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.

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 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; on October 25, 1968, 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.

Led Zeppelin are also Dean Winchester's favorite band. Within the show Dean has cited his favorite songs as "Ramble On" and "Traveling 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. Dean got his love of the band from his parents. We learn in 12.01 Keep Calm and Carry On that Mary first gave her phone number to John because he "knew the words to every Zeppelin song".

A promotional for the final episodes of Supernatural paid a small homage to Led Zeppelin by using the tag line "Good Times. Bad Times. End Times." "Good Times Bad Times" was the opening track to Led Zeppelin's self-titled debut album.

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: 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: Dude! Dude! – Dean and Nick Munroe, 4.14 Sex and Violence

Dean: March 23, 1972 you walked out of a movie theater, Slaughterhouse-Five, you loved it. And you bumped into a big marine and knocked him on his ass. You were embarrassed and he laughed it off, said you could make it up to him with a cup of coffee. So you went to, uh, Maroni's, and you talked and he was cute, and he knew the words to every Zeppelin song, so when he asked you for your number you gave it to him even though you knew your dad would be pissed. That was the night that you met- Mary: John Winchester. – Dean and Mary, 12.01 Keep Calm and Carry On

Aliases

Dean and Sam have also been known to use the band member's names as aliases, examples include:

1.11 Scarecrow

• Dean introduces himself as John Bonham, Led Zeppelin's late drummer.

3.05 Bedtime Stories

• Dean's fake ID identifies him as Robert Plant, Led Zeppelin's lead singer. Sam's ID says Jimmy Page, Zeppelin's guitarist.

3.10 Dream a Little Dream of Me

• Dean's police ID identifies him as Detective Robert Plant.

5.05 Fallen Idols

• 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.

6.04 Weekend at Bobby's

• 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.

7.15 Repo Man

• A detective recognizes Sam and Dean as FBI Agents Bonham and Watts, from when they worked the same case four years earlier.

8.16 Remember the Titans

• Dean and Sam pose as FBI Agents Bonham and Jones, respectively.

10.20 Angel Heart

• Dean and Castiel pose as FBI Agents Clapton and Page; Eric Clapton and Jimmy Page having both been members of The Yardbirds.

13.05 Advanced Thanatology

• Sam and Dean use the aliases Agents Page and Plant, with Sam allowing Dean to be Agent Page even though he prefers it.

15.04 Atomic Monsters

• Sam uses the alias Agent Plant.

Episode Titles

Quite a few episode titles from Supernatural have either come from Led Zeppelin song or album titles, examples include:

• 2.01 In My Time of Dying

"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.

• 2.13 Houses of the Holy

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.

• 2.20 What Is and What Should Never Be

"What Is and What Should Never Be" is a song from 1969's Led Zeppelin II.

• 4.21 When the Levee Breaks

"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.

• 5.13 The Song Remains the Same

"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.

• 5.19 Hammer of the Gods

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"

• 5.22 Swan Song

Swan Song is the name of the record label founded by Led Zeppelin.

External links

• Official site
• Led Zeppelin at Wikipedia
• Inside TV interview with Eric Kripke