John Prine: The songwriter who’s work Robert Plant considers a “vast, enduring treasury”
The members of Led Zeppelin were all the best at what they did individually. It’s truly one of the biggest coincidences in rock that when the band got together, they were merging who can only be described as the best bassist, vocalist, guitarist and drummer in rock ‘n’ roll. Unsurprisingly, these talents coming together was nothing short of euphoric.
The only critique that most people have had with Led Zeppelin’s music is Robert Plant’s songwriting. It wasn’t that people said he was bad at it, but they highlighted how a lot of his lyrics were lifted from other songs. Usually, there were folk songs from which Plant filched the words, and people took issue with their pilfered nature and the fact that those who wrote the original songs weren’t credited.
This wasn’t always the case. Robert Plant wrote many of his own words and had a great imagination with which he could do so. For instance, consider a track like ‘Immigrant Song’. This is one of Led Zeppelin’s most popular songs, and it’s a track that is often cited as one of the band’s most high-quality offerings.
Plant wrote the song when the band travelled to Iceland to perform a show. Just by taking in his surroundings and remembering that moment, he could create a fictional world draped in myth and heavy metal.
“We weren’t being pompous; we did come from the land of the ice and snow,” he said. “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. 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.”
There were other lyrics that Robert Plant wrote, which he later decided to question. For instance, he put together the words for ‘Stairway to Heaven’, which is arguably the band’s most famous song, but then he refused to play it live because he thought the lyrics were naïve. He wasn’t happy with the aimless hope that made up the track and, therefore, was keen to stop playing it.
While there may be some controversy surrounding him as a lyricist, there is no escaping the fact that he has an in-depth knowledge of songwriting and, therefore, is a go-to vocalist when looking for recommendations. There are a number of artists that Plant has confirmed he’s a big fan of in the past, whether that’s for their instrumentation, lyricism or something else; however, one of his favourite songwriters is John Prine.
Plant isn’t the only person with this opinion, either. Prine was an American songwriter who made a name for himself in the folk and country scene. His influence on music resonates with the sound of modern country, and he is recognised by artists across multiple genres.
“Your work is extraordinary. It’s a vast, enduring treasury, a beacon of light in these ever-weirder times,” he said when discussing Prine’s intricate work, “You know, sometimes it seems like you’re writing for all of us, which in fact you probably are.”
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