One of the most influential rock bands in the history of the genre is Led Zeppelin. Their guitar-driven style would serve as an example for everyone who would follow and is recognized as the originator of the hard rock and heavy metal subgenres that are still popular today.
With over 200 million albums sold worldwide, they are one of the best-selling musicians of all time. They paved the path for the rock bands that would follow them by using their songs to tell tales, experiment with new genres, and tell stories.
They are renowned for fusing diverse rock genres, including blues, folk, and hard rock, to create a distinctive hybrid.
The band’s influence on music history stems from their capacity to induce emotional confusion by fusing light and powerful sounds, which gave the impression of pleasure amid discomfort.
Best Led Zeppelin Songs
A list of Led Zeppelin’s studio albums along with some notable songs from each album:
| Album | Notable Songs | Release Year |
|---|---|---|
| Led Zeppelin (I) | “Good Times Bad Times,” “Dazed and Confused,” | 1969 |
| “Communication Breakdown” | ||
| Led Zeppelin II | “Whole Lotta Love,” “Ramble On,” “Heartbreaker,” | 1969 |
| “Moby Dick” | ||
| Led Zeppelin III | “Immigrant Song,” “Since I’ve Been Loving You,” | 1970 |
| “Tangerine” | ||
| Led Zeppelin IV (Untitled) | “Stairway to Heaven,” “Black Dog,” “Rock and Roll” | 1971 |
| “When the Levee Breaks” | ||
| Houses of the Holy | “No Quarter,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” | 1973 |
| “D’yer Mak’er” | ||
| Physical Graffiti | “Kashmir,” “Ten Years Gone,” “Trampled Under Foot” | 1975 |
| “In My Time of Dying” | ||
| Presence | “Achilles Last Stand,” “Nobody’s Fault but Mine” | 1976 |
| “Tea for One” | ||
| In Through the Out Door | “Fool in the Rain,” “In the Evening,” | 1979 |
| “All My Love” | ||
| Coda | “We’re Gonna Groove,” “Wearing and Tearing” | 1982 |
| “I Can’t Quit You Baby” |
They were experts at crafting memorable riffs, and their music was energized and raw in a way that fans found captivating.
Numerous performers have been affected by Led Zeppelin’s music, and other artists have covered their songs, demonstrating their enduring influence on the music business.
The band’s musicianship and Robert Plant’s distinctive singing style have cemented their status as one of the best bands of all time, earning them a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
We’ll examine some of the greatest Led Zeppelin tracks in this article:
Whole Lotta Love
Led Zeppelin’s defining song was Whole Lotta Love, which became their first success and got a gold certification in the US. The song’s genuine obsceneness is instantly apparent if you pay careful attention to the lyrics, but that has only increased its notoriety and popularity.
Whole Lotta Love was recognized as the 75th best song of all time by Rolling Stone and as the third greatest hard rock song of all time by VH1. It still has one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in all of rock music, which was chosen as the best riff ever in a BBC Radio 2 listener survey.
Kashmir
Led Zeppelin’s members have always proclaimed Kashmir as their finest track, and I won’t disagree with them on this point. While traveling on a seemingly unending road through the Sahara Desert, Robert Plant wrote the lyrics.
Not only one of Led Zeppelin’s best songs, but Kashmir has also earned a place among the greatest rock tunes ever. It was accompanied by a variety of instruments, including brass and string ensembles, a sitar, and other instruments, to acquire its famous sound, and it eventually became one of the band’s defining songs with strong Zeppelin influences.
Immigrant Song
We’ll talk about a Led Zeppelin song that is one of our all-time favorites. Immigrant Song is based on riffs that are repeated and are based on Norse mythology, which discusses combat and getting into Valhalla. Immigrant Song, which was inspired by one of the band’s tours that led them to Reykjavik in Iceland, was a track on their 1970 album Led Zeppelin III.
A tremendous commercial success, it would reach number eight on the Cash Box rankings and position 16 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list.
Black Dog
There is a strong case that can be made that Black Dog is the Led Zeppelin song with the most menacing guitar riff in the band’s discography. It even came in first place on Q Magazine’s selection of the 20 Greatest Guitar Tracks of All Time.
The riff was created by John Paul Jones, who took inspiration from Muddy Waters’ album Electric Mud. Black Dog made its premiere at the same event in 1971 as Stairway To Heaven made its stage debut and went on to become a mainstay of Led Zeppelin concerts. When it was first released, it peaked at number 15 on both the US Cash Box and Billboard Hot 100 lists.
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Stairway To Heaven
For many fans, Stairway to Heaven is Led Zeppelin’s finest song since it served as their introduction to the band. It has been played many times on radio stations throughout the country and is still played on both classic and current rock stations today. It is an unquestionable classic in the history of rock.
Led Zeppelin never officially released Stairway To Heaven as a single because they considered it a turning point in their style and since it is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
Ramble On
The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien strongly impacted Ramble On, which makes reference to a number of locations and characters from the novels. Although the song nearly sounds like it was performed on a violin, Page really accomplished this on his guitar by using some deft strumming methods.
It was a somewhat laid-back tune for the band, and it ended up being one of their most well-rounded compositions, approaching the song from more of a folk-blues angle and showcasing Plant’s narrative.
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Since I’ve Been Loving You
The toughest song to record on Led Zeppelin III, which was released in 1970, was Since I’ve Been Loving You. The CD was produced using a live studio recording that had undergone very minimal overdubbing or any editing.
It was one of the greatest instances of how Led Zeppelin used the structure of the traditional blues to forge their own route and create something fresh. Since I’ve Been Loving You’s guitar solo would come in at number eight on Guitarist Magazine’s ranking of the Top 100 Guitar Solos of All Time.
Good Times Bad Times
Happy Times In 1969, Led Zeppelin’s debut studio album featured the lead hit, “Good Times Bad Times,” which was also the album’s opening tune.
Due to its difficulty to play and the fact that Jimmy Page needed to utilize a speaker to produce the song’s whirling effect, it was rarely performed as a concert tune. It would also become the group’s first single to chart in the US, peaking at number 66 on the Cash Box charts and 80 on the Billboard Hot 100.
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Misty Mountain Hop
Another outstanding tune from Zeppelin’s unnamed fourth album is Misty Mountain Hop. The Black Dog B-side made reference to the London Legalize Pot Rally in 1968.
It’s exceptionally groovy, contains some subtle Tolkien allusions, deals with hippies, and has social issues that make the narrator wish to go to a fictitious mountaintop in Tolkien’s world.
Achilles Last Stand
Led Zeppelin had no qualms about releasing mythology-inspired songs, and when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant traveled far, their music began to incorporate Eastern influences.
One of those songs, Achilles’ Last Stand, became the group’s longest and most intricate song of all time, clocking in at over 10 minutes and seamlessly fusing several sections.
Do not let the magnitude intimidate you. It has one of Jimmy Page’s favorite guitar solos and is a true gem.
Dazed And Confused
Before Zeppelin created their rendition, Dazed and Confused had a lengthy history. It was originally a 1967 folk-rock song by Jake Holmes, but Jimmy Page heard it and gave it a makeover for the Yardbirds.
Later, Page’s new group would adopt it for their debut album, Led Zeppelin, after adding new lyrics and musical arrangements. It was a standard performance piece for the majority of the band’s existence and one of Zeppelin’s hallmark songs.
Communication Breakdown
One of the first songs Led Zeppelin worked on after the group formed was Communication Breakdown, which was a staple of their early setlists before the publication of their first album in 1969.
All they needed to get started was a riff from Page, and the other band members created and fiddled with it until they came up with something that almost resembled the punk music that would emerge in the UK shortly after it.
The Rain Song
The Rain Song is a lengthy song by Led Zeppelin that debuted on their fifth studio album, Houses of the Holy. The song itself was born when John Bonham was informed that Led Zeppelin was terrible at composing ballads, like any great artist with a lot of pride.
The Rain Song came into being in a very amazing “I’ll show you” moment. The song was praised by critics yet proved to be so outstanding that it resisted categorization into any one genre.
Rock And Roll
I still hear the classic Led Zeppelin song Rock and Roll on contemporary rock radio stations. It was included on Zeppelin’s fourth album in 1971 and is without a doubt one of the most dynamic hard rock songs in history. Ian Stewart, the pianist from the Rolling Stones, made a special appearance.
It was Zeppelin’s opening concert piece for a while and fared rather well commercially. Rock and Roll was awarded a silver certification in the UK and in the top 50 of the US Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box charts.
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The Ocean
The sea of hands that Robert Plant regularly performed in front of was represented as the ocean in The Ocean as a metaphor. It was one of the album’s outstanding songs when it was released in 1973 and received radically disparate reviews. But the song’s popularity among listeners and the band itself was considerably more important to Zeppelin.
Over The Hills And Far Away
One more from Houses of the Holy is shown here. The album’s lead song, Over The Hills and Far Away, peaked at number 51 on the US Billboard Hot 100 list and was performed live before it was published as an album track.
No Quarter
No Quarter, like Houses of the Holy before it, became a mainstay of Led Zeppelin performances from the moment it was released until they put down their instruments and called it quits. It uses Norse mythology and the Vikings to show no mercy to your foes, similar to Immigrant Song.
Although it didn’t receive a warm reception at the time, it’s obvious now that the song showed the band’s skill as songwriters.
Ten Years Gone
Ten Years Gone was supposed to be an instrumental tune, but after Plant contributed vocals, the band produced one of the greatest songs on their 1975 Physical Graffiti album. One of the band’s loveliest songs ever, its dreamy and mesmerizing melody garnered parallels to the Beatles’ output.
What Is And What Should Never Be
What Is and What Should Never Be, the second song on Led Zeppelin II, was the first song for which Robert Plant was given composition credit. If that makes you queasy, stay away from it as it is rumored to have been based on a liaison he had with his wife’s sister.
D’yer Mak’er
Evidently, I have trouble understanding English accents. When uttered with an English accent, the phrase Jamaica is a play on the title of D’yer Mak’er.
Led Zeppelin’s effort to emulate reggae music received harsh criticism and some claim that it was originally intended as a studio joke that ended up on the album. Despite not fitting within their regular style, it is nonetheless a wonderful song.
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The Battle Of Evermore
Led Zeppelin used Tolkien allusions again to create this duet with Sandy Denny and Robert Plant. The Battle Of Evermore, one of the band’s greatest acoustic songs, is a wonderful illustration of their narrative abilities.
Fool In The Rain
One of the best songs on Zeppelin’s 1979 album In Through The Out Door was Fool In The Rain. Sadly, it was the band’s final song before breaking up in 1980, although it managed to reach number 21 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Babe I’m Gonna Leave You
Another instance of Led Zeppelin modifying a folk song to fit their distinctive sound is Babe I’m Gonna Leave You. Many musicians would cover it over the years, with Led Zeppelin’s version leaning considerably more toward the hard rock sound than Joan Baez’s. It was originally written by Anne Bredon in 1950.
Traveling Riverside Blues
Traveling Riverside Blues, one of their other odes to legendary blues musicians, was first released in 1937 by Robert Johnson. The song was finally published by Zeppelin, and it rose as high as number seven on the US Top Rock Tracks list.
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All My Love
Jimmy Page contributed to all but two of the songs that Led Zeppelin recorded throughout their career. One of those two songs was
All My Love from their 1979 album, which can be heard in the soft-rock style of the song. Not at all a horrible tune. It was composed in honor of Robert Plant’s kid and was among the finest songs on their last album.
What was Led Zeppelin’s biggest hit?
Led Zeppelin’s biggest hit is widely considered to be “Stairway to Heaven.” It is a song from their untitled fourth studio album, commonly referred to as “Led Zeppelin IV,” released in 1971. “Stairway to Heaven” is an iconic rock ballad that showcases the band’s musical prowess and lyrical depth.
What are Led Zeppelin’s top 10 hits?
Here are ten of Led Zeppelin’s most well-known and popular songs, many of which can be considered their top hits:
| Stairway to Heaven | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 |
| Whole Lotta Love | Led Zeppelin II | 1969 |
| Black Dog | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 |
| Rock and Roll | Led Zeppelin IV | 1971 |
| Kashmir | Physical Graffiti | 1975 |
| Immigrant Song | Led Zeppelin III | 1970 |
| Good Times Bad Times | Led Zeppelin I | 1969 |
| Dazed and Confused | Led Zeppelin I | 1969 |
| Ramble On | Led Zeppelin II | 1969 |
| Communication Breakdown | Led Zeppelin I | 1969 |
What is Led Zeppelin’s darkest song?
One of their darkest and most haunting songs is often considered to be “No Quarter.” It is a track from their 1973 album “Houses of the Holy.”