* 1982 - ''Coda''[[note]]a rarities compilation album[[/note]]

!! Live Discography:

* 1976 - ''Film/TheSongRemainsTheSame'' [[note]] Recorded in 1973 [[/note]]
* 1990 - ''Profiled''
* 1997 - ''BBC Sessions''
* 2003 - ''How the West Was Won'' [[note]] Recorded in 1972 [[/note]]
* 2012 - ''Celebration Day'' [[note]] Recorded in 2007 [[/note]]

!! Non-album singles:

* 1970 - "Immigrant Song" [[note]] Otherwise available on their 1970 album ''Led Zeppelin III'' [[/note]] / "Hey, Hey, What Can I Do?"

!! "Gotta whole lotta tropes:"

Long story short: Led Zeppelin formed in 1968 after Music/TheYardbirds disintegrated and Jimmy Page recruited three other lads to satisfy contractual obligations for The Yardbirds, naming themselves [[SpiritualSuccessor The New Yardbirds]]. The band was originally to be a {{Supergroup}} consisting of Page, Music/JeffBeck, Nicky Hopkins on piano, [[Music/TheWho Keith Moon and John Entwistle]]. They actually recorded one song (but with John Paul Jones on bass instead, because Entwistle couldn't make the session) called "Beck's Bolero", which made its way onto The Jeff Beck Group's ''Truth''. The group never amounted to more, as Entwistle and Moon allegedly said it would go over "like a lead balloon". After Chris Dreja threatened legal action, Page -- remembering Moon and Entwistle's quote -- changed the name from The New Yardbirds to Led Zeppelin. They went on to release many albums, tour heavily, become one of the most successful and famous bands in RockAndRoll, be a significant influence on HeavyMetal, and generally rock so hard as to blow people's minds and inspire them to form bands of their own. They broke up in 1980 after drummer John Bonham asphyxiated on vomit after a day of binge alcoholism. They were famously trashed at first by critics in TheSeventies but gained a huge fanbase, and those critics (particularly ''Rolling Stone'' magazine) have since [[VindicatedByHistory reversed themselves]] and realized that Led Zeppelin is awesome after all. The band is as emblematic of '70s rock as Music/TheBeatles were of '60s rock.

->''"Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace\\
Like thoughts inside a dream\\
Who hid the path that led me to that place\\
Of yellow desert screen\\
My Shangri-La beneath the summer moon\\
I will return again\\
Sure as the dust that floats high in June\\
When movin' through Kashmir"''
-->-- '''"Kashmir"'''

But, as with every mega-successful and influential band, there are downsides. Negative marks on their record include Plant's habit of lifting lyrics from old blues songs without credit (which led to the occasional lawsuit), their occasionally embarrassing lyrics (they referenced ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' about thirty years before [[Film/TheLordOfTheRings the movies]] made it [[FantasyGhetto cool to do that]][[note]]if you were a hippie and/or a college student at the time, their use of Tolkien was ''extremely'' cool, while the Professor himself didn't even notice they were doing it[[/note]]), the band inevitably allowing success to go to their heads and descending into overblown excess post-1975, and the infamous 1976 {{Rockumentary}} film ''Film/TheSongRemainsTheSame'', commonly cited as one of the [[SoBadItsGood worst concert films ever]], thanks to the sub-par performances and self-indulgent [[ClicheStorm fantasy sequences]]. Also to be mentioned is their continued refusal to allow their songs into rhythm games such as ''VideoGame/GuitarHero'' and ''VideoGame/RockBand''.

* PunnyName