Official Led Zeppelin Top 40 Countdown Thread!! (Top 2 revealed!!)

[HOF]

Babe I’m Gonna Leave You - this one is ok, but I’m a bit surprised it finished so high.

Whole Lotta Love - never really liked this song.

[Mladen]

Happy New year, everybody. 

I'm not a fan of either of these songs. 

[DTwwbwMP]

40 Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) #25

39 Hey, Hey, What Can I Do #39!

38 Nobody's Fault But Mine #11

37 Carouselambra #24

35 (t) All My Love NR

35 (t) Fool In The Rain NR

34 In The Light NR

32 (t) Dancing Days #7

32 (t) How Many More Times NR

31 Thank You #3

30 The Ocean NR

29 Communication Breakdown #28

28 Houses of the Holy #9

27 Misty Mountain Hop #32

26 Going to California #29

25 Trampled Under Foot #6

24 The Rover #26
 
23 In My Time of Dying NR

22 The Battle of Evermore #15

21 What Is and What Should Never Be #27

20 Heartbreaker #35

19 Since I've Been Loving You NR

18 Ramble On #13

17 Over the Hills #14

16 In the Evening #12

15 Ten Years Gone #19

14 The Song Remains the Same #10

13 Good Times Bad Times #38

12 Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You #20

11 Whole Lotta Love #8

[Zoom E]

I have Babe I’m  Gonna Leave You at #12 and Whole Lotta Love at #8.

[Animal]

Since I've Been Loving You - unlike so many bluesy slogs (such as In My Time of Dying), I really like this one. I had it at 7. One of the two great songs on III (along with 7 really good ones and one of the worst songs they ever recorded).

Whole Lotta Love - n. 23 for me. Not in the same league as the best LZ rockers (which, I believe, are yet to be revealed) but still a classic.

[KevShmev]

We kick off the top 10 with two majorly overplayed classics.

10 Black Dog
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Dream Team)
7 Top 10 Finishes

Even though I never listen to this song on purpose anymore, I ranked it 34th because I felt like it needed to be on my top 40.  I probably should have left it off because a quick glance shows that several songs I left off are ones I simply like more at this juncture.  A major classic for sure, just not one I ever want to hear again.  And to be honest, even in my LZ honeymoon phase, I was never that overly wild about this one.


09 Rock and Roll
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DTwwbwMP)
5 Top 10 Finishes

Like Black Dog, I ranked this one because I felt like it needed to be on there, but this one feels a bit more deserving, as I did used to like this song a lot, and I will still on very rare occasions turn it on, probably to marvel at Bonham's performance.  I ranked it 36th.

[nobloodyname]

I feel it's almost impossible to rank songs like those fairly.

[TAC]

10 Black Dog
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (Dream Team)
7 Top 10 Finishes

09 Rock and Roll
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 4 (DTwwbwMP)
5 Top 10 Finishes

I had Black Dog as Not Rated. This, along with Whole Lotta Love, were the two monster classics I left off. I feel like Kevin...I never loved this song, and if I were to make a Zep playlist, I'd leave this one off.

I had Rock And Roll at #30. I'll take this one though. It's way more easier on the ears than its predecessor.


Top 40                                                                      Not Rated
40.                                                                           Communication Breakdown
39.                                                                           Misty Mountain Hop
38. Thank You                                                           The Battle Of Evermore
37. Carouselambra                                                    Since I've Been Loving You
36.                                                                           Good Times Bad Times
35. Living Loving Maid                                                Whole Lotta Love
34. Ramble On                                                           Black Dog
33. Dancing Days
32.
31.
30. Rock And Roll
29. Going To California
28.
27. All My Love
26. Over The Hills And Far Away
25. Hey Hey What Can I Do
24.
23. What Is And What Should Never Be
22. The Ocean
21. Trampled Under Foot
20.
19.
18. How Many More Times
17. Nobody's Fault But Mine
16. Heartbreaker
15. Fool In The Rain
14.
13. Dancing Days
12. Ten Years Gone
11.
10. In The Evening
9.
8. In My Time Of Dying
7. The Rover
6. The Song Remains The Same
5. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
4.
3. In The Light
2.
1.

[Animal]

I didn't rank Black Dog even though it is my second favorite LZ rocker (behind the one that is yet to be featured). It would have been somewhere around 10-15 but I wasn't at my sharpest when doing the list (which has been more of a rule than an exception lately)  - I just confused it with Hot Dog and deleted it from the preliminary selection so it didn't even go to the ranker. An embarrassing mistake.

Rock and Roll - I didn't rank it either but this time, it was on purpose and in full awareness of what I was doing. It's a brilliant song in many ways but I just don't dig this kind of old times rock and roll vibe.

As I got into LZ in late 90's and I never listened to radio all that much, songs being "overplayed" has never really been an issue for me. I didn't even know Stairway and the other LZ most famous songs until I was 17 or so.

[Mladen]

I'm still not tired of these. Two great songs. 

[jingle.boy]

Black Dog... this song single-handedly changed my life in 1986 (I'm not being hyperbolic whatsoever).  It took me from a top-40/pop radio listening kid with not musical cares, to someone deeply passionate and obsessed about music.  Now, with that said, it's not a favored song by me nowadays.  The call/response structure of the vocals and music just didn't age well with me.  The time changes are a little jarring as well.  Still, I can't deny how impactful this song was to me, so I had to include it at #38.

Rock 'n' Roll... now that on the other hand is a true classic that has not lost any of its appeal over time.  #16.

[pg1067]

10 Black Dog

...

09 Rock and Roll

I had Black Dog at #8.  I love the complex rhythm of the main figure.  All four members are excellent on this one.  I had Rock and Roll at #12.  It's solid and strong all the way through.  When you open an album with these two songs, you know you're in for something special.


My rankings so far (24/32)...

40 
39 
38  Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman)
37  Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
36 
35 
34  Over the Hills and Far Away
33  Dancing Days
32 
31 
30  Misty Mountain Hop
29  Trampled Under Foot
28  Ramble On
27  Good Times Bad Times
26 
25  Houses of the Holy
24  The Ocean
23 
22 
21  Going to California
20 
19 
18 
17  In the Evening
16  All My Love
15  Heartbreaker
14 
13  Fool in the Rain
12  Rock and Roll
11  The Battle of Evermore
10  Communication Breakdown
9  Whole Lotta Love
8  Black Dog
7  The Rover
6  Ten Years Gone
5  Carouselambra
4 
3 
2  The Song Remains the Same
1 

NOT RANKED:
Nobody's Fault But Mine
In the Light
How Many More Times
Thank You
In My Time of Dying
What Is and What Should Never Be
Since I've Been Loving You
Babe I'm Gonna Leave You



I'm almost positive about 7 of the 8 remaining songs, but the other one has me completely stumped.

[HOF]

Two songs that never really interested me before. They both are played a lot, and maybe that’s part of it, but I’m not sure I ever paid that much attention to them either.

Black Dog does have some really cool guitar work, though it does sound a bit close to a train wreck in places. Always reminded how they had to track stuff live as a band in the studio back then, which makes it more impressive. Still, just not a song I ever really connected with. I do kind of like the “hey baby” part.

Rock and Roll is more notable for the persistent drum part that really drives it. I also like the “Little Richard” type piano that kicks in mid-song. It’s basically a souped up 50s rock tune or something. Fine for what it is but not my favorite thing to listen to.

[DTwwbwMP]

40 Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman) #25

39 Hey, Hey, What Can I Do #39!

38 Nobody's Fault But Mine #11

37 Carouselambra #24

35 (t) All My Love NR

35 (t) Fool In The Rain NR

34 In The Light NR

32 (t) Dancing Days #7

32 (t) How Many More Times NR

31 Thank You #3

30 The Ocean NR

29 Communication Breakdown #28

28 Houses of the Holy #9

27 Misty Mountain Hop #32

26 Going to California #29

25 Trampled Under Foot #6

24 The Rover #26
 
23 In My Time of Dying NR

22 The Battle of Evermore #15

21 What Is and What Should Never Be #27

20 Heartbreaker #35

19 Since I've Been Loving You NR

18 Ramble On #13

17 Over the Hills #14

16 In the Evening #12

15 Ten Years Gone #19

14 The Song Remains the Same #10

13 Good Times Bad Times #38

12 Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You #20

11 Whole Lotta Love #8

10 Black Dog #17

09 Rock & Roll #4

[jingle.boy]

One year, on a Top <insert whatever #> "classic rock songs of all time" countdown on the local 'go-to' classic rock radio station, Rock 'n' Roll was #1.  I think they just wanted to mix things up, rather than it being the obligatory 4th track every single time.

[Cool Chris]

Growing up I loved those countdowns on my local radio stations. One year I got a poster of the the previous year's Top 1000, had it on my wall for years. Believe song #4 from album #4 was #1 on that list.

[jammindude]

Growing up I loved those countdowns on my local radio stations. One year I got a poster of the the previous year's Top 1000, had it on my wall for years. Believe song #4 from album #4 was #1 on that list.

The reason for the famous joke about that song in Wayne’s World was born from the fact that the song in question was #1 on those lists for about 15 years in a row or more.

Even with a song that great, eventually people get burned out.

[Zoom E]

I have Black Dog at #10 and Rock and Roll at #13. I love LZ IV as a complete piece of work, but It was hard to rate the songs individually due to the “HEARD THEM A MILLION TIMES” factor. In the end, it was obvious they needed to be right up there on my list.

[DragonAttack]

I was going to do five songs at a time, and then life pops up again....   Been enjoying the recaps of everyone's experiences with these.  Thanks for sharing.

So, to be brief as possible....

30 The Ocean #27    fun finish to a great album

29 Communication Breakdown #15     my introduction to the band when it was first released

28 Houses of the Holy NR     kicks off my favorite LZ album side, and I passed over it. 

27 Misty Mountain Hop #19   such a great intro and ending.  Maybe a bit overrated here.

26 Going to California  #32    on my 8 track, this was the song before ‘Stairway’.  So, for a couple of years, other than the radio, I heard this just as often.

[TAC]

26 Going to California  #32    on my 8 track, this was the song before ‘Stairway’.  So, for a couple of years, other than the radio, I heard this just as often.

Good memory. I had this on 8 track as well.

[DragonAttack]

^
you beat me to it (see song 22 below)

25 Trampled Under Foot #4     great driving beat for a great driving song.  Inspired Roger Taylor’s ‘I’m In Love With My Car’, so it’s gotta be good, right? .  On my favorite LZ album side, and Top Five ever (non Queen, that is)

24 The Rover NR     I listened to Side One of PG almost as much as Side Two.  My third oversight of the countdown. 

23 In My Time of Dying #30    short story semi long:  In Michigan, February 13, ’99, right after the Clinton impeachment vote, I head out to buy some flowers for Valentine’s Day. It was so nice out that I’d golfed a few holes that morning.  Heading NB, I ended up in a white out, driving 5 MPH, and then I saw a jacknifed semi about thirty feet ahead.  I put the car in neutral, laid down on my side, got bumped twice, and my car ended up in a gulley of a median.  I ran over to the SB railing….and listened to the next 90 or so accidents of the 125 cars hit each other.  An hour or so later, I clear out the snow by the exhaust, start my car to warm up, turn my stereo back on, and this song was on the cassette I had been listening to five minutes before this all happened.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/363084591133



I listened to Sides One and Two last week on a trip.  Man, did it seem weird to hear this song while driving.

22 The Battle of Evermore #38    its on IV.  ‘nuff said  Took a while to get used to hearing it before ‘Stairway’ after all those years of it coming after 'Misty Mountain Hop'   https://www.ebay.com/itm/175558815902?hash=item28e01ef09e:g:kjAAAOSwz-ljl3P8

I found this a week or so ago.  It has the songs in order, but does the 'fade out / fade in' for Stairway.  Ouch!!!  https://www.ebay.com/itm/174808883115

21 What Is and What Should Never Be #21    Well, I finally nailed one!

[DragonAttack]

20  Heartbreaker #14     and I had ‘Living Loving Maid’ at #10.

19  Since I’ve Been Loving You #3    I didn’t own III until the early 80s, and this just struck me at the right time.  And I love the semi Janis Joplin style Plant uses here.

18 Ramble On #25    one of those that really benefits from it’s placement after two of my favorites.

17 Over the Hills and Far Away #1    I have a couple of quite fond memories from some great days and evenings in '77 hearing this, and smile to this day when the song is played.  Plus, it's Kev's favorite, too!

16 In the Evening #35     'In the eeeeeeev nin' indeed!

[DragonAttack]

15 Ten Years Gone NR     I don’t listen to Sides 3 or 4 that often, so this fell through the cracks. 

14 The Song Remains The Same NR     the one time when the vocals were a bit off putting for me.

13 Good Times Bad Times #11    enjoyed the prior writeups as to the drumming, which added even more to my enjoyment last week

12 Babe I’m Gonna Leave You NR     the other three songs on this side made my list, if that counts……Another oversight 

11 Whole Lotta Love #8     I had only heard the two 'singles' from LZ I, so this rather blew this then 11 year old away at the time.  It kicks axe, and then has that perfect segment when you're baked, and of course that 'woman......you need........loooooooooooooooooooooooooooooove'.....with Bonham then kicking in ever so perfectly.

[Mladen]

Holly shit, DA, that story about the accident is terrifying. It's unbelievable how a song sometimes lines up so terrifyingly.

[Animal]

My list so far. It seems that as for the cream of the top LZ songs, my tastes are fairly ordinary - I am pretty confident that my n. 1-6, 8.and 16. are in the collective top 8 (but what do I know? - after all, I am the guy who confuses Black Dog with Hot Dog, talks about Since I've been Loving You when the actual song being revealed is Babe I'am Gonna Leave You and doesn't know that you just can't Heartbreaker without Living, Loving...So I fully expect my expectations to be defied again...
 
The bottom half of my top 40 is a different story obviously - a long patches of songs I rate highly that went unranked by the collective.

40   Living Loving Maid (She's Just a Woman)
39    Fool in the Rain
38 Hot Take
37    HT
36   Over the Hills and Far Away
35  HT
34   Dancing Days
33    How Many More Times
32 HT
31    HT
30    HT
29    HT
28    HT
27   Good Times Bad Times
26   Communication Breakdown
25  HT
24    HT
23   Whole Lotta Love
22   All My Love
21   Heartbreaker
20   Thank You
19   Houses of the Holy
18   The Battle of Evermore
17   In the Evening
16   Dazed and Confused
15   Ramble On
14   The Rover
13   Trampled Under Foot
12   Going to California
11   The Song Remains the Same
10   In the Light
9      Babe I'm Gonna Leave You
8   TBR
7   Since I've Been Loving You
6  TBR
5   TBR
4   TBR
3  TBR
2   TBR
1   TBR

[KevShmev]

We get closer to the top...

08 Dazed and Confused
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (Dream Team)
8 Top 10 Finishes

I ranked this 8th, so I nailed it!  I liked it in my early fandom days, but it didn't become a major favorite of mine until years later.  I have never had any interest in hearing the super long live versions of it (and still don't), as the studio version is already perfect and awesome already.


07 The Rain Song
Appeared on 16 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (nobloodyname)
9 Top 10 Finishes

I ranked this 5th, and I am glad to see that many others here thought just as fondly of it to where it finished this high.  Awesome song, with an incredible atmosphere.  We know LZ could rock, and their blues influence was obvious from the start, but songs like this took them to a whole new level.

[Animal]

Dazed and Confused   
My n. 16. There are only few things in music more boring than blues or blues rock but LZ, when at their good or best, can do it right. And Dazed and Confused is one of the best examples of that.

The Rain Song

N. 4 for me. Just sublime.

[Zydar]

The Rain Song 

If I had participated, this song would definitely be Top 5 for me.

[nobloodyname]

Can't remember what thread it was in but recently I wrote in these hallowed pages that The Rain Song just transports me. I've no idea where it transports me to but as I soon as I hear those opening notes, I'm no longer present. It's an achingly beautiful song. Number one, though? It was for me on this occasion.

[Stadler]

It's Friday, which means we get three songs today, including my number 1! 

17 Over the Hills and Far Away
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (KevShmev, DragonAttack)
5 Top 10 Finishes

This has been my favorite LZ song for as long as I can remember, and it still is to this day.  Just love everything about it.  I thought it would finish a little higher than this, but I blame the three who left it off their lists for that.   With only five top 10 finishes, though, it looks like a song many really like rather than love.


16 In the Evening
Appeared on 18 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 6 (nobloodyname)
3 Top 10 Finishes

On the other hand, I was surprised to see this one finish this high.  I ranked it 31st and figured it would be top 20-25, but 16?  A surprise to me.  This is the highest ranked song from In Through the Out Door.  Good song for sure.


15 Ten Years Gone
Appeared on 14 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 1 (WilliamMunny)
7 Top 10 Finishes

I ranked this one 12th, so I am a big fan.  Being left off seven lists was a bit of a stunner, but seven top 10 finishes, including one number 1 finish, helped push it into the top 15.

Man, "Ten Years Gone" has remained my favorite Zeppelin song for thirty years. From the moment I first heard it, I was taken aback by, well, by everything.

The song has a prog-tinged, borderline-epic arrangement. The guitar parts are like an orchestra in and of themselves, and Plant's lyrics manage to capture something that has hit me in different ways over the years.

All of that said, the live rendition that appears on the Jimmy Page/Black Crowes live album is worth a listen, as it totally captures many of the nuances from the recording (thanks to the three guitars)

I rarely give a second thought to where songs fall on lists—after all, people like what they like. That said, I'm happy this song fared better (at least in part) on the strength of my placement

My Number 2.  I LOVE that song.  The guitar parts are, like you said, an orchestra.  I don't know how you even think to play that kind of thing. 

[jingle.boy]

Dazed & Confused is a bit schizophrenic for me, and I never enjoyed any of the live 25minute+ renditions of the song.  The descending bass line is ok, and the rockin parts are rockin.  The solo coming out of the psychedelic part is glorious, but then to reprise back to the slower descending bass line is a bit jarring for me, and takes me out of the moment.  This almost didn't make my list, but the parts that I love about the song were strong enough for me to bump a couple other songs out.  #36.

The Rain Song - #10.  It's funny, I often waffle back and forth between this and the other 'longer' song on HOTH as to which I prefer.  I never really knew that the broader consensus was that this was a Top 10 song, and the other didn't even crack the Top 40.  huh

There's been a lot of song that made 18/21 lists.  Did 3 people just, like, troll the group with their submissions and skip most of the 'better' songs? 

[Stadler]

14 The Song Remains the Same
Appeared on 16 of 21 lists
Highest Finish: 2 (nobloodyname, pg1067)
6 Top 10 Finishes

As much as I love Houses of the Holy, this is one of the two songs from it that I can often take or leave.  Musically, it is great, but Plant's sped-up vocals make him sound like he is singing with helium at times, which I do not like.  Unranked for me.

This ranking of this song for me (#10) is basically for the LIVE rendition, which IMO is SOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH BETTER than the album version. Always a highlight for me when I saw them in '73, '75 & '77

So my second weird Zeppelin story.   I never saw Zeppelin, but I did get to see Page/Plant in New Jersey.   My friend Chris was a DIE HARD Zeppelin fan and while I was a fan, it was casual at best.  Until that night.   One of the best - if not THE best - concert I've ever seen. Michael Lee (RIP) on drums, Charlie Jones (Plant's son-in-law) on bass, and Porl Thompson from the Cure on second guitar.  Two moments stood out (the second, during "Calling To You", I've related here and its the moment that secured Plant as one of, if not THE, greatest rock front men ever for me).   The first, was The Song Remains The Same.  They did a version of that, and I swear I went into a trance.  I was relatively sober (I drove, maybe had a couple beers before the show) and yet I was transformed.  I forgot where I was, I forgot what I was doing, it was amazing.  I remember the song ended and I looked at Chris and he looked at me and I knew he experienced it too; I said to him "what just happened", he said "I don't know", and like men, we never spoke of it again.  Haha.  It was one of those moments - I've only ever experienced that PLAYING music, and then only once or twice - where the music took on a life of it's own.  I've read about that at Zeppelin concerts before, but thought it was BS until I experienced it myself.  From then on, while Zeppelin isn't "my favorite band!", they will ALWAYS get the benefit of the doubt for me, and I will always consider them a cut above the general rock scene. 

[Stadler]

Growing up I loved those countdowns on my local radio stations. One year I got a poster of the the previous year's Top 1000, had it on my wall for years. Believe song #4 from album #4 was #1 on that list.

The reason for the famous joke about that song in Wayne’s World was born from the fact that the song in question was #1 on those lists for about 15 years in a row or more.

Even with a song that great, eventually people get burned out.

No; I always thought it was a reference to the sort of cliché that when lousy guitar players go into the guitar store they invariably play one of two songs (again, poorly):  Stairway or Smoke on the Water.  I didn't think it had anything to do with any lists.   

[Mladen]

I don't care for Dazed, but The Rain song is a masterpiece. I think I had it at number four, which pleasantly surprised me as well. 

[Stadler]

Top 40                                         
40. NO CHANCE OF MAKING THE LIST                                           
39. NCOMTL
38. Nobody's Fault But Mine
37. NCOMTL
36. Babe I'm Going To Leave You
35. Ramble On
34. TBD
33. NCOMTL
32. The Ocean
31. Fool In The Rain
30. NCOMTL
29. In My Time Of Dying
28. In The Evening
27. TBD
26. How Many More Times
25. NCOMTL
24. NCOMTL
23. NCOMTL
22.  Good Times, Bad Times
21. Houses Of The Holy
20. NCOMTL
19. TBD
18. NCOMTL
17. TBD
16. Carouselambra
15. What Is And What Should Never Be
14. In The Light
13. NCOMTL
12. TBD
11. Over The Hills And Far Away
10. NCOMTL
9.  Misty Mountain Hop
8.  Hey Hey What Can I Do
7.  The Song Remains The Same
6.  Going To California
5.  The Rain Song
4.  The Rover
3.  The Battle Of Evermore
2.  Ten Years Gone
1.  TBD

Not Rated:
42. Rock And Roll
44. Dancing Days
45. Living Loving Maid (She's Just A Woman)
48. Thank You
51. Heartbreaker
52. All My Love
53. Black Dog
62. Whole Lotta Love
63. Trampled Underfoot
72. Communication Breakdown
74. Dazed And Confused
75. Since I've Been Loving You

Some notes:

- David Coverdale did a KILLER version of "In My Time Of Dying" on the Japanese shows for Coverdale Page.
- Ten Years Gone is probably my favorite Zeppelin song; I put it at two, because the behemoth that is number one cannot be denied. It just means so much to me and to others, that it deserves its place. it's a cliche for a reason.
- Babe, I'm Going To Leave You was a cover; the Joan Baez version was, arguably, the song that brought Page and Plant (spiritually) together and sealed the deal for the "new" Led Zeppelin. It was one of, if not THE, first thing that Page played for Plant upon bringing Plant to his home in 1968.
- Rock and Roll; just missed.  I'm not a fan of the "radio tracks" typically; most of my songs are deeper cuts or the epics.  This just missed, because I LOVE the rhythm guitar tone and that lick at 3:08 has confounded me for years.  I wish I could play it!