Robert Plant Said His Vocals Were ‘Horrific’ on a Classic Led Zeppelin Song: ‘Should Have Shut the F*** Up’
Robert Plant has been a successful musician from the early days of Led Zeppelin to his work today, but even he sometimes feels insecure. When reflecting on the singing he did on early Led Zeppelin songs, Plant winced. He said his voice sounded so bad that he would have been better off just keeping his mouth shut. He revealed one song he found particularly painful to hear.
Robert Plant joined Led Zeppelin after he impressed Jimmy Page
When guitarist Jimmy Page set out to form Led Zeppelin, he initially wanted Terry Reid as the lead singer. Reid turned him down and pointed him to another singer, Plant.
Plant was performing at a small venue for an even smaller crowd. While he might not have seemed promising at first, his vocals amazed Page.
“I went up to see Robert sing with Obs-Tweedle at a college to an audience of about 12,” he said, per Legends of Music Spotlight: Led Zeppelin. “His voice was exceptional. I couldn’t understand why he wasn’t a big name already.”
Soon after, Page invited Plant to join Led Zeppelin, and he accepted.
Robert Plant said he sounded terrible on some Led Zeppelin songs
While Plant blew Page away with his voice, he didn’t judge himself as kindly. He described his voice during his first studio session as a teenager as “kind of cute,” but he did not like the way he sang on early Led Zeppelin songs.
“I realized that tough, manly approach to singing I’d begun on ‘You Better Run’ wasn’t really what it was all about at all,” he told The Guardian.
He pointed to a song on Led Zeppelin’s first album, “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You.” On it, Plant shows his voice’s dexterity as he wails and whines his way through it.
“Songs like [Led Zeppelin I’s] ‘Babe I’m Going To Leave You’…” he said, trailing off and wincing. “I find my vocals on there horrific now. I really should have shut the f*** up!”
His voice has always been impressive
Plant has enjoyed such a long and fruitful career as a singer because of the power of his voice. While he might not like the way he sang on “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You,” he showed the acrobatics his voice was capable of that would characterize songs like “Immigrant Song” and “Rock and Roll.” In these songs, he shrieks, wails, and croons his way through the lyrics.
At the same time, though, Plant is capable of surprising softness with his singing. On “Going to California” and “Tangerine,” for example, his voice is far more smooth and serene. When listening to songs like these, his later work, which delves into folk, Americana, and country, makes perfect sense.
He is a talented enough singer that he can fit his voice comfortably in these different genres. Despite what he may think of his early singing, he has always been an impressive vocalist.
