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)
Wonderful One
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The queen of love has flown again
To seek her daughter
Who must lie beside the thief
Whose golden tongue she will believe
Defies the order, ohhh
Ohh, that is why
Shall we dance and never stop
Take my hand and stop the clock
From turning over
And spirit weave and spirit bend
In the move that has no end
That we must follow
Ohhhhhhh
Ohh, ohh
Show me your eyes
Oh, light of the son
Touch me with fire
My mind is undone
All life conspire
My freedom has come
I drift through desire
My wonderful one
When you do what you do
I can never, never, never
Let you go
When you feel the way you feel
You can never, never, never
Let it show
Show me your eyes
Oh, light of the son
Touch me with fire
My mind is undone
All life conspire
My freedom has come
I drift through desire
My wonderful one
Oh, hoh-hoh, ah ah-ah,
Mmm oh oh-oh, oh ohhh ohhh hohhh
So throw it down, Cleveland rain
The queen of love has flown again
To seek her daughter
Who must lie beneath the thief
Whose golden tongue she will believe
Defies the order, oh yeah yeah yeah
That is why
That is why
That is why
Oh yeah, that is why
The lyrics to Led Zeppelin's song Wonderful One are open to interpretation and can be viewed as a story of a woman seeking her daughter, who has been taken by a thief. The queen of love, who is perhaps a mother, goes to Cleveland to find her daughter and must face the thief, whose golden tongue convinces the daughter to stay with him. The lyrics may also be interpreted as a love story where the woman is seeking a newfound love that consumes her, and the two are dancing and weaving their spirits together in an endless move, and the woman's freedom has finally come.
The repeated verse in the song, "Oh, that is why," can be viewed as a confirming statement acknowledging that there is a reason, whether known or unknown, that causes the woman to seek her daughter or the lovers to come together. The lyrics convey a sense of longing, desire, and the power of the human spirit to overcome obstacles.
Line by Line Meaning
So throw it down, Cleveland rain
The singer is calling out to the rain in Cleveland to intensify or create a more dramatic setting for what is about to happen in the lyrics.
The queen of love has flown again
Someone who represents love, most likely a woman or some kind of spiritual entity, has left once more.
To seek her daughter
The queen of love is on a mission to find or save someone important to her.
Who must lie beside the thief
The person the queen of love is trying to find or save is next to a thief, someone who is not trustworthy or honest.
Whose golden tongue she will believe
Despite the thief's lack of trustworthiness, he is able to convince the queen of love with his words.
Defies the order, ohhh
The thief does not follow the rules, and possibly has a rebellious nature that is intriguing to the queen of love.
Ohh, that is why
This line is a repeated refrain that serves to emphasize the reasons behind the preceding lyrics.
Shall we dance and never stop
The artist is suggesting that they engage in an activity that represents an eternal or timeless moment, something that will never end.
Take my hand and stop the clock
The artist is asking someone to join them in that eternal moment, and to do so by taking their hand and stopping time.
From turning over
The artist wants to prevent the turning over of time, to capture a moment and make it last forever.
And spirit weave and spirit bend
The singer is describing a spiritual activity, possibly involving dancing, which has a fluid and flexible quality.
In the move that has no end
The dance or spiritual activity has no end, matching the eternal quality described earlier.
That we must follow
The singer is asking to join someone else in this dance or spiritual activity, suggesting that it is an important or sacred pursuit.
Show me your eyes
The singer is asking someone to reveal their true self or emotions to them.
Oh, light of the son
The singer is describing someone's inner light as being like the sun, powerful and life-giving.
Touch me with fire
The artist is asking this person to make a deep emotional or spiritual connection with them.
My mind is undone
The artist is implying that the emotional or spiritual intimacy they desire has the power to change them or open them up in a profound way.
All life conspire
The singer believes that everything in the universe is working towards this connection or pursuit of higher truth.
My freedom has come
The singer believes that through this connection or pursuit, they have found a sense of liberation or release from something.
I drift through desire
The artist is carried along by their emotions and desires, allowing them to experience life in a more organic, spontaneous way.
My wonderful one
The artist is describing the person they are connecting with as wonderful, possibly as an expression of their love or admiration.
When you do what you do
The artist is acknowledging that they are aware of someone's actions or behaviors, and find them captivating or interesting.
I can never, never, never
The singer is emphasizing the strength of their feelings, suggesting that they will never change or fade.
Let you go
The artist is expressing their desire to hold on to this person, possibly indicating a romantic connection.
When you feel the way you feel
The singer is describing how they perceive the emotions of the person they are speaking to, suggesting that they can sense their deeper feelings or desires.
You can never, never, never
The singer is acknowledging the strength of that person's feelings or desires, suggesting that they too will never change or fade.
Let it show
The singer is counseling this person to keep their emotions or desires hidden, possibly due to an atmosphere of secrecy or danger.
Oh, hoh-hoh, ah ah-ah, Mmm oh oh-oh, oh ohhh ohhh hohhh
This line is a repetitive refrain that serves to create a haunting, emotional tone for the song, possibly representing the feeling of ecstasy or unity described elsewhere in the lyrics.
That is why
This line is a repeated refrain, emphasizing the meaning behind the preceding lyrics.
Oh yeah yeah yeah
This line serves as an upbeat, emphatic conclusion to the song.
Contributed by Isaiah W. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Danilo Freitas
Wonderful One
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page
So throw it down, Cleveland rain
The queen of love has flown again
To seek her daughter
Who must lie beside the thief
Who's golden tongue she will believe
Defies the order
That is why
Oh, that is why
Shall we dance and never stop?
Take my hand and stop the clock
From turning over
And spirit weave, spirit bend
In the move that has no end
That we must follow
Oh, that is why
Show me your eyes, oh, light of the son
Touch me with fire, my mind is undone
All life conspire, my freedom has come
I drift through desire, my wonderful one
When you do what you do
I can never, never, never
Let you go
When you feel the way you feel
You can never, no, never
Let it show
Bigfoot Bigfoot
So throw it down, Cleveland rain
The queen of love has flown again
To seek her daughter
Who must lie beside the thief
Who's golden tongue she will believe
Defies the order
That is why
Oh, that is why
Shall we dance and never stop?
Take my hand and stop the clock
From turning over
And spirit weave, spirit bend
In the move that has no end
That we must follow
Oh, that is why
Show me your eyes, oh, light of the son
Touch me with fire, my mind is undone
All life conspire, my freedom has come
I drift through desire, my wonderful one
When you do what you do
I can never, never, never
Let you go
When you feel the way you feel
You can never, no, never
Let it show
Kowan McGarry
The greatest song from the two best musicians to ever live. I’m not talking about Led Zeppelin, they are in a whole other category of greatness that these two men alone can’t touch.
Brian J. Carnevale
One of the rare songs they did after zep that was of a midlands folk essence.
Their roots.
England
Kowan McGarry
@Brian J. Carnevale Yes, it is a great song. One of their best.
XAVIER BINNEMA
Chez LED ZEPPELIN toutes leurs chansons sont magnifiques et très originales
Kowan McGarry
@XAVIER BINNEMA Cette chanson n’est pas de Led Zeppelin, elle date de la fin du groupe en 1980. Cette chanson date de 1994.
skytrash04
Absolutely magic!!!!! Music and lyrics at their purest form. great job!!!
Rknrlgrl
This song is like musical meditation...takes my mind me to another place.
Danilo Freitas
Wonderful One
Robert Plant, Jimmy Page
So throw it down, Cleveland rain
The queen of love has flown again
To seek her daughter
Who must lie beside the thief
Who's golden tongue she will believe
Defies the order
That is why
Oh, that is why
Shall we dance and never stop?
Take my hand and stop the clock
From turning over
And spirit weave, spirit bend
In the move that has no end
That we must follow
Oh, that is why
Show me your eyes, oh, light of the son
Touch me with fire, my mind is undone
All life conspire, my freedom has come
I drift through desire, my wonderful one
When you do what you do
I can never, never, never
Let you go
When you feel the way you feel
You can never, no, never
Let it show
Ellie Kate Smith
My beautiful husband died of Cancer almost 3years ago but this song he dedicated to me with all his heart.. I cried when he did that nearly 15 years ago but I cry even more now because I can't hug him when its playing to say thank you 😥.
slw15
Fascinating watching Page’s guitar work here. Beautiful.