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)
In the Evening
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When the day is done
I'm looking for a woman
But the girl don't come
So don't let her
Play you for a fool
She don't show no pity, baby
She don't make no rules
Oh, I need your love
I need your love
Oh, I need your love
I just got to have
So don't you let her
Oh, get under your skin
It's only bad luck and trouble
From the day that you begin
I hear you crying in the darkness,
Don't ask nobody's help
Ain't no pockets full of mercy, baby
'Cause you can only blame yourself
Oh, I need your love
Oh, oh, I need your love
Yeah, I need your love
I just got to have
Oh, it's simple
All the pain that you go through
You can turn away from fortune, fortune, fortune
'Cause that's all that's left to you
Oh, it's lonely at the bottom
Man, it's dizzy at the top
But if you're standing in the middle
Ain't no way you're gonna stop, oh
Oh, I need your love
Oh, oh, I need your love
Oh, oh, I need your love
I just got to have
Ooh, whatever that your days may bring
No use hiding in a corner
'Cause that won't change a thing
If you're dancing in the doldrums
One day soon, it's got to stop, it's got to stop
When you're the master of the off-chance
When you don't expect a lot
Oh, I need your love
Oh, oh, I need your love
Oh yeah, I need your love
I just got to have, I just got to have
The song "In the Evening" by Led Zeppelin is a musical plea for love, with some warning against getting taken advantage of by an untrustworthy lover. The song starts by describing the end of a day and the desire for a woman to share love with. But, the singer is let down as the girl doesn't show up. Led Zeppelin then warns their listeners to be cautious of manipulative lovers, who don't care for their partner's feelings and will only cause trouble. The chorus of the song highlights the desperation for love, with the singer pleading and begging for the love and affection of their partner.
As the song progresses, Led Zeppelin conveys the message that life is full of pain and suffering. But, at the same time, abandonment or surrender can't be an option. The lyrics suggest that one can't hide from life's challenges and must face them head-on. The singer urges to not be the victim of unfortunate circumstances and to accept responsibility for one's actions.
The music to this song features an approachable melody and is characterized by John Paul Jones's dominant synthesizer riff, Jimmy Page's solid guitar riffs, and a steady beat from John Bonham's drums. Robert Plant's vocal performance is also exemplary and displays his ability to convey raw emotion through his singing.
Line by Line Meaning
In the evening
At the end of the day
When the day is done
When the daylight is over
I'm looking for a woman
I'm searching for a partner
But the girl don't come
But the partner doesn't arrive
So don't let her
So don't allow her
Play you for a fool
To deceive or trick you
She don't show no pity, baby
She doesn't empathize with you, my dear
She don't make no rules
She doesn't have any authority over you
Oh, I need your love
Oh, I desire your affection
I just got to have
I simply need to possess it
So don't you let her
Therefore, don't allow her
Oh, get under your skin
To annoy, irritate, or anger you
It's only bad luck and trouble
It's just unfortunate circumstances and problems
From the day that you begin
From the moment you start
I hear you crying in the darkness
I sense you weeping in the darkness
Don't ask nobody's help
Don't ask for anyone's assistance
Ain't no pockets full of mercy, baby
There's no abundance of compassion, darling
'Cause you can only blame yourself
Because you can only hold yourself accountable
Oh, it's simple
It's uncomplicated
All the pain that you go through
All the suffering you experience
You can turn away from fortune, fortune, fortune
You can reject luck, luck, luck
'Cause that's all that's left to you
Because that's the only thing remaining to you
Oh, it's lonely at the bottom
Oh, it's isolated at the bottom
Man, it's dizzy at the top
It's disorienting at the top
But if you're standing in the middle
But if you remain in the center
Ain't no way you're gonna stop, oh
There's no possibility of you stopping, oh
Ooh, whatever that your days may bring
Whatever troubles you encounter on any given day
No use hiding in a corner
It's pointless to seclude yourself
'Cause that won't change a thing
Because it won't alter the situation
If you're dancing in the doldrums
If you're wallowing in misery
One day soon, it's got to stop, it's got to stop
One day soon, it has to end
When you're the master of the off-chance
When you're in control of unexpected situations
When you don't expect a lot
When you don't have high hopes
Oh yeah, I need your love
Oh yeah, I require your love
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: John Paul Jones, 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