Led Zeppelin’s music hits like a hammer—mythic, powerful, and uncompromising. So it’s no surprise that Hollywood has spent years trying to bottle that magic. But Robert Plant isn’t exactly itching to license it. Zeppelin has long had a reputation for turning down commercial offers, often refusing films and TV shows the chance to use their iconic tracks.
Still, there are rare exceptions.
Take School of Rock. Jack Black famously begged for permission to use ‘Immigrant Song’, and Plant—shockingly—said yes. Why? He wanted to break the myth of Led Zeppelin wide open.
“Everyone gets it, young and old. It’s a great song,” Plant said. “Not only slightly ridiculous but ridiculous.” Laughing, he added, “All of my grandkids have been able to play Jack Black’s riffs. It was the right thing to do. Blow the myth up into the sky for a while—because it’s all myth. I watched the film and found it funny.”
But when it came to appearing in Game of Thrones, Plant didn’t budge.
The fantasy epic offered him a role, but the frontman turned it down—and his reasoning was as mythical as his lyrics.
“Well, I don’t wanna be typecast,” he said. “I started that shit up.” He’s talking about ‘Immigrant Song’—his thunderous ode to Norse mythology, inspired by Led Zeppelin’s trip to Iceland in 1970.
At the time, the band had been invited by the Icelandic government on a cultural exchange. “We did come from ‘the land of the ice and snow,’” Plant said. “We were guests of the Icelandic Government. The day before we arrived, all the civil servants went on strike. The gig was going to be cancelled.”
Instead, the local university stepped in and offered a venue. The result? An unforgettable night—and a song that would open one of Zeppelin’s most ambitious records.
‘Immigrant Song’ channeled the fantasy vibe Plant loved, drawing from Tolkien and Viking lore. “On we sweep with threshing oar, our only goal will be the western shore,” he wailed, casting Zeppelin as warriors sailing into musical battle.
“We weren’t being pompous,” Plant said. “The response from the kids was remarkable. And we had a great time. ‘Immigrant Song’ was about that trip and it was the opening track on an album that was meant to be incredibly different.”
So no, he didn’t need Game of Thrones. Robert Plant already lived his own saga—and he wrote the soundtrack too.
