Led Zeppelin
CUE MUSIC And you can take your anemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass. Dean plays bass thumping, pile driving Zeppelin, and he plays it loud.
– Eric Kripke, From an early draft of the Pilot.
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, who first formed together in London, England in 1968 as the New Yardbirds. The line-up consisted of Jimmy Page (guitar), Robert Plant (vocals), John Paul Jones (bass, keyboards) and John Bonham (drums). The New Yardbirds would last from September 1968 to October 1968, where on October 25th they played their first show under the moniker Led Zeppelin at the University of Surrey in Battersea.
Series creator Eric Kripke has cited Led Zeppelin as his favorite band. In an interview with Inside TV, Kripke reveals that he first heard Led Zeppelin’s music at age eight or nine, when his older brother Matt was playing his Physical Graffiti LP. "From that point onward, I was always a huge fan." While the show's soundtrack was heavily influenced by Kripke's private record collection, he was never able to get the rights to play Zeppelin on the show, pointing out the expensive licensing costs.
Dean: Alright, if you're goin' to be talking now, this is a very important phrase, so I want you to repeat it back to me one more time.
Lucas: Zeppelin rules!
Dean: That's right, up high.
– Dean and Lucas Barr, 1.03 Dead in the Water
Led Zeppelin are also Dean Winchester's favorite band. Within the show Dean has cited his favorite songs as "Ramble On" and "Travelling Riverside Blues" in episode 4.18 The Monster at the End of This Book, and in 8.14 Trial and Error a vinyl copy of Led Zeppelin's debut album can be seen in Dean's bedroom in the Men of Letters Bunker.
Aliases
Dean and Sam have also been known to use the band member's names as aliases, examples include:
- Dean introduces himself as John Bonham, Led Zeppelin's late drummer.
- Dean's fake ID identifies him as Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer. Sam's ID says Jimmy Page, Zeppelin's guitarist.
- Dean introduces them as John Bonham (drummer from Led Zeppelin) and Stewart Copeland (drummer from The Police).
5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future
- Dean introduces them as Agents Page and Plant, a reference to Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant. Sam also uses Robert as his first name.
- When Dean calls Bobby, the caller ID is for "John P. Jones," a reference to Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.
6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much
- The fake ID's Robin finds in Sam's hotel room are for Jimmy Page, Neil Peart, and Angus Young. Page is the guitarist for Led Zeppelin, Peart is the drummer for Rush, and Young is the lead guitarist for AC/DC. All three aliases have been used in previous episodes.
- A detective recognizes Sam and Dean as FBI Agents Bonham and Watts, from when they worked the same case four years earlier.
- Dean and Sam pose as FBI Agents Bonham and Jones, respectively.
Episode Titles
Dean: "Nobody's Fault But Mine."
Nick: Oh, oh, let me guess. Zeppelin recorded it in '75. It was a cover of a Blind Willie Johnson tune.
Dean: Dude! Dude!
Dean: Nice.
Nick: "You Shook Me."
Dean: '69, debut album, written by Willie Dixon.
Nick: And?
Dean: And what?
Nick: Written by Willie Dixon and J.B. Lenoir.
– Dean and Nick Munroe, 4.14 Sex and Violence
Quite a few episode titles from Supernatural have either come from Led Zeppelin song or album titles, examples include:
- "In My Time of Dying" is a song from Led Zeppelin's, 1975 album Physical Graffiti. The song is a cover of "Jesus Make Up My Dying Bed" recorded by Blind Willie Johnson in the late 1920s.
- Houses of the Holy is the title of a Led Zeppelin album released in 1973; it is also used as the title of a song from 1975's Physical Graffiti.
- "What Is and What Should Never Be" is a song from 1969's Led Zeppelin II.
- "When the Levee Breaks" is a 1929 blues song, written by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie. The song was covered by Led Zeppelin in 1971 for Led Zeppelin IV.
- "The Song Remains the Same" is the opening track for 1973's Houses of the Holy. The song title is also used for the the 1976 concert film and live album.
- The title "Hammer of the Gods" is derived from the line in "Immigrant Song" from Led Zeppelin III.
"The hammer of the gods will drive our ships to new lands. To fight the horde and sing and cry: Valhalla, I am coming!"
– Led Zeppelin, "Immigrant Song"
- Swan Song is the name of the record label founded by Led Zeppelin.
