The Led Zeppelin song they rejected because it “wasn’t very clever”
Although Led Zeppelin are most famous for their bombastic, esoteric take on rock ‘n’ roll, they could also be subtle and mellow, with some of their finest moments coming from the band’s softer side.
While songs like ‘Going to California’ and the ethereal sections of ‘The Rain Song’ reflect a calmer element, these creations materialised when the band was at their peak. The quartet always had a softer side, dating back far longer than these highlights. This facet came to the fore almost immediately after guitarist and leader Jimmy Page founded Led Zeppelin out of the ashes of The Yardbirds in 1968.
As the band worked on the material for their self-titled 1969 debut album, they created some compositions that didn’t make the final cut. One of the most intriguing is ‘Baby Come On Home’, a song that would not see the light of day until 25 years after creation. Featuring Jimmy Page playing his guitar through a Leslie Speaker and John Paul Jones helming both a piano and Hammond Organ, it remains one of the warmest moments in Zeppelin’s extensive back catalogue. It is best described as a soul song.
The track was initially titled ‘Tribute to Bert Berns’, in honour of the late American songwriter, producer and friend of Page’s, best known for era classics such as ‘Twist and Shout’ and ‘Brown Eyed Girl’. Following a lifetime of ill health, Berns passed away in December 1967, aged 38. The final Led Zeppelin effort is credited to Page, frontman Robert Plant and Berns, who had written a song of the same title, with recordings by Hoagy Lands and Solomon Burke arriving earlier in the decade.
Despite its brilliance, ‘Baby Come on Home’ was dropped from Led Zeppelin. According to Jimmy Page, this is because the backing vocals “weren’t very clever’ and the band never properly finished it. In Brad Tolinski’s book Light & Shade, the guitarist explains: “I don’t think we finished it — the backing vocals weren’t very clever. And at the time, we thought everything else was better. Simple as that, really. But don’t get me wrong, the track is good, and Plant’s singing is excellent. It’s just that we set such high standards for ourselves.”
‘Baby Come On Home’ was not released until 1993, when it was included in the Boxed Set 2 compilation. It was also later featured as a bonus track on several CD editions of the group’s most famous collection, Coda.
Listen to ‘Baby Come On Home’ below.
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