How original was Led Zeppelin?

Led Zeppelin was a rock band that originated in London, England in 1968. They created and played various types of rock music including hard rock, blues rock, heavy metal and folk-rock. Led Zeppelin is considered an influential band because they performed variations of rock and heavy metal, which were new music genres at that time. Unfortunately, Led Zeppelin is also known for “ripping off” other artists because they copied lyrics and melodies from other songs without crediting the original creators. Led Zeppelin did this in several of their songs:

• “Bring it on Home” uses some lyrics and has the same title as “Bring it on Home” by Willie Dixon.
• “Lemon Song” uses some of the same lyrics as “Killing Floor” by Chester Burnett.
• “Black Mountainside” has a similar melody as Bert Jansch’s “Blackwaterside”.
• “Dazed and Confused” has the same name and some similar lyrics as “Dazed and Confused” by Jake Holmes. 
• “Stairway To Heaven” uses a piece of melody from Spirit’s “Taurus”.

These examples show how Led Zeppelin copied various artists’ rhythms, melodies and lyrics without modifying them enough to call them their own. They commonly used fragments of lyrics from other songs without changing many of the words and sometimes leaving them exactly the same. When they used melodies from other songs, they usually kept the same rhythms, tone and the general sound of it however, they would change the key or the instrument to make the timber different. When they used elements from other songs they usually didn’t attribute the original artist as they should have. 

Most songs have copyrights on them that protect the lyrics and melodies. It is expected that artists attribute others that inspired them, gave them ideas, or helped them create their music. Most artists will not directly copy the music of other artists however, they will transform and combine elements to make it their own. A current example of this can be seen in Ariana Grande’s song “My Favorite Things” which uses elements of the song “My Favorite Things” written by Rodgers and Hammerstein for the Sound of Music. Ariana Grande attributed the song to the original songwriters in addition to paying them royalties. Led Zeppelin on the other hand had many examples where they should have attributed their work to the original songwriters. 

I think some of Led Zeppelin’s songs were more original than others. The elements of songs that were copied were obvious. It is one thing to be inspired by a piece of music and create something similar, but to use some of the exact same elements is wrong. An example of a more original piece is “Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin, which was released in 1969. It shared a title and some lyrics with Jake Holmes “Dazed and Confused”, released a few years earlier in 1967. Sure they have the same name and one line of a verse is very similar but I think that these songs are very different in style. The lyrics had no other similarities, and the rhythms and melodies were both unique. An example of them going a little too far is when they used the melody from “Taurus” by Spirit, released in 1968, for their song “Stairway to Heaven” released in 1971. Led Zeppelin didn’t give any credit to Spirit and a subsequent lawsuit did not find they had infringed on any copyrights despite the similarities..

Creators should always be original and creative with what they do. To do this they should avoid using the exact same elements as other artists. They should always attribute anyone or anything that helped them create their work. Finally any artist should obtain copyrights for their works whether it’s music, movies or artwork to avoid others from “ripping them off”.

Works Cited

Alf. “Bert Jansch – Black Waterside.” Youtube, 9 Apr. 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5Gcu0Sv6lk.

Alf. “Led Zeppelin – The Lemon Song.” Youtube, 12 May 2011, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zyhu2ysqKGk.

Almond, Kyle. “Rare and Unseen Photos of Led Zeppelin.” CNN, Cable News Network, n.d., www.cnn.com/interactive/2018/10/entertainment/led-zeppelin-cnnphotos/.

Caywood, Zach. “Led Zeppelin- Dazed and Confused.” Youtube, 27 May 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rmtJ6-EY1E.\

Dimitris 004 Extra channel. “Willie Dixon – Bring It On Home ’73.” Youtube, 22 Feb. 2015, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3vrtwGKMv0.

Edwards, Gavin. “Led Zeppelin’s 10 Boldest Rip-Offs.” Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2019, http://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/led-zeppelins-10-boldest-rip-offs-223419/.

Ferguson, Kirby. “Everything Is a Remix Part 1.” Vimeo, 25 Mar. 2020, vimeo.com/14912890.

graemek1. “Led Zeppelin- Bring It On Home.” Youtube, 1 Apr. 2010, www.youtube.com/watch?v=J2qHbEriQ6A.

Howlin’ Wolf – Topic. “Killing Floor.” Youtube, 10 Aug. 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHrVB35kTrE.

hzh27. “Jake Holmes – Dazed and Confused.” Youtube, 3 Aug. 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTsvs-pAGDc.

Kim, Allen. “Led Zeppelin Wins Major Copyright Battle for ‘Stairway to Heaven’.” CNN, Cable News Network, 11 Mar. 2020, www.cnn.com/2020/03/10/entertainment/led-zeppellin-stairway-heaven-lawsuit-trnd/index.html.

LedZep Bootlegs. “Black Mountain Side – Led Zeppelin.” Youtube, 28 Mar. 2013, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ClBS0Xp56UU.

Lotti, Marco. “Spirit – Taurus.” Youtube, 3 Aug. 2018, www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFHLO_2_THg.

OLD TAPES. “Led Zeppelin – Stairway to Heaven.” Youtube, 26 Jan. 2010, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbhCPt6PZIU.

Reed, Ryan. “Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’: Appeals Court to Review Lawsuit Decision.” Rolling Stone, 22 Sept. 2019, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/led-zeppelin-stairway-to-heaven-lawsuit-review-846617/.

RHINO. “Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven.” Youtube, 3 July 2018, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkF3oxziUI4.

Schaal, Eric. “Why Did Led Zeppelin Settle the Copyright Lawsuit Over ‘Dazed and Confused’?” Showbiz Cheat Sheet, 11 Mar. 2019, http://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/why-did-led-zeppelin-settle-the-copyright-lawsuit-over-dazed-and-confused.html/.

Williams, Pete. “AG Barr’s Justice Department Has Whole Lotta Love for Led Zeppelin.” NBCNews.com, NBCUniversal News Group, 17 Aug. 2019, http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/ag-barr-s-justice-department-has-whole-lotta-love-led-n1043361.