Led Zeppelin were always originators, credited with having a hand in the development of heavy metal, psychedelic rock, and the advent of sounds that could fill stadiums. Formed in 1968, with Jimmy Page on guitar, John Paul Jones on keys and bass, John Bonham on drums, and Robert Plant on vocals, the band seized on blues, psychedelic, and folk influences to create one of the heaviest outputs in rock music.
During his tenure with Zeppelin, there were two things Robert Plant never shied away from: covering blues songs without giving the original artists credit and then orgasmically howling on said songs. Nowhere is this more evident than on track ‘Dazed and Confused’, which could easily take the title of the dirtiest song in Zeppelin’s catalogue.
While many fans will point to ‘Whole Lotta Love’, given that Plant is literally singing about every inch of his love, it lacks the guttural moans heard on ‘Dazed and Confused’, and beyond that, it’s just too obvious. ‘Whole Lotta Love’ is a straightforward ode to getting an attractive woman into bed that heavy rock has done a thousand times over. When Plant sings, “Shake for me girl, I wanna be your backdoor man”, it is sexually charged, but it certainly isn’t dirty. ‘Dazed and Confused’, however, is somehow sexier for being rooted in genuine romantic angst — which we can thank its original writer, Jake Holmes, for.
A track taken from his 1967 album The Above Ground Sound, Holmes performed the folk-rock song in front of then-Yardbird Jimmy Page, who was so inspired he promptly nicked it (with a bit of reworking) and used it on Yardbirds ’68. Still attached to the track, he then used it again on the debut of his new band, the self-titled Led Zeppelin.
With Plant on vocals, we’re told the story of a fraught relationship with a woman he almost hates but cannot stand to leave, with lyrics like: “The worst little woman I once ever had, I’ve got to quit you, baby”. It’s a richer dynamic that still sees him put his woman on a pedestal like on ‘Whole Lotta Love’, not just because she’s sexy, but because she has so much power over him.
This woman takes on an almost demonic role, with Plant expressing that her soul was created “below”. She’s like a succubus with a spiritual, overtly sexual hold on him, one so strong Plant says it will send her straight to hell. He writhes and moans as he confesses he “wanted a woman, never bargained for you”.
Page’s guitar is fittingly sinister and heavy for the dark themes, driven by the equally aggressive hits of John Bonham’s drums. Every musical element adds to the feeling of frenzy and desperation, which crescendos in, you guessed it, Plant’s agonised moaning and panting. There’s no innuendo here as there might be on tracks like ‘The Lemon Song’, which features the unsubtle lyrics: “Do squeeze, squeeze me, baby, until the juice runs down my leg”. That track is sonically honest, forgoing the sleaze and skipping straight to a hyper-charged dirty rock sound. Yes, the lyrics on ‘Whole Lotta Love’ might raise some eyebrows, but ‘Dazed and Confused’, and its frank account of a sexually charged, messy relationship make it the dirtiest Zeppelin song ever recorded.
Watch Led Zeppelin perform ‘Dazed and Confused’ below.