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)
Going To California
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine
Made up my mind to make a new start
Going To California with an aching in my heart
Someone told me there's a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair
Took my chances on a big jet plane
Oh, the sea was red and the sky was grey
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today
The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake
The children of the sun began to awake, watch out
Seems that the wrath of the Gods
Got a punch on the nose and it started to flow
I think I might be sinking
Throw me a line if I reach it in time
I'll meet you up there
Where the path runs straight and high
To find a queen without a king
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings
La la la
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn
Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams
Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems, mmh oh
(Ahh, ahh, ahh)
The lyrics of Led Zeppelin's song Going to California describe the journey of a man who decided to make a new start and leave the woman he was with behind. He is going to California with an aching in his heart, hoping to find a girl with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair. The song starts off with him reflecting on his past with a woman who was not kind to him, smoking his stuff and drinking all his wine. The lyrics suggest that he has made up his mind to make a change and embark on a new journey.
The second verse talks about his decision to take a chance and travel on a big jet plane. He warns against the idea that everyone is the same, suggesting that there is always an opportunity to embark on a unique and personal journey. The sea was red and the sky was grey, and the man wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today. The mountains and canyons started to tremble and shake, and the children of the sun began to awaken. This suggests that the earth is stirring and something new is happening.
The last verse describes the man's search for a queen without a king, who plays guitar, cries, and sings. He rides a white mare in the footsteps of dawn, trying to find a woman who has never been born. Standing on a hill in his mountain of dreams, he tells himself that it's not as hard as it seems. The lyrics of Going to California are both poetic and meaningful, and the song remains a classic after all these years.
Line by Line Meaning
Spent my days with a woman unkind
I was with a woman who treated me poorly
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine
I indulged in drugs and alcohol to ease my pain
Made up my mind to make a new start
I decided to start fresh
Going To California with an aching in my heart
I am leaving to California with a feeling of sadness in my heart
Someone told me there's a girl out there
I heard that there is a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair
She is beautiful and shows love and peace
Took my chances on a big jet plane
I gambled on boarding a big airplane
Never let them tell you that we're all the same
We are all unique individuals
Oh, the sea was red and the sky was grey
The world was not in harmony
Wondered how tomorrow could ever follow today
I was unsure of what the future would hold
The mountains and the canyons started to tremble and shake
The earth was shaking
The children of the sun began to awake, watch out
Blissful times are ahead
Seems that the wrath of the Gods
The Gods are angry
Got a punch on the nose and it started to flow
The Gods are bleeding
I think I might be sinking
I feel like I am drowning
Throw me a line if I reach it in time
Help me if you can catch me in time
I'll meet you up there
I will find you up there
Where the path runs straight and high
There is a place where the path is good and clear
To find a queen without a king
I am looking for a queen without a partner
They say she plays guitar and cries and sings
She is a musical person with a melancholic nature
La la la
A musical filler
Ride a white mare in the footsteps of dawn
To travel quickly and freely in the morning dawn
Tryin' to find a woman who's never, never, never been born
I want to find a woman who is pure and innocent
Standing on a hill in my mountain of dreams
I am on top of a dreamy mountain
Telling myself it's not as hard, hard, hard as it seems, mmh oh
I am encouraging myself to believe it is not as tough as it seems
(Ahh, ahh, ahh)
A musical filler
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Tratore, Songtrust Ave, Peermusic Publishing, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Robert Anthony Plant, James Patrick Page
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