Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant Said John Paul Jones Never Knew the Band’s Songs By Name

Led Zeppelin members Robert Plant and John Paul Jones spent more than a decade creating some of the best classic rock music. The band’s list of songs includes some of the most timeless tunes ever written. Just don’t ask Jones to name them by title or sing the lyrics. Plant said the bassist never listened to them.

Robert Plant said John Paul Jones never listened to Led Zeppelin’s lyrics or knew the songs by name

Jones and Led Zeppelin founder Jimmy Page shared a common background. They were both highly skilled and sought-after session musicians before teaming up in the band. 

Though Page was an underrated composer of intricate pieces, Jones was the jack of all trades. As a trained multi-instrumentalist, he composed songs, arranged them, and played bass, keyboards, mandolin, and more. 

Jones was so in tune with the music that he never knew the song titles or what Plant sang about. The singer revealed his longtime bandmate never listened to the words he sang (via Louder):

“It was always difficult to collaborate with Jonesy because he never listened to the lyrics. I used to talk about a song, and he would say, ‘Now, which song would that be?’ And I’d go, ‘You know, the one on Presence.’ And he’d say, ‘I’m sorry, I’m not familiar with the titles. What key was it in?’ I’d sigh and say, ‘I haven’t a clue, Jonesy.’”

Robert Plant

Ask Jones to recall the song in which Plant sang, “All that glitters is gold,” and he’d likely have trouble pulling it. As Plant said, you’d have to put it in musical terms. Tell him it was the song he played five instruments on (including three recorders), and his musically encyclopedic brain would tell you it was “Stairway to Heaven.”

Jones appeared to be somewhat of an outsider in his own band. Plant’s singing, Page’s guitar playing, and John Bonham’s drumming were impossible to ignore. Jones’ contributions to Led Zeppelin’s songs were always clearly visible at the surface level. 

His place in the band was deep inside the music. His bass lines complemented Bonham’s beats and added melodic structure behind Page’s guitar riffs. The way Plant told it, Jones was so enveloped by Led Zeppelin’s music that he had little time to learn the lyrics or song titles.

Jones and Plant worked closely together on Led Zeppelin’s last album

Plant mentioned Led Zeppelin’s 1976 album Presence in his interview. Unlike previous records, Jones had very little input when writing the songs. He rebounded in a major way on the next project, with some help from Plant.

Led Zeppelin had basically broken into two distinct camps by 1979 — the relatively sober Jones and Plant and the hard-partying Bonham and Page. The singer and bassist wrote most of the songs on In Through the Out Door. 

Jones, at that time a new owner of a cutting-edge synthesizer, felt inspired to write several tunes. His playing carries several songs, including “Carouselambra,” “I’m Gonna Crawl,” and “All of My Love.”

Jones might have now known most Led Zeppelin songs by name, but we’re guessing he had a soft spot for his In Through the Out Door compositions. 

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