Originally named the New Yardbirds, Led Zeppelin signed a deal with Atlantic Records that gave them considerable artistic freedom. Initially unpopular with critics, they achieved significant commercial success with eight studio albums over ten years. Their 1969 debut, Led Zeppelin, was a top-ten album in several countries and featured such tracks as "Good Times Bad Times", "Dazed and Confused" and "Communication Breakdown". Led Zeppelin II (1969) was their first number-one album, and yielded "Ramble On" and "Whole Lotta Love". In 1970, they released Led Zeppelin III which featured "Immigrant Song". Their untitled fourth album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV (1971), is one of the best-selling albums in history with 37 million copies sold. The album includes "Black Dog", "Rock and Roll" and "Stairway to Heaven", with the latter being among the most popular and influential works in rock history. Houses of the Holy (1973) yielded "The Ocean", "Over the Hills and Far Away" and "The Rain Song". Physical Graffiti (1975), a double album, featured "Trampled Under Foot" and "Kashmir".
Page wrote most of Led Zeppelin's music, particularly early in their career, while Plant wrote most of the lyrics. Jones's keyboard-based compositions later became central to their music, which featured increasing experimentation. The latter half of their career saw a series of record-breaking tours that earned the group a reputation for excess and debauchery. Although they remained commercially and critically successful, their touring and output, which included Presence (1976) and In Through the Out Door (1979), grew limited, and the group disbanded following Bonham's death in 1980. Since then, the surviving former members have sporadically collaborated and participated in one-off reunions. The most successful of these was the 2007 Ahmet Ertegun Tribute Concert in London, with Bonham's son Jason Bonham on drums.
Led Zeppelin are one of the best-selling music artists of all time; their total record sales are estimated to be between 200 and 300 million units worldwide. They achieved eight consecutive UK number-one albums and six number-one albums on the US Billboard 200, with five of their albums certified Diamond in the US. Rolling Stone magazine described them as "the heaviest band of all time", "the biggest band of the Seventies", and "unquestionably one of the most enduring bands in rock history". They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995; the museum's biography of the band states that they were "as influential" during the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s.
Albums
Led Zeppelin (1969)
Led Zeppelin II (1969)
Led Zeppelin III (1970)
Led Zeppelin IV (1971)
Houses of the Holy (1973)
Physical Graffiti (1975)
Presence (1976)
In Through the Out Door (1979)
Coda (1982)
The Song Remains the Same
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh, yeah
Crazy dream, uh-huh
Anything I wanted to know
Any place I needed to go
Hear my song
Yeah, people don't you listen now?
Sing along
Oh
You don't know what you're missing, now
Any little song that you know
Everything that's small has to grow
And it's gonna grow, push push, yeah
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, California sunlight
Sweet Calcutta rain
Honolulu starbright
The song remains the same
Ooh, ooh, oh, oh
Here we go, here we go
All you gotta do, now
All you gotta do, now
Ooh-ee
Sing out Hare-Hare
Ooh, dance the Hoochie-Koo
City lights are oh so bright, as we go sliding, sliding
Sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding
Oh
The lyrics to Led Zeppelin's song "The Song Remains the Same" convey a sense of restlessness and longing for adventure. The singer begins with referencing a dream in which they can go anywhere and learn anything. They urge the listeners to join them in the journey and open their minds to the possibilities. The refrain of "California sunlight, sweet Calcutta rain, Honolulu starbright, the song remains the same" reinforces the idea that even though they may physically move from place to place, internally, they remain the same person with the same desires.
Moving into the second half of the song, the sense of restlessness continues as the singer urges for action - to sing, dance, and enjoy the bright city lights. The repetition of "sliding" suggests a sense of carefree movement and motion, as if they are sliding through life without a care in the world. Overall, the song can be interpreted as a call for adventure and a reminder that even though we may physically travel to new places, our identity and desires stay with us.
Line by Line Meaning
I had a dream
I had a wild dream
Oh, yeah
Yes, indeed
Crazy dream, uh-huh
A very bizarre dream, yes
Anything I wanted to know
I could learn anything I wanted to
Any place I needed to go
I could go anywhere I needed to
Hear my song
Listen to what I have to say
Yeah, people don't you listen now?
Hey, are you folks paying attention?
Sing along
Join in and sing with me
Oh
Ah
You don't know what you're missing, now
You don't realize what you're passing up at the moment
Any little song that you know
Even the smallest melody you're familiar with
Everything that's small has to grow
Everything has potential for growth
And it's gonna grow, push push, yeah
It will grow with a little help and effort
Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh, California sunlight
The sun in California is glorious
Sweet Calcutta rain
The rain in Calcutta is sweet
Honolulu starbright
The stars shining over Honolulu
The song remains the same
The melody stays unchanged
Ooh, ooh, oh, oh
Ah, ah, oh
Here we go, here we go
Let's do this, let's do this
All you gotta do, now
All you need to do at the moment is
All you gotta do, now
All you need to do at the moment is
Ooh-ee
Ah man
Sing out Hare-Hare
Sing a song about Hare Krishna
Ooh, dance the Hoochie-Koo
Do the Hoochie Koo dance
City lights are oh so bright, as we go sliding, sliding
The lights of the town are very bright as we slide around
Sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding, sliding
Sliding, sliding, sliding...
Oh
Ah
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JAMES PATRICK (JIMMY) PAGE, ROBERT ANTHONY PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Debmeow
on No Quarter
Brilliant, a masterpiece.
robin
on Immigrant Song
i love this
Marie Fenouilliére
on Stairway to Heaven
j'adoreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee