“It sounded dreadful”: the two Led Zeppelin songs John Paul Jones hated most of all
Taking the baton from The Beatles, Led Zeppelin pushed the boundaries of rock music to new heights, introducing fresh styles and creating entirely new contexts along the way. Whether drawing on the mythologies of various cultures, experimenting with traditional music from outside the Western canon, or helping to lay the foundations of heavy metal, the band achieved extraordinary feats in just 12 years. Together, they brought Jimmy Page’s ambitious vision to life: a prismatic, pulsating sound that was as substantial as it was groundbreaking.
Although they may have unapologetically borrowed from their heroes in the early days, Led Zeppelin were masters at avoiding creative stagnation. Each of their albums evolved their sound and broadened their horizons. For example, they could have easily remained a straightforward hard rock band, sticking to the innovations of Led Zeppelin II, and eventually faded into obscurity. Instead, with 1970’s Led Zeppelin III, they embraced untried instrumentation in rock and experimented with new techniques and genres. While it wasn’t immediately understood or appreciated, this marked the beginning of their journey toward crafting a truly unique and unmistakable sound.
While Led Zeppelin are associated with a high level of accomplishment and, like The Beatles, embody rock’s ingrained refusal to be pigeonholed and confined to a single formula, they have released their fair share of duds. Given that the band members were all authentic artists in that they never relinquished the ability to bluntly self-critique – essential for crafting outstanding music – they’ve always been open about the moments they believe they flubbed. This includes bassist and multi-instrumentalist John Paul Jones, the most reserved member of the group. There are two songs by the band he openly hates.
The first is the heavily reggae-influenced oddity ‘D’yer Maker’ from 1973’s Houses of the Holy. While the album features more variety than any of the band’s releases, including the James Brown-inspired grooves of ‘The Crunge’, it’s safe to say ‘D’yer Maker’ is the worst cut in that body of work. A cheap imitation of the reggae genre, for fans and Jones, it has always been drummer John Bonham’s refusal to play stripped back, which makes it a painful listen. Allegedly, he hated reggae.
“It would have been all right if [Bonham] had worked at the part,” Jones once said. “The whole point of reggae is that the drums and the bass really have to be very strict about what they play. And he wouldn’t [be], so it sounded dreadful.”
The one that causes the most discomfort for Jones, though, is ‘Royal Orleans’ from 1976’s Presence. He hates it for its homophobic lyrics, which mock him for allegedly going to bed with a drag queen and accidentally lighting his hotel room on fire when in New Orleans. Not only is the track a manifestation of frontman Robert Plant’s homophobic views in those days, but according to Jones, the story isn’t even true.
“Oh, that was Robert in his usual homophobic manner,” the bassist said in 2001. “Everybody knew who those [drag queens] were. They were friends of Richard [Cole]’s. And yes, we knew they were transvestites. We were friends… But Robert was a bit provincial.” He asserted that the singer was “a bit homophobic in those days.”
Led Zeppelin might have been the kings of stylistically mixing it up, but there is no getting away from the fact that their oeuvre contains many peculiarities that are best left to rot in the dustbin of history.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Led Zeppelin Newsletter
All the latest stories about Led Zeppelin from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.