Led Zeppelin, a British rock band founded in 1968, is one of the few rock bands whose songs are popular even among non-fans. The band's permanent line-up consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, who was known for his distinctive style and experimental sound effects he could achieve; vocalist and lyricist Robert Plant, known for his emotive and powerful singing and (at times) poetic lyrics; keyboardist and bassist John Paul Jones, a versatile magician of musical arrangements; and drummer John Bonham, whose style was especially dynamic and lively. Most people would agree that Led Zeppelin is one of the most influential rock bands in history.
Over the course of their ten-year musical career, the band put out eight studio albums, all of which showcased the evolution of their musical skill and inventive instrumentation. Plant wrote the majority of the lyrics, taking inspiration from old mythology. Zeppelin's hits "Immigrant song" (from the album Led Zeppelin III), "No Quarter" (Houses of the Holy), and "Achilles Last Stand" (Presence) all started off like this. The first two are based on Scandinavian mythology, while Homer's The Iliad served as the inspiration for the third, as the title suggests. This is the one we will be discussing in this article.
First, some context for the album itself. Presence (recorded in Munich, 1975, released in 1976) marked Zeppelin's comeback to its "native" blues and hard rock after Physical Graffiti, the apex of their genre experimentalism (from progressive and art rock to certain blues and funk rock subgenres, the band sought adventure and, of course, found it). Thus, Presence was the band’s unique response to all the criticism they received due to "deviating" from their main track on the previous album. In other words, the title "Presence" referred to the fact that they were still present in hard and blues rock.
The first song of the album Presence is "Achilles Last Stand". In addition to having a reference to Homer's The Iliad, this title had a second meaning which was related to the band’s lead singer Robert Plant. Plant had broken his foot in a car accident on the Greek island of Rhodes and had to use a wheelchair for some time, so he sat and sang for almost the entire recording. Thus, as a joke, the song was originally named "The Wheelchair Song". Despite having only partially recovered from the injury, Plant resumed his previous active life, only to break his foot again while singing and jumping in the studio, which made him worry that this really was his "last stand". This was how the song's final title came to be.
The lyrics of the song itself are also connected to Plant’s life and misfortunes. Plant loved to travel, and on one of his regular trips, he was enthralled with the Atlas mountains and the varied culture, music, and scenery of Morocco — all of which he detailed at length in his podcast. This explains the meaning of the song's lyrics, which refer to the Titan Atlas holding up the sky in his hands ("Oh, the mighty hands of Atlas, Hold the Heavens from the Earth"), as well as the Eastern influences on the genre.
It is not difficult to notice the parallels between the foot injury and "Achilles’ heel". Plant's life was vivacious, so losing his daily joy due to a broken foot was a "death blow" for him.
Now let’s analyse this song’s lyrics and try to grasp the meaning of the following lines:
․․․And as I turned to you, you smiled at me
How could we say no?․․․
In this case, "you" is most likely Odysseus, who came to persuade Achilles to rejoin the Trojan War. Take a look at the following line:
․․․With all the fun to have․․․
This line implies two things at once. Achilles found as much fun in war and fighting as Plant found in every second spent with Led Zeppelin.
․․․To live the dreams we always had․․․
Achilles' dream was to live short and die like a hero on the battlefield. It's fascinating that in this instance, "to live the dreams" translates to "to die on the battlefield", giving this sentence a contradictory feel.
…Oh, the songs to sing
When we at last return again…
Here, Plant is referring to making a long-awaited comeback to the music scene.
…Oh, to sail away
To sandy lands and other days…
This passage directly references a scene in Homer's The Iliad where Greek ships arrive at Troy's barren shores. There are references to mythology in the lines that follow:
․․․Into the sun, the south, the north
At last, the birds have flown․․․
These birds are eagles that hover above the heads of the warriors during the battle, which were sent by the supreme Greek god Zeus. It is interesting that Jimmy Page's solo reminds of this very phenomenon: the piercing high notes of the electric guitar are the sounds of eagles. The following lines are a mixture of real life and The Iliad:
…Oh, to laugh aloud
Dancing as we fought the crowd, yeah…
For Achilles, fighting in war was like a dance, which he enjoyed. Led Zeppelin also had fun when he "danced a fight" with the crowd, the fans who came to the concert. Of course, by "fight" Plant means playing, and "dance" in their case has an almost literal meaning. Plot lines and allegory contain the following lines:
…If one bell should ring
In celebration for a king…
Some sources claim that the ringing of bells signified the victory over Troy. However, the sound of the bells also represents death — in this instance, the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives on the battlefield in order for the king to win. Achilles was among them.
…As proud the head, with heavy feet, yeah…
The parallel between "heavy feet" and "Achilles heel" is easily observed. It is likely that Achilles has already been hurt by Paris's arrow at this point in the song's story. Achilles senses his impending demise.
…Days went by when you and I
Bathed in eternal summer’s glow…
Before his eyes, his entire life flashes by.
…As far away and distant
Our mutual child did grow
Oh, the sweet refrain
Soothes the soul and calms the pain…
He also recalls the child he and Deidamia had. But death is near, and with it come comfort and tranquilly.
…Oh, Albion remains
Sleeping now to rise again…
"Albion" has been translated as "white island". Achilles was buried on this island. "Albion" is also the old name of the island of Great Britain. Additionally:
…Wandering and wandering
What place to rest the search…
"Stop chasing the dream" is what the expression "Rest the search" implies. This is, of course, the field of Troy, the scene of Achilles' death.
Author: Samvel Aghavelyan
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