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)
heartbreaker/living loving maid
Led Zeppelin Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Missus cool rides out in her aged Cadillac
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is, so you better lay your money down
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is, so you better lay your money down
Tellin' tall tales of how it used to be
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
With the butler and the maid and the servants three
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman (ah, I'm kidding man)
Nobody hears a single word you say
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
But you keep on talkin' till your dyin' day
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is, so you better lay your money down
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
The lyrics to Led Zeppelin's "Living Loving Maid" portray a woman who enjoys the pleasures of life, with vivid descriptions of her purple umbrella, fifty-cent hat, and aged Cadillac. She is unashamedly living and loving, indulging in pills to quiet her conscience and regaling others with tall tales of her wealth and status. The singer of the song acknowledges these traits, referring to her as "just a woman," but also noting her tendency to throw money around ("you better lay your money down").
The repeated refrain of "Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round" seems to suggest that the woman is caught up in a whirlwind of hedonistic pursuits, with no apparent direction or purpose. Despite this, she appears to be a charismatic figure, with the ability to capture people's attention and keep them listening to her stories until the end.
Overall, the song can be interpreted as a commentary on the excesses of the rock-and-roll lifestyle, particularly when it comes to interactions between men and women. The woman in the song is portrayed as something of a caricature, representing the temptation of forbidden pleasures, but also serving as a cautionary tale about the dangers of chasing after such pleasures without considering the potential consequences.
Line by Line Meaning
With a purple umbrella and a fifty cent hat
She has a unique and colorful style that she's proud of.
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
She's a human being who lives and loves, just like anyone else.
Missus cool rides out in her aged Cadillac
She drives around in an impressive, vintage car.
Come on, babe on the round about, ride on the merry-go-round
Join in on the fun and excitement of life.
We all know what your name is, so you better lay your money down
Don't try to hide who you are, embrace it and be upfront about it.
Alimony, alimony payin' your bills
She's financially supporting herself, likely due to a divorce settlement.
When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills
She may struggle with guilt or other negative emotions and uses medication to cope.
Tellin' tall tales of how it used to be
She reminisces about the past and may exaggerate to make it seem better than it was.
With the butler and the maid and the servants three
She imagines herself living the luxurious life of the upper class.
Nobody hears a single word you say
People may not pay attention to her or take her seriously.
But you keep on talkin' till your dyin' day
Despite being ignored, she continues to share her thoughts and opinions.
Livin', lovin', she's just a woman
Summing up, she's a woman who lives and loves like anyone else.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY PAGE, ROBERT PLANT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@walruslennon9782
Hey fellas, have you heard the news?
You know that Annie's back in town?
It won't take long, just watch and see
How the fellas lay their money down
Her style is new, but the face is the same
As it was so long ago
But from her eyes, a different smile
Like that of one who knows
Well, it's been ten years and maybe more
Since I first set eyes on you
The best years of my life gone by
Here I am alone and blue
Some people cry, and some people die
By the wicked ways of love
But I'll just keep on rolling along
With the grace of the Lord above
People talking all around
About the way you left me flat
I don't care what the people say
I know where their jive is at
One thing I do have on my mind
If you can clarify, please do
It's the way you call me by another guy's name
When I try to make love to you, yeah
I try to make love, but it ain't no use
Give it to me, give it
Work so hard I couldn't unwind
Get some money saved
Abuse my love a thousand times
However hard I tried
Heartbreaker, your time has come
Can't take your evil way
Go away, heartbreaker
Heartbreaker
Heartbreaker
Heart—
With a purple umbrella and a fifty cent hat
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Missus cool rides out in her aged Cadillac
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the roundabout
Ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is
So you better lay your money down
Alimony, alimony paying your bills
Living, loving, she's just a woman
When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the roundabout
Ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is
So you better lay your money down
Telling tall tales of how it used to be
Living, loving, she's just a woman
With the butler and the maid and the servantry
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Nobody hears a single word you say
Living, loving, she's just a woman
But you keep on talking till your dying day
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Come on, babe on the roundabout
Ride on the merry-go-round
We all know what your name is
So you better lay your money down
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Living, loving, she's just a woman
Living, loving, she's just a woman
@ncast54
50 years plus and Led Zeppelin music is still fresh and very much enjoyable.
@jamesmullins330
Built to last, baby
@stevebonvillain6866
Lemon song
@edwardmunoz7853
@James Mullins Damm right 🤘
@michaelkeefe3825
Always brings me back to high school. I was in gr 10 when Bonzo died.
@jacobsanchez24
@Steve Bonvillain I love the bass In that song always
@heartsource417
Putting the needle down on a Zeppelin album in the Seventies was like lighting a stick of dynamite. I dig it as much at 71 years old as when I listened to them IN 1971! The energy in me that rode its back has not changed. My body thinks that's weird. Ha. But so what? Peace Out!✌✌
@jjrj8568
Keep on rocking, fine lady
@11fireflower
❤
@prmayner
I remember driving around and around the Forum in Inglewood, Calif with my buddies in a 1959 Weber's bread truck trying desperately to figure out a way to get in since we had snuck in at hockey games before but the Zep was different they had all openings secure and we finally got chased out by the parking lot police, We were all so bummed cause we could hear them playing their opening number "Rock and Roll" , just another experience in a teenagers life. Ha! man that seems like that was in another life been so long ago. Peace be to you!!