The song Led Zeppelin meant to be funny but defined their career: “We weren’t being pompous”
What made Led Zeppelin as famous as they are? Several different factors contribute towards their unmistakable sound and overwhelming popularity. All of these came together to create a band that completely took over the world. They could merge various genres, styles, and ways of playing to separate themselves from any other rock band on the planet while expanding the realm of rock music rather than removing themselves from it completely.
As individuals, each member of the band was a complete one-of-a-kind. When people start flicking through lists of guitarists, bassists, drummers, and singers, trying to put together a dream band based on the very best, they simply end up creating Led Zeppelin. From the minute they stepped onto the scene, they proved themselves as a force to be reckoned with.
It was for this reason that when the band tried to write a track with humour buried into it, nobody saw the funny side. A few circumstances were needed for ‘Immigrant Song’ to be created, but after everything, it was supposed to be taken with a pinch of salt, with elements of humour injected into each second. That never happened, though.
Firstly, a strike in Iceland saw the band start to think of some of the lyrics. “We weren’t being pompous. We did come from the land of the ice and snow. We were guests of the Icelandic Government on a cultural mission. We were invited to play a concert in Reykjavik, and the day before we arrived, all the civil servants went on strike, and the gig was going to be cancelled,” said Robert Plant.
He continued, “The university prepared a concert hall for us, and it was phenomenal. The response from the kids was remarkable, and we had a great time. ‘Immigrant Song’ was about that trip, and the opening track on the album was intended to be incredibly different.”
When they eventually sat down and recorded the song, while a lot of it was based on their trip, other elements played into the lyrics. The mythological elements were supposed to be taken as a joke, as the band compared themselves to Vikings. However, people didn’t see the funny side. Led Zeppelin’s sound was so heavy, and the force of the band was relentless, to the point that the Viking comparison wasn’t far off being completely accurate.
The line “hammer of the Gods” ended up defining the group. A lot of fans ended up referring to their sound as the hammer of the gods, and it even became the title of their book, which was written by Stephen Davis. That’s what made Led Zeppelin so popular, a sound so heavy and unavoidable that it runs parallel to invasion.
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