Led Zeppelin and LOTR

Last week I came across some old Led Zeppelin CDs and felt in the mood to listen to Robert Plant and Jimmy Page. As "Ramble On" kept on rambling, I suddenly heard Plant sing about "the darkest depth of Mordor" and "Gollum and the evil one". Wait. I had to rewind and listen to the song again. Indeed, he mentions "Mordor" and "Gollum". What am I listening to, Led Zeppelin? Right.

A quick Web search pointed me to the Zeppelin and Tolkien Relations Page from 1998. Apparently, several Led Zeppelin lyrics were inspired by J. R. R. Tolkien. I'm sure many Zeppelin and Tolkien fans have known about this connection for a long time, but it was a surprise to me. With regard to the recent success of the LOTR movies, it makes Led Zeppelin even cooler than they already are.

# permalink posted on Mar 29 2003

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This is the personal web site of Oliver Schmelzle. Here I write about a variety of technology related topics. I currently live in Austin, Texas.

The views expressed on this web site are my own and don't necessarily reflect those of my employer.