The classic Led Zeppelin song inspired by Neil Young
In their own individual right, Led Zeppelin and Neil Young are firmly implanted into the history of rock ‘n’ roll. They both pushed the envelope by advancing the musical boundaries with their sound, breaking barriers, and inspiring countless individuals to pick up an instrument.
During the 1970s, Led Zeppelin was the premier rock band on the planet. Although they were a significantly different breed of group from The Beatles, they successfully took over the mantle from the Fab Four. Together, thanks to eight triumphant albums, they defined an era and earned themselves icon status.
While Led Zeppelin were rocking out in the United Kingdom, Young’s career was simultaneously taking off into superstardom. After cutting his teeth with Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, the singer-songwriter was ready to set out independently. He also enjoyed a fruitful creative decade, producing masterpieces such as Harvest, After the Gold Rush, and Rust Never Sleeps.
Furthermore, Young and Led Zeppelin share history as their stories are intertwined. Most notably, in 1995, for one night only, Young became an honorary member of the English group at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, a dream come true for the Canadian. However, while it was an evening to remember for Young, Led Zeppelin have less warm memories of the ceremony. At the time, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page had recently reconvened for the 1994 album No Quarter. During the show, John Paul Jones, the only other surviving member of Led Zeppelin, let his feelings known about his other bandmates making music without him and left no stone unturned.
In his speech, Jones told the crowd: “Thank you, my friends, for finally remembering my phone number”.
As a result, it was an awkward evening for Plant and Page. Nevertheless, Young cherished his time on stage with the rock gods and left the building with an urge to write about his fulfilling experience in the studio.
The eventual result was ‘Downtown’, which was featured on his 1995 album Mirrorball. On the track, he relives the performance and sings, “Jimi’s playin’ in the back room, Led Zeppelin on stage, There’s a mirror ball twirlin’, And a note from Page, Like a water-washed diamond.”
Decades earlier, Led Zeppelin paid tribute to Young on the track ‘Down By The Seaside’, which appeared on Physical Graffiti. Notably, it took its title from the Canadian’s famous song, ‘Down By The River’. Although the two compositions are vastly different lyrically and sonically, this demonstrates the appreciation Led Zeppelin held for Young’s work.
‘Down By The River’ is filled with darkness, which appears to be written from the perspective of a man murdering his partner. However, the singer-songwriter later clarified the song’s meaning and explained it to Fusion: “There’s no real murder in it. It’s about blowing your thing with a chick. See, now in the beginning, it’s ‘I’ll be on your side, you be on mine.’ It could be anything. Then the chick thing comes in. Then at the end it’s a whole other thing. It’s a plea… a desperation cry.”
Led Zeppelin’s track, inspired by ‘Down By The River,’ is a sprawling rock anthem that takes aim at the societal rat race as Plant wails, “Down in the city streets, See all the folk go racin’, racin’, No time left, to pass the time of day.”
Although most now appreciate the song as a Led Zeppelin classic, it almost never saw the light of day. Plant had to fight for the band to release it on Physical Graffiti, and at first, none of his bandmates were willing to grant his request. The singer once admitted, “Everybody laughed when I suggested to include ‘Down By The Seaside’ on Physical Graffiti.”
Despite Plant’s affection for ‘Down By The Seaside’, his bandmates seemingly never changed their stance, as it was never played live by Led Zeppelin in concert. Nevertheless, its existence is proof of Young’s impact on the legendary rock group.
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