The goal of any major artist is to surpass those who came before them. While there are countless imitators and endless nostalgia, the true challenge is delivering something fresh that fans didn’t realize they needed. Bruce Springsteen certainly embraced this challenge, but when it came to Led Zeppelin, his initial reaction was less enthusiastic.
It’s no secret that many musicians are accused of wearing their influences too visibly, and even Springsteen wasn’t immune to such critiques. Early in his career, especially with albums like Greetings from Asbury Park, he was often compared to Bob Dylan. The label of “the next Dylan” hung over him as he tried to carve out his own identity.
Led Zeppelin faced a different sort of scrutiny. While they were one of the biggest bands in rock, their greatest hits often came under fire for being reworkings of old blues songs.
Tracks like “Dazed and Confused” and “The Lemon Song” are beloved by fans, but their origins trace back to blues standards that existed long before Zeppelin put their spin on them.
Springsteen, however, managed to escape his early comparisons by shifting his sound and embracing a more anthemic style.
With Born to Run, he created a mini-epic, solidifying a unique voice and using the E Street Band as a full-bodied instrument in its own right. He transcended the Dylan comparisons by focusing on relatable, grand themes of life in the heartland.
Similarly, Led Zeppelin moved beyond their blues roots as they progressed. Their untitled fourth album still had those bluesy foundations, but who else would create a song like “Stairway to Heaven” or reinterpret the blues as grandly as they did with “When the Levee Breaks”?
Yet despite their innovation, Springsteen was initially unimpressed by Led Zeppelin.
In his view, they weren’t doing anything revolutionary. “They’re like a lot of those groups,” he once remarked. “Not only aren’t they doing anything new, they don’t do the old stuff so good, either.”
But Zeppelin never aimed to simply replicate the past. By the time they reached Houses of the Holy, they were experimenting in ways few hard rock bands could match. Physical Graffiti took things even further, displaying the full spectrum of their musical capabilities.
So, while Zeppelin may not have resonated with Springsteen at first, it’s possible he saw them as a form of competition. Springsteen, with his tales of heartland struggles and triumphs, had built a loyal following.
Meanwhile, Zeppelin, though fewer in number, were shaking the world with their own unique take on rock.
