Written by Ava Moon. Header illustration courtesy of @Taylor_eb14
Of all the prolific writers who have shaped modern culture, few have been able to reach the heights of the world-conjuring wizard himself, J.R.R. Tolkien. Known for his extensive legendarium, which includes “The Hobbit” and its sequel trilogy, “The Lord of the Rings,” Tolkien can easily be credited with the creation of contemporary fantasy as we know it–meaning the tales of Middle Earth and its inhabitants have crept their way into hundreds of cultural touchstones. Long before any book-to-screen adaptation, niche jokes ever-present in the zeitgeist, and the many stories with roots in Tolkien’s original magic, his works inspired a band that would become: Led Zeppelin–otherwise known as The One Band to Rule Them All.
Much like Tolkien’s redefinition of the fantasy genre, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham gave rock and roll similar treatment throughout the 70s. Plant, the band’s lead vocalist and lyricist, was the primary Tolkien enthusiast of the group. “Over the Hills and Far Away,” a song off of Led Zeppelin’s 1973 album “Houses of Holy,” ironically shares its namesake with Tolkien’s poem “Over Old Hills and Far Away” from his posthumously published “The Book of Lost Tales, Part One.” Being that the poem was officially released in 1983, about 10 years after “Houses of Holy,” it is not likely that one directly inspired the other, but it would be remiss to say Tolkien’s spirit isn’t present throughout Plant’s lyrical composition of the song. Both integrated themes of Celtic folklore into their respective works, and it’s even been theorized that the “woman” Plant sings about is actually an allegory for the One Ring. Although Plant hasn’t explicitly confirmed nor denied the theory, it remains plausible in the eyes of fans of the writer and band alike.
Potentially the most famous Tolkien lore-infused hit, is the iconic, “Ramble On,” from Led Zeppelin’s 1969 album, “Led Zeppelin II.” Plant recounts an unexpected journey to the listener, with the end goal of finding the “queen of all his dreams.” Aside from adventurous nature of the song, at one point Plant sings, “’Twas in the darkest depths of Mordor/I met a girl so fair/But Gollum and the Evil One/Crept up and slipped away with her.” The inclusion of Gollum and the Evil One (better known as Sauron) who serve as the two primary antagonists of “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, adds a deeper level of storytelling prowess to the song.
Another staple of the band’s discography, like “Stairway to Heaven” from “Led Zeppelin IV” (1971) makes a much less explicit reference to any Tolkien-created characters but a poem from “Fellowship of the Ring,” in the specific line “all that glitters is gold.” The poem is recited in relation to Aragorn, the lost king of men (the last four lines said by Arwen in Peter Jackson’s film adaptation of “Return of the King” (2003)) and begins with “all that is gold does not glitter.” Plant chose to flip the idea of “not everything being as it seems” on its head–which leaves it up reader and/or listener’s interpretation of each line in the context of both works.
Perhaps it was the resurgence of the “The Lord of the Rings” during the 60s, for its pro-environmentalist and counter-culture themes that made the stories of Middle Earth so prominent in Led Zeppelin’s music, but there are some songs that go beyond just a straightforward reference to the books. “Battle of Evermore,” also a song from “Led Zeppelin IV” (1971) not only mentions “Ringwraiths”, “The Queen of Light” (or Galadriel), and “The Dark Lord,” but itself nods to Tolkien’s own love of music. Throughout his works, Tolkien was widely known for his inclusion of song to help develop plot or give the reader backstory on certain events, in many cases battles. Whether or not the song was written with the intention of sounding as though it could’ve jumped off of Tolkien’s pages, it’s abundantly clear that Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin weren’t shy about their admiration for the author. With that, their legacy continues to rule them all.
