Every Led Zeppelin song written by John Paul Jones
One of the most common things people said about Led Zeppelin, besides comments about how good their music was, was that the devil possessed them. It was completely unfathomable to most everyday people that there were mortal men who could rock as hard as they did, and as such, Satan had to have been involved in some way to give them a helping hand.
As if their supernatural talent wasn’t enough proof, people also saw John Paul Jones as further evidence that they sold their souls to the devil. You have Jimmy Page, John Bonham and Robert Plant, who all excelled in the instruments they played and were larger-than-life personalities. Meanwhile, you had John Paul Jones, a standard bass player who lived a relatively normal life.
The rationale for the bible-bashing sceptics was as simple as ever. The entire band had sold their soul to the devil, apart from John Paul Jones, which is why he looked so regular when compared to his bandmates.
Anybody who was truly paying attention to Led Zeppelin will have been able to hear these claims and dismiss them as nonsense, not just because of how unrealistic they are but also because the idea of John Paul Jones being anything below an exceptional bassist is ridiculous. Not only was he an excellent bassist, he was arguably one of the most important members of Led Zeppelin.
The beauty of the band lay in the fact that they were constantly on the verge of collapsing into chaos but never quite fully caved in on themselves. Robert Plant’s vocals were dynamic and extreme, Jimmy Page’s guitar style was unpredictable, and John Bonham famously took the drumming rule book and tore it up in front of the world. While this is all brilliant, there was to be something holding the band together, and that’s what John Paul Jones offered to the band.
Geddy Lee put it best when he was talking about Led Zeppelin. As a fellow bassist, he knows what to look for in a talented rhythm section, and there are few people who can offer what John Paul Jones could. “The thing that held the whole thing down was John Paul Jones’ bass playing,” he said, “So if you listen to ‘How Many More Times’, I mean, no matter how wild that song gets at times, there’s John Paul Jones just holding it all down in such a fluid way.”
Did John Paul Jones write songs?
John Paul Jones wasn’t just important to Led Zeppelin because of his ability to hold their sound together; he was also a good songwriter. While Jimmy Page is often credited with putting together Led Zeppelin’s music, John Paul Jones was also the brains behind a few of their tracks. One of the most notable was their complicated number, ‘Black Dog’, which was almost impossible to cover.
“I actually wrote it in rehearsal from Jimmy’s house on the train. My dad was a musician and he showed me a way of writing down notation on anything,” said Jones, “And so I wrote the rigg to ‘Black Dog’ on the back of a train ticket which I unfortunately don’t have.”
So, how many songs did John Paul Jones write?
In total, John Paul Jones contributed towards 30 different Led Zeppelin songs. These span their early albums and some of the band’s later offerings. Some of the most notable songs he was responsible for include ‘Communication Breakdown’, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and the previously mentioned ‘Black Dog’.
John Paul Jones’s writing also extends beyond that of Led Zeppelin. Since the band parted ways, he has worked with a range of different artists. One of the most notable is Beyoncé, whose break-up anthem, which addressed Jay-Z cheating on her, was put together by the Led Zeppelin bassist.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.