Led Zeppelin rose after the disbandment of the Yardbirds in 1968 and marked a resounding emergence onto the music scene. With greats like Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham within the band.
And we all know how well their combination created a strong musical synergy. By the end of the 1960s, Led Zeppelin released two big albums. Fans soon placed Led Zeppelin in the same league as respected bands like The Who and The Rolling Stones.
They made iconic songs like ‘Dazed and Confused,’ ‘Whole Lotta Love,’ and ‘Ramble On,’ just starting points for them. These compositions were just the beginning of a journey that promised to create an unforgettable legacy.
In 1979, they released ‘Carouselambra’ as part of ‘In Through the Out Door,’ their last album before they broke up in 1980 due to Bonham’s death. Surprisingly, the album did really well, and some of its songs showed the band’s most creative work, even though the band was near it’s end.
The song ‘Carouselambra’ is over ten minutes long, and Robert Plant wrote the lyrics. These words captured the band’s dynamics at that time, which had some issues among the members.
Jimmy Page and John Bonham enjoyed their status as rock stars, while Robert Plant and John Paul Jones focused more on making the album and being punctual.
This led to less collaboration among the band members. Jimmy Page and John Bonham started working more independently, adding their parts late at night during the recording sessions.
Sadly, the lyrics got a bit buried in the mix, overshadowed by Page’s amazing guitar performance. It was clear that the lyrics was hard to hear and understand.
Robert Plant later regretted this decision because the song ‘Carouselambra’ held the story of Led Zeppelin’s later years, capturing their environment and experiences.
He talked about this in an interview with Mojo in 2003, saying, “I thought parts of ‘Carouselambra’ were good, especially the darker parts that Jimmy Page developed. And I regret it so much now because the lyrics in ‘Carouselambra’ were actually about that time. The whole story of Led Zeppelin in its later years is in that song… and I can’t hear the words anymore!”
Still, ‘Carouselambra’ showed Led Zeppelin’s willingness to experiment with progressive rock elements, synthesizers, and complex arrangements, even towards the end of their time together. Robert Plant still feels proud of their entire collection of songs. He looks back happily on their many achievements, especially their most popular hits.
Among their lesser-known songs, ‘Carouselambra’ deals with themes of feeling disillusioned, looking inside oneself. The song plays around and tries to find meaning in a world that’s changing. The mysterious lyrics invite listeners to think about what the song is trying to say in their own way.
