Led Zeppelin and Lord of the Rings

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In summary, Led Zeppelin borrows imagery and sounds from the Lord of the Rings trilogy in their song "Battle of Evermore."
  • #1
quantumdude
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Hey folks,

I've been watching the first two LOTR movies a lot, in anticipation of the 3rd one to come out in December. Lately I've been noticing all the imagery that Led Zeppelin borrows from that trilogy, and I am now listening to "Battle of Evermore", which mentions the ringwraiths. That prompted me to do some Googling, and this is what I turned up:

Zeppelin and Tolkein Relations Page

Someone with much more time on his hands found more connections. I thought they were kind of cool.

Enjoy,
 
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  • #2
In the darkest depths of mordor i met a girl so fair...
 
  • #3
But Gollum, and the eeevil one

crept up and stole away with hee-eer hee-eer hee-eer yeah.

<- is done singing

<- isn't going to quit his day job
 
  • #4
...crept up and slipped away with hee-eer hee-eer hee-eer yeah.
:wink:
 
  • #5
Ramble On!

Yeah, Zeppelin and Tolkien have a lot of connections.

Let's see... Misty Mountain Hop has some references to Middle Earth (if I remember my Tolkien correctly).

Watch the Song Remains the Same. Plant's scene sort of goes for that mythical atmosphere.
 
  • #6
Originally posted by Sting
Let's see... Misty Mountain Hop has some references to Middle Earth (if I remember my Tolkien correctly).

Yes, I remember watching Fellowship of the Ring, and when Galadriel said that Gollum took the ring deep into the Misty Mountains, that power riff was sounding off in my head.
 
  • #7
Someone with much more time on his hands found more connections. I thought they were kind of cool.
Speaking of having time on someone’s hands, I once reworked an auto-reversing cassette deck so it would play a tape either forwards or backwards. This made it easy to listen to a song in either direction. The Zeppelin band had quite a few things to say about Satan.
I thought it was kind of cool, hehe.
 
  • #8
Originally posted by BoulderHead
Speaking of having time on someone’s hands, I once reworked an auto-reversing cassette deck so it would play a tape either forwards or backwards. This made it easy to listen to a song in either direction. The Zeppelin band had quite a few things to say about Satan.
I thought it was kind of cool, hehe.

nahh.. you got it all wrong... Chicago has the good stuff:wink:
 
  • #9
Saw Return of the King again last weekend. That's 5 times now!

I need help.
 
  • #10
Tom Mattson said:
Saw Return of the King again last weekend. That's 5 times now!

I need help.

Holy cow, I only saw it twice and it was too much for me.
 
  • #11
Boulderhead, Zantra! NO JOKE?? I'd always heard about that reverse message thing but I thought it was a myth. (Somebody call Mythbusters! :wink: ) I never knew anyone who actually HEARD it themselves. That's so weird! Then it's true? Zantra, Chicago? Really? Get OUT! CHICAGO? :frown: really? Jeez... :frown:
 
  • #12
interesting, but its not pink floyd/wizard of oz. :D
 
  • #13
chief said:
interesting, but its not pink floyd/wizard of oz. :D
True. :biggrin: Isn't that WEIRD?? I just love watching/listening to that. :wink:
 
  • #14
BoulderHead said:
Speaking of having time on someone’s hands, I once reworked an auto-reversing cassette deck so it would play a tape either forwards or backwards. This made it easy to listen to a song in either direction. The Zeppelin band had quite a few things to say about Satan.
I thought it was kind of cool, hehe.

Meh, you hear what you want to here. I remember a friend of mine convincing someone that a rage song, "born of a broken man", actually, said "pinapple pumkin man", just by saying so, and playing the song for him.
 

1. What is the connection between Led Zeppelin and Lord of the Rings?

The members of Led Zeppelin were heavily influenced by the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, particularly The Lord of the Rings trilogy. They often referenced the books in their lyrics and incorporated themes and imagery from the books into their music.

2. Did Led Zeppelin write a song about Lord of the Rings?

Yes, Led Zeppelin wrote and recorded the song "Ramble On" which directly references The Lord of the Rings. The lyrics mention "Mordor" and "Gollum", and the song also features the iconic riff from "The Battle of Evermore", another of their songs inspired by the books.

3. How did Led Zeppelin get the idea to incorporate Lord of the Rings into their music?

The members of Led Zeppelin were avid fans of Tolkien's books and were inspired by the epic and fantastical themes in his writing. They also drew inspiration from other sources such as Norse mythology and Celtic folklore, which also influenced Tolkien's work.

4. Are there any other connections between Led Zeppelin and Lord of the Rings?

Aside from their music, Led Zeppelin also had a strong visual connection to The Lord of the Rings. They often used symbols and imagery from the books on their album covers and in their stage design. For example, their fourth album features four symbols, one of which is the rune for "man", which is also the symbol for Aragorn in the books.

5. Did Led Zeppelin have permission to use Lord of the Rings in their music?

Yes, Led Zeppelin had the blessing of Tolkien himself to use his books as inspiration for their music. In fact, Tolkien's daughter has said that her father was a fan of the band and enjoyed their music. However, the band did receive some criticism for their use of Tolkien's work, particularly from fans who felt that the books were being commercialized.

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