The Works of JRR Tolkien Inspired Many Led Zeppelin Hits

When John Ronald Reuel Tolkien first published The Hobbit in 1936, little did he know that the book would serve as one of the pillars of rock’n’roll history, and help spawn entire genres related to the author’s colorful fictional world of Men, Elves, Dwarves, Orcs ― and of course, Hobbits.

While Lord of the Rings quickly gained cult status after it was first published in 1954, a whole generation of future hippies felt enchanted by its allure.

The Elven kings and queens, the bearded, pipe-smoking wizards, laid-back, fun-loving Hobbits, and other creatures corresponded well with the Flower Children, who sought out to reconnect with nature in a rather romantic way, rejecting the aggressive, industrialized world they were brought into.

But the books and their legacy may not have been launched into a full-scale revival of interest if they weren’t actively promoted by one of rock’n’roll’s greatest bands ever to come on stage ― Led Zeppelin.

Although the band’s first album didn’t feature songs directly inspired by the writings of J.R.R. Tolkien, Jimmy Page who was initially the principal songwriter pushed Robert Plant to pursue his own lyrics.

Both Page and Plant were fascinated with various European as well as Middle-Eastern mythologies, influences of which could be heard in some of their greatest hits like “Immigrant Song” and “Kashmir”.

However, as the band delved more and more into the subject, their focus shifted from folklore to the oeuvre of the man who single-handedly fathered the literary genre of High Fantasy.

Tolkien’s influence on the lyrics of Robert Plant first appeared on the band’s second album, titled simply Led Zeppelin II, in which the singer alluded on the beginning of Frodo Baggins’ journey in the song “Ramble On”.

While it begins with quite vague associations with the world of Middle Earth, the song climaxes with the line:

“T’was in the darkest depth of Mordor/ I met a girl so fair, / But Gollum, the evil one crept up/ And slipped away with her.”

Read on: [thevintagenews.com]