“Ramble On” by Led Zeppelin 

As interpreted, the phrase “ramble on”, in context, points to the idea of the vocalist being on some sort of perpetual journey. Being that Led Zeppelin were in fact professional musicians, it is understood that said journey alludes to their lifestyle as itinerant entertainers. 

But there is also a romantic element to this song, i.e. the vocalist implying that the reason he’s “going ‘round the world” is because he “gotta find (his) girl”. It is also implied later on that said girl is someone he already has had a relationship with, “but Gollum” came and seduced her away or something. And Gollum is the name of a character from the popular Lord of the Rings series. So with that in mind, the third verse of this song in particular was influenced by said fictional work.

When did Led Zeppelin release “Ramble On”?

Led Zeppelin recorded “Ramble On” for their studio project “Led Zeppelin II”, which is a follow-up to their self-named debut album.

“Ramble On”, which was not released as a single, is track No. 7 on the tracklisting of “Led Zeppelin II”. The track dropped on the same date as its album, and the date in question is October 22 of 1969.

Awards and Accolades

This appeared on Rolling Stone’s compilation of “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” in 2010. The magazine also included the song (ranking it at number 5) on their 2019 compilation of the “40 Greatest Led Zeppelin Songs”.

Credits for “Ramble On”

“Ramble On” was co-written and solely produced by Jimmy Page, the group’s lead guitarist. He received writing assistance from his bandmate Robert Plant.

Covers

Since its release, multiple acts have performed various covers of the track. Notable among these covers includes a version created by San Francisco rock ensemble, Train. This version appeared on their 2016 cover album, “Train Does Led Zeppelin II”. Below are other well-known covers of “Ramble On”:

• Iron Horse (in 2005)
• Foo Fighters alongside Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones (in 2008)
• Anastacia (in 2012)

Movie(s) Appearance

This is one of several Led Zeppelin tracks to have featured in an on-screen project. The song appeared in the 2019 film entitled “The Friend”. And to note, another song by the group, “Going To California,” was also used in the said film.

“Led Zeppelin II”

On October 22 of 1969, Led Zeppelin, via Atlantic Records, released “Led Zeppelin II”. This project was promoted by the hit single “Whole Lotta Love“. The track, which was released during late 1969, went on to become one of the group’s most-popular songs.

Another track from the album, “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)”, was also issued as a single. This single was released in Japan.

Commercially, this project has been the group’s most-successful work. “Led Zeppelin II” achieved chart success in many nations. In the US, it topped the Billboard 200. It also peaked at the same position on the UK’s official albums chart. Also to note, this is the first project by the band to claim the top spot on official album charts in the said regions.

In addition, “Led Zeppelin II” was number 1 on the main album charts in the following nations:

• The Netherlands
• Denmark
• Spain
• Canada
• Australia
• Finland

Aside from reaching the top of the charts in the aforementioned regions, the album also peaked inside the top three in Sweden, Norway, Italy, and France.

A Truly Iconic Album

“Led Zeppelin II” has been a regular fixture on several prominent magazines’ lists of greatest albums. For instance, in 1994, this project was included on the “Top 50 Most Influential Guitar Albums of All Time Ever”. This list was put together by British music magazine, Guitarist.

In 1996 it featured on a list of “The 100 Greatest Albums Ever Made”. And said compilation was done by another famous British entertainment magazine, Mojo.

In 2007 the Rock Hall compiled a list of “The Definitive 200: Top 200 Albums of All-Time”, ranking this album at number 47.

American magazine Rolling Stone also included this record, in 2020, on their compilation of “The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.

Certification-wise, “Led Zeppelin II” has achieved multi-Platinum status in a number of countries. For instance, in the United States, this record was certified 12-times Platinum during November of 1999.  This was in reflection of the album recording over 12 million copies in sales. It has been certified 9-times Platinum in Canada.

The album went 4-times Platinum in the United Kingdom. It also enjoyed a similar feat in Australia.

And for the record, the cover art for this project was on the nomination list of 1970’s “Grammy Award for Best Recording Package”.