Never has there been a song sung with so much passion, so much emotion. Never has there been a song that has brought me to tears simply by listening to the guitar work alone (true story). “Since I’ve Been Loving You” is the ultimate example of the “Zeppelin-Blues”, a short-lived genre in-and-of itself that has inspired musicians for almost 50 years. Even frontman, Robert Plant, who has become known for refraining from positive compliments of his former bandmates has commented on the passion behind this song:
“The musical progression at the end of each verse - the chord choice - is not a natural place to go. And it's that lift up there that's so regal and so emotional. I don't know whether that was born from the loins of JP (Jimmy Page) or JPJ (John Paul Jones), but I know that when we reached that point in the song you could get a lump in the throat from being in the middle of it." - Robert Plant
Perhaps the raw emotion here can be drawn from the recording itself: it was recorded live in the studio with very little overdubs and the guitar solo was done in one, improvised take. The rawness of the song can further be found in more subtle places. If you listen closely, you can hear a constant squeak coming from John Bonham’s bass pedal - this is something that would normally be removed from the track, but it remains part of the legend. Jimmy Page has stated this song was one of the most difficult to record, most likely due to their vision of recording it live with the whole band, rather than sitting each musician down one at a time.
Regardless, it’s clear that “Since I’ve Been Loving You” was meant to be a showcase of each member of the band’s talents. John Bonham’s strength on the drum throne carries the listener from a relaxing hammock swing to a fiery explosion as the song crosses 7 minutes in length. John Paul Jones shows off his versatility by producing a cathedral-esque wall of sound via a combination of organ and bass foot pedals.
Jimmy Page is literally speaking through his electric guitar, never playing the same exact riff twice, but bringing you back time and time again to the core structure of the song. Guitar virtuoso, Joe Satriani, praised Page’s guitar work in an interview for a biography in 2006:
"'Since I've Been Loving You' was a perfect example of taking a blues structure but striking out on your own. They were breaking ground, not copying. I love that Page would always just go for it. Some other guitarist might have better technique, but what Page did would always trump it because the spirit was so overwhelming. Whatever he did would turn into a technique."
But every popular song starts and ends with the frontman. Robert Plant is, in my opinion, at his indisputable best during this song. As I’ve said before, lyrics might have been one of the weaker areas of Led Zeppelin. I don’t have any issue with the lyrics here, but if you’ve heard the lyrics to one blues song you have basically heard them all.
It’s Robert Plant’s vocal range that is on full display and boy, does he take us on a ride! At one point around the 6 minute and 40 second mark, it’s clear that Plant is aware of how much he’s put into this vocal track. After declaring, “Just one more, juuuuuust one more!”, he lets out one last wail as if he’s asking God for the strength to reach those deity-like levels of greatness “once more” before climbing down the rope ladder as Private Desmond Doss of the film “Hacksaw Ridge” did during World War II.
I’ve written in many of my articles that ranking the top songs of any artist is truly impossible. There is no “best” or “better” because we all have our own tastes and experiences that make up our preference. I’ve also made it clear that this list represents how I felt at the time of writing it and that much of the order in which these songs landed can change depending on when you ask me. Not the case with “Since I’ve Been Loving You”.
Whether it’s the perfectly imperfect studio recording on Led Zeppelin III or the psychedelic live version performed at Madison Square Garden for the “The Song Remains The Same” concert movie, “Since I’ve Been Loving You” shows off my favorite band at their absolute best and is my rock solid G.O.A.T. Led Zeppelin song.
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