DJ Allyn – The Soundtrack for my Life

The Battle of Evermore ~ Led Zeppelin  

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in 1968 by Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass guitar, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). With their heavy, guitar-driven sound, Led Zeppelin are regarded as one of the first heavy metal bands. However, the band’s individualistic style draws from many sources and transcends any one genre. Their rock-infused interpretation of the blues and folk genres also incorporated rockabilly, reggae, soul, funk, classical, Celtic, Indian, Arabic, pop, Latin and country. The band did not release the popular songs from their albums as singles in the UK, as they preferred to develop the concept of album-oriented rock.

Close to 30 years after disbanding following Bonham’s death in 1980, the band continue to be held in high regard for their artistic achievements, commercial success and broad influence. The band have sold more than 300 million albums worldwide, including 111.5 million sales in the United States and they have had all of their original studio albums reach the U.S. Billboard Top 10, with six reaching the number one spot. Led Zeppelin are ranked No. 1 on VH1’s 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock. Rolling Stone magazine has described Led Zeppelin as “the heaviest band of all time” and “the biggest band of the 70s”.

The Battle of Evermore

“The Battle of Evermore” is an acoustic guitar and mandolin song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their fourth album, Led Zeppelin IV, released in 1971. The tune for this was written by guitarist Jimmy Page at Headley Grange while he was experimenting on the mandolin owned by bassist John Paul Jones. As Page explained in 1977:

“‘Battle of Evermore’ was made up on the spot by Robert (Plant) and myself. I just picked up John Paul Jones’s mandolin, never having played a mandolin before, and just wrote up the chords and the whole thing in one sitting.

Vocalist Robert Plant had recently been reading about Scottish folklore and this inspired him to compose the lyrics to this song. Plant felt he needed another voice to tell the story, and for the recording of this song folk singer Sandy Denny was invited to duet with Plant. Denny was a former member of British folk group Fairport Convention, with whom Led Zeppelin had shared a bill in 1970 at the Bath Festival of Blues and Progressive Music. Plant played the role of the narrator and Denny represented the town crier. Page elaborated:

“It sounded like an old English instrumental first off. Then it became a vocal and Robert did his bit. Finally we figured we’d bring Sandy by and do a question-and-answer-type thing.”

To thank her for her involvement, Denny was given the symbol on the album sleeve of three pyramids (the four members of Led Zeppelin each designed their own symbols for the album). This is the only song Led Zeppelin ever recorded with a guest vocalist.

“The Battle of Evermore” was played live at Led Zeppelin concerts during the band’s 1977 concert tour of the United States. For these live performances, Jones sang Denny’s vocals with Plant and played acoustic guitar whilst Page played mandolin. Sometimes drummer John Bonham sang Denny’s vocals instead of Jones.

I was going to post some rare footage of the 1977 Seattle concert at the King Dome, where Bonham is singing the part of Sandy Denny, but frankly I considered that particular concert the worst Zeppelin concert I ever went to.  (I’ve seen them over fifty times and even had the privilege of interviewing them twice at the Edgewater Hotel in Seattle for my radio show back then.

The following is the a “video” I put together.  It is directly off the Zeppelin IV album.

If you want to see the Seattle concert version, I posted it at the bottom of this page.

Queen of Light took her bow, And then she turned to go,
The Prince of Peace embraced the gloom, And walked the night alone.

Oh, dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.
The dark Lord rides in force tonight, And time will tell us all.

Oh, throw down your plow and hoe, Rest not to lock your homes.

Side by side we wait the might of the darkest of them all.

I hear the horses’ thunder down in the valley below,
I’m waiting for the angels of Avalon, waiting for the eastern glow.

The apples of the valley hold, The seeds of happiness,
The ground is rich from tender care, Repay, do not forget, no, no.
Dance in the dark of night, sing to the morning light.

The apples turn to brown and black, The tyrant’s face is red.

Oh war is the common cry, Pick up your swords and fly.
The sky is filled with good and bad that mortals never know.

Oh, well, the night is long, the beads of time pass slow,
Tired eyes on the sunrise, waiting for the eastern glow.

The pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath,
The drums will shake the castle wall, the ringwraiths ride in black, Ride on.

Sing as you raise your bow, shoot straighter than before.
No comfort has the fire at night that lights the face so cold.

Oh dance in the dark of night, Sing to the morning light.
The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back. Bring it back.

At last the sun is shining, The clouds of blue roll by,
With flames from the dragon of darkness, the sunlight blinds his eyes.

Ooh, Bring it back, Bring it back…

Okay, here is that terrible Seattle concert version (don’t say I didn’t warn you):

Other Songs Posted for this Artist

• December 9, 2009 -- No Quarter – Led Zeppelin
• October 22, 2009 -- You Shook Me – Led Zeppelin
• September 24, 2009 -- Stairway to Heaven ~ Led Zeppelin
• October 14, 2008 -- In My Time Of Dying ~ Led Zeppelin
• April 8, 2008 -- Going to California ~ Led Zeppelin