Every artist, no matter how revered or exceptionally talented, has songs in their career that they look back upon with immense regret. This is part of the human condition, which is inescapable, and it is especially prevalent in musicians who strive for perfection at every possible opportunity, such as Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page.
Although he was the chief songwriter and produced the bulk of their material, in addition to being their lead guitarist, Page wasn’t allowed to turn the band into a dictatorship. Therefore, he didn’t always get his way and had to compromise on many occasions following consultation with Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham.
Led Zeppelin II is rightfully considered a classic rock staple. It helped change the musical landscape forever and was pivotal in the band’s ascendency to worldwide dominance. However, it does contain one track that Page holds a hatred towards.
Ultimately, the best bands are working democracies, and the difference in creative visions between members can often be crucial to gaining success. That being said, Page’s tastes occasionally stood in stark contrast to those of vocalist Plant, whose lyrics often utilised poetic language and romantic imagery perhaps more traditionally associated with Victorian poet Alfred Lord Tennyson than with a stadium rock band.
On the other hand, Plant also went too far the other way, writing lyrics that smacked of 1960s machismo to a near-intolerable degree, such as on ‘Livin’ Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)’. Nevertheless, as anybody who has played in a band will tell you, music-making is all about compromise, and with this song, Page had to swallow his pride. However, with the benefit of hindsight, the guitarist was proven right to trust his initial instincts.
The track is featured on Led Zeppelin’s incredibly rich sophomore album, nestled among a near-perfect sequence of songs. As the velvet swathes of ‘Heartbreaker’ reach their abrupt conclusion, Zeppelin land on an offbeat, which propels them into ‘Livin’ Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)’. The two-song segment is revered to such a degree that, for a time, radio DJs made a point of playing the songs together without interruption.
While Plant has performed ‘Livin’ Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)’ numerous times as a solo artist, Page refused to perform it upon the band’s career concluding. Musically speaking, there’s nothing particularly outlandish nor obviously dismal about the song compared with others in the band’s impressive oeuvre.
Indeed, Page’s guitar work is as phenomenal as he routinely showcased, showing him at his string-crunching best. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said of the lyrical content. Even for the late ’60s, it feels slightly dated and is dripping with so many sexual innuendos that it is practically swimming in misogyny. In the second verse, Plant sings: “Alimony, alimony paying your bills/ Living, loving, she’s just a woman/ When your conscience hits, you knock it back with pills/ Living, loving, she’s just a woman”.
These lyrics could be interpreted in a number of different ways, but it’s hard to deny the cruelty at the heart of ‘Livin’ Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)’. Although Page has never really opened up about his distaste for the song, that might have something to do with the fact that it was written about a female groupie who stalked the band early in their career.
Certainly, the track is a cruel portrait of somebody the band knew well enough to include details of her personal life in the lyrics. Therefore, it’s likely that Page felt uneasy with the song’s unashamed ridicule of this woman, which left a black mark on an otherwise faultless album.
Ultimately, actions speak louder than words in many scenarios. Page’s decision to ignore the existence of ‘Livin’ Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)’ for over 50 years says everything about his thoughts on the track. It’s unlikely to be a coincidence that Led Zeppelin never performed the song, but as soon as Plant broke free from the group, it entered his setlist.