Led Zeppelin filled their shelves with many achievements throughout their 12 years of a music career. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame museum’s biography, they were as influential in the 1970s as the Beatles were during the 1960s. With a musical style with elements from various genres, including blues and folk, Zeppelin helped define hard rock and heavy metal and impacted the development of the stadium and album-oriented rock. So, they have lots of things to be proud of.
Looking through their successful career, Led Zeppelin granted us numerous rock classics, such as ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ ‘Communication Breakdown,’ ‘Black Dog,’ ‘Dazed And Confused,’ and, of course, the iconic hit ‘Stairway To Heaven.’ There’s no doubt that pages would be filled with their contributions to the rock music scene. However, Robert Plant has one particular thing he is proud of when looking back on his career with the cult act.
Robert Plant became a guest of Charlie Rose in a 2005 interview, years and years after Led Zeppelin’s split. During the conversation, Rose asked him the thing he was the proudest about the band. Plant said he was pretty pleased with the variety of musical efforts Zeppelin made and their intention to focus on simulating themselves with music rather than pursuing money. He also added that they weren’t afraid of changes or experimenting with new things, and that’s what made them part of the American culture.
Revealing what made him proud of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant said, “I think the variety of music and the constant intention to stimulate ourselves rather than going after the beautiful underbelly full of greenbacks. I think the thing about the band was that we went off places that I suppose now, with the band’s history becoming part of the American pop culture, people now see it as an established entity.”
He continued, elaborating on the quality of Zeppelin’s music, “But at the time, every turn that we made wasn’t even risky because it didn’t matter. If you don’t do what you’re supposed to, you shouldn’t be there, you know. So, I think it was the perseverance for change and to stimulate ourselves rather than to join the cut and thrust of an era. Maybe that’s why it retains its popularity because it is such a variety of music.”
So, Robert Plant believes that Led Zeppelin was a band that focused on music rather than making money. He noted that the risks they took by experimenting with new things and employing them in their music to create a variety of new musical approaches made him proud of Led Zeppelin the most. Given the band’s history and contributions to the rock music scene and popular culture, it’s safe to say that Robert Plant has every right to be proud.
