When discussing Led Zeppelin, people quickly bring up the most career-defining track. Of course, this song not only became a staple of rock ‘n’ roll, but it also inspired a plethora of covers. What the ordinary listener may be unaware of is that ‘Whole Lotta Love‘ did not chart until nearly 30 years after its first release.
Following the huge success of their debut album, Led Zeppelin wasted no time returning to the studio. Five months later, they found themselves at London’s Olympic Studios. Jimmy Page took on the role of producer for ‘Whole Lotta Love’, infusing the song with his original experimental thoughts and pioneering recording techniques, eventually increasing its impact.
The iconic song highlights each band performing to the best of their skills and includes some of Robert Plant’s most evocative lyrics. However, the identical lyrics became the focus of a lawsuit in 1985. Accusers pointed out that the single directly ripped off Muddy Waters‘ ‘You Need Love‘.
Years later, Plant responded to the event by saying, “Page’s riff was Page’s riff,” as reported by Musician Magazine. “It existed before anything else. I just thought, “Well, what will I sing?” That was it, Nick. Now gladly paid for. At the time, there was a lot of discussion on what to do. It was decided that it was so far away in time and influence that .. Well, you only get caught when you’re successful. That’s the game.”
Nonetheless, nothing could stop the relentless force of ‘Whole Lotta Love’. Led Zeppelin’s approach to success shifted away from focusing primarily on singles. Instead, they prioritized creating complete albums to provide fans with the ultimate listening experience, one that went beyond individual tunes. As a result, ‘Whole Lotta Love’ and other Zeppelin songs failed to chart upon their initial release.
It wasn’t until nearly three decades later, in September 1997, that ‘Whole Lotta Love‘ made its debut on the charts, spending five weeks and peaking at number 21. This happened after the band, which had founded 29 years before, suddenly eased its lifelong resistance to releasing singles. The beauty of their time, however, was that they most likely would have achieved the same level of success without any of their tracks making the charts at all.
When Led Zeppelin released their debut album in 1969, the landscape of rock changed forever. Their music transcended generations, influencing innumerable artists and bands from all genres. Their image, music, and manner became synonymous with the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, influencing the collective psyche of a generation.
