Robert Plant Said The Talking Heads Inspired a ‘Funny’ Song That Fans Hated: ‘Get That S*** Off the Air’
After Led Zeppelin broke up, Robert Plant said he became increasingly interested in The Talking Heads’ music. He took inspiration from the band as he navigated the breakup and admitted he wanted to become their opening act. Plant even released a song inspired by David Byrne. Unfortunately, his fans found the direction of his music confusing and did not respond kindly to the song.
He said he felt lost after Led Zeppelin broke up
Led Zeppelin broke up in 1980 after the death of drummer John Bonham. Plant said he felt lost in the aftermath of the split.
“After John passed away and there was no Led Zeppelin, there had to be a way to go,” he told Vulture in 2023. “I floundered around a lot because until I was 32, I was in some kind of wild and absurd adventure. I went through all that stuff.”
He said that friends like Phil Collins helped him navigate this challenging period.
“I’ll write with other people,” he said. “It’s a very intimate thing to do. It’s hard for anybody to expose themselves musically. Other people with me, and me with other people. I have a lot of songs under my belt, which I co-wrote with the members of Zeppelin. It was a lot to live up to. I had a lot of people who gave me support and strength around that time, so I suppose the first two albums were driven by great friends.”
Robert Plant said he became too invested in opening for The Talking Heads
In 1985, Plant released his third studio album, Shaken’ n’ Stirred. He admitted that at this point in his career, his primary goal was to open for the Talking Heads.
“By Shaken’ n’ Stirred, I was so determined to become the opening act for Talking Heads,” he said. “So I started writing more and more oblique pieces of music — embracing what had become new studio techniques and stuff. I probably lost my way, but then there are so many LPs in my being, so you have to live with it and live by it.”
He said that the song “Too Loud” took particular inspiration from Byrne.
“I did a track on Shaken’ n’ Stirred called ‘Too Loud,’ and I got some of Bette Midler’s girls to help me with some choruses and stuff,” Plant said on Digging Deep: The Robert Plant Podcast (via Ultimate Classic Rock). “I basically was seriously affected by David Byrne. It’s very funny, it’s a funny song, it’s supposed to be funny.”
The song premiered on Chicago’s influential radio station, WXRT, and fans quickly made their discontent known.
“Calls [to radio stations] were very important, that’s a very important aspect of floating a new collection of songs,” Plant explained. “Sadly though, the calls that came into WXRT in Chicago were, ‘Get that s*** off the [air], who is that, what the hell is that? Who is he trying to be?'”
The Talking Heads-inspired song showed Robert Plant’s dexterity as a musician
Fans hated the song, and Plant himself said that it may have been better suited for a different artist. Still, it’s proof of Plant’s wide-ranging skill set as a solo artist. He was willing to try something experimental after years as the singer of Led Zeppelin. He showed that he was flexible with his musical identity, even if it wasn’t a success with his fans.
Plant’s willingness to try new musical styles hinted at his career trajectory, too. He carved an identity for himself as a rock singer and has shifted into bluegrass and Americana as his career has progressed.
