The Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs of All Time

2024-10-23

Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin

The greatest Led Zeppelin songs are one of a kind. – Author: Anne Erickson, Photo via Ken Settle

While bands such as the Rolling Stones and the Beatles often get named the most influential rock bands of all time, Led Zeppelin absolutely warrants that title, as well. The greatest Led Zeppelin songs uniquely blend hard rock with blues and psychedelia to create something totally novel and fresh. While Zep came a bit later than the aforementioned bands, Zeppelin was groundbreaking in their classic rock sound and inspired decades of musicians to come to create big, loud arena rock. It’s a sound that appeals to a broad range of music fans, not just rock, as Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham worked in a range of genres, even going so far to as add synthesizers and folk guitars into some of their sounds. In honor of all things Zep, Audio Ink Radio presents its tally of five of the greatest Led Zeppelin songs of all time, which each have a special place in classic rock history.

Best Led Zeppelin Songs

“Black Dog”

“Black Dog” arrived as the opening track on the Led Zeppelin’s untitled, 1971 fourth studio album. It’s one of those Zeppelin songs that’s instantly recognizable, due to its unique blues guitars and pure Zeppelin flavor. The song’s title refers to a stray Labrador Retriever the band used to see walking through the Headley Grange studio grounds. The guys would always play “Black Dog” at live shows, and it quickly became a fan favorite. It’s certainly one of the best Led Zeppelin songs.

“Immigrant Song”

On Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song,” the song’s first lyric, “We come from the land of the ice and snow,” was actually inspired by the group’s show in Iceland in June 1970, which is a month when the sun doesn’t ever fully set. The mix of eccentric instrumentals, repetitive riffing, Viking storytelling lyrics and catchy hooks make it one of the group’s most fun listens.

“Kashmir”

Any song inspired by a trip through the desert area of Morocco is epic enough to be considered one of the best. As the story goes, vocalist Robert Plant wrote the lyrics for “Kashmir” after driving through a desert are in Morocco with Jimmy Page. They even originally called the song “Driving to Kashmir” but shortened it to “Kashmir,” but no matter what it’s called, it’s simply an iconic classic rock song that is everything Zeppelin. “Plant described ‘Kashmir’ to the audience as a song about revisiting ‘our travels in Morocco… and the story of our wasted, wasted times,'” notes Louder Sound.

“Stairway to Heaven”

It would be impossible to leave Led Zeppelin’s defining song off this roster of the best Led Zeppelin songs of all time. Sure, Zeppelin had a lot of rock radio hits, but their most popular and mainstream song, by far, is 1971’s “Stairway to Heaven.” The song’s mix of progressive rock, folk and heavy rock was very novel at the time. “Stairway to Heaven” was a rock ballad without sounding like the typical rock ballad. It also has exceptional, heartfelt lyrics.

“Whole Lotta Love”

While “Stairway to Heaven” is Zeppelin’s most popular mainstream song, “Whole Lotta Love” is the band’s most popular hard rock track. This track is heavy on the blues but has a super heavy riff that makes it much more hard and classic rock than blues or folk. For the listener, “Whole Lotta Love” is a treat from start to finish, offering a dirty hard rock number that makes the listener want to move and groove.

Also, check out some classic rock bands you’re never heard of.

Anne Erickson
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Posted by Anne Erickson | Features, Music, Rock

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