“Musical arousal”: The song that turned Robert Plant on first
He is undoubtedly one of the most celebrated rock singers of all time, but what most people forget is that Robert Plant has long since been considered the ultimate blueprint for rock.
Archetypal is a word used too often, but Plant is undoubtedly the archetypal rock star. Strutting across stages with his mic in hand, his blouse billowing behind him in the wind, and his lungs poised to deliver the kind of wail that could wake the Norse gods, Plant is one of the greats and left thousands of inspired kids in his wake. Plant himself was just like them, left inspired by a rock star who captivated his heart and mind.
Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant’s life changed in one moment when he was introduced to the music of Elvis Presley as a child. From that second, Plant had a burning desire to consume as much material by Elvis as he could find, which wasn’t an easy task in England during that period, but he did the work, leading to the singer’s first “musical arousal”.
As much as Plant had a taste for rock ‘n’ roll at a young age, accessibility was a major issue. He wasn’t living in London or a major city; therefore, purchasing rarities from a specialist music store was impossible. Instead, he had to survive on the small smatterings of rock which made their way onto the airwaves and rely on the radio to enhance his knowledge.
“Music was a panacea and a mysterious release for me,” Plant explained to The Guardian in 2007 about his early life. “It was otherworldly, another life outside Middle England in 1960 where it was all about endeavour, learning and making sure that all your vulnerabilities were not too evident so that you didn’t end up looking like a sobbing klutz.”
In a further discussion with pianist Jools Holland, Plant spoke in more detail about his culturally-deprived childhood: “The BBC wasn’t very kind to youth culture in those days, but every now and then on Two Way Family Favourites on a Sunday lunchtime, some servicemen would send messages back to Mom and Dad and request a song.”
During one of those episodes, he was exposed to ‘Hound Dog’ by Presley, which hooked him instantly into a life of rock ‘n’ roll. “That was the kind of lock-in. It was an opiate. Something happened when I heard the sound of that record. It certainly made me put my stamp collection to one side for a bit,” he explained.
While ‘Hound Dog’ was his introduction to the back catalogue of Presley, Plant began digging deeper into his work. When he found ‘Heartbreak Hotel’, it made him have feelings that music had never previously caused.
Opening up about the song’s seismic impact on him, Plant told Life Magazine in 1987: “It was so animal, so sexual, the first musical arousal I ever had. You could see a twitch in everybody my age. All we knew about the guy was that he was cool, handsome and looked wild.”
Decades later, Plant was one of the biggest names on the planet while Presley’s star had begun to dwindle. However, the Led Zeppelin singer was still in complete awe of his hero. Following a performance by Elvis at The Forum in Los Angeles, he had the opportunity to meet the man responsible for his chosen career path. It was a wild evening more glamorous than he could have expected, and the pair even sang to one another.
Listen to ‘Heartbreak Hotel’ below.
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