An Open Letter To Robert Plant
Dear Robert,
This is to ask you to let the TV show Supernatural to use one of Led Zeppelin’s songs. Any of their songs, as agreed between the band and Eric Kripke. We know that the rights to Led Zeppelin songs are treated with the care they deserve. We think Supernatural, for its services over the years to rock music in Hollywood, and to the cause of Led Zeppelin in particular, deserves its chance. And you are a famous man who is famously nice to ordinary people, so we do have hope you won’t mind us at least asking.
Classic rock, and specifically Led Zeppelin, have been promoted by Supernatural since its start in 2005. Their stall is set out in the Pilot episode, when it’s made clear that Dean Winchester, an unlikely hero, is a fan of what his brother Sam calls “the greatest hits of mullet rock”. (On the basis of that comment, and his behaviour in Season 4, Sam Winchester has sometimes been possibly slightly less of a hero than Dean.) Dean’s tastes in music are even more specifically laid out in Season 1’s episode 3, Dead in the Water, when he teaches the traumatised, and formerly mute, child Lucas a very important phrase: “Zeppelin rules”.
In another Season 1 episode, “Scarecrow,”ย Dean introduces himself using one of his classic rock aliases: “Hi, I’m John Bonham”. “Isn”โขt that the drummer for Led Zeppelin?” comes the response. “Wow. Good.” says Dean, “classic rock fan”. It’s the start of a run in which the names of band members are taken by Dean and Sam, not in vain but as cover for saving the world from supernatural evil. In the Season 3 episode “Bedtime Stories,”ย Sam and Dean interview a witness in hospital while posing as detectives from the County Sherriff’s Department: “I’m Detective Plant, this is Detective Page”, says Dean. In the current Season 5, in the episode “Fallen Idol” Dean is back to being John Bonham, and in “I Believe the Children Are Our Future” Dean and Sam are Detectives Plant and Page again.
Dean Winchester’s love of classic rock in general, and of Led Zeppelin in particular, doesn’t always work in his favour. In Season 2’s “Everybody Loves a Clown,”ย Jo Harvelle says “You know, I thought you were going to toss me some cheap pick-up line. Most hunters come through that door think they can get in my pants with some pizza, a six pack, and side one of Zeppelin IV.” As Dean says in reply, rapidly revising his plans, “Well, what a bunch of scumbags”. On the other hand, when Dean is asked to prove that he has a fan’s knowledge of himself, in Season 4’s “The Monster At the End Of This Book”ย (great episode, by the way), he has no trouble naming his favourite songs: “It’s a tie. Between Zep’s Ramble On and Travelling Riverside Blues”
In the absence (so far) of actual Led Zeppelin songs on screen in Supernatural, there has at least been the consolation of the band’s song and album titles being used as episode titles: “In My Time Of Dying,”ย “Houses of the Holy,”ย and “What Is And What Should Never Be”ย in season two, and “When The Levee Breaks”ย in Season 4. And just two weeks ago there was a Season 5 episode called “The Song Remains The Same.”ย
If you have concerns about how well the show might treat its use of Led Zeppelin music, there are plenty of great examples where song and story have been used in Supernatural in a way which enhances both. If you would like to check out some examples, how about the following –
Thank you for reading. We really hope you consider our request.
The Winchester Family Business
What a fantastic letter! I saw Led Zeppelin at Knebworth in ’79 when I was 14yrs old and I have always loved them.
I still get a huge kick out of the many Zep homages in Supernatural and I hope that we get to hear one of their songs before the show ends ๐
This letter rules…. ha! Great idea, Faellie, and I wholeheartedly agree. I can only hope Mr Plant reads your words and graciously agrees to have a song used in Supernatural without ripping the production company off. Considering the rules of show business, I canรขโฌโขt imagine Zepรขโฌโข management to allow the use of their material for freeรขโฌยฆ
Is it true, that AC/DC are fans of the show? Had not heard of that before. Thatรขโฌโขd be cool.
And another testimony to the high quality of our favourite showรขโฌยฆ Hell, yeah. Supernatural rulesรขโฌยฆ All together now: Supernaturalรขโฌยฆ.
Cheers, Faellie, it was great to read some new piece from you! Jas
Superb letter, Faiellie, and now that we have confirmation of season 6, you can update that immediately! As far as I’m concerned, Led Zep should give us one of their songs FREE, for all the reasons you listed in your letter! Imagine “Stairway to Heaven” over the finale this season, or “Houses of the Holy” or Dean’s favorite, “Ramblin’ Man”!
My God, I would be crying just hearing the opening notes of one of those songs! I’m 56, so that music means a whole lot to me; I was around at the very beginning of their music rein, and to this day, the opening flute notes of “Stairway to Heaven” bring back very special memories!
This letter must be updated and sent! LED ZEP RULES, SUPERNATURAL RULES, and TOGETHER THEY’LL TAKE OVER THE WORLD!
In my time of buying, want nobody to mourn
All I want for you to do is take a Zeppelin song home
Well, well, well, so I can watch easy
Kripke, gonna make up my dyin’ bed.
Meet me, Plant, meet me. Meet me in the middle of negotiations
If my CW should fail me, Lord. Please meet me with another Page
Well, well, well, so I can watch easy
Long-time lurker here. Just had to say: “On the basis of that comment, and his behaviour in Season 4, Sam Winchester has sometimes been possibly slightly less of a hero than Dean” totally made my entire day. Thank you!
Wow Faellie. What a cool idea you got here ๐
I really, truly hope we could get a song, even if just one song, from them. That would be SO awesome. Maybe in the seasons finaly or maybe the series finale? A girl can pray, can she? And maybe dabble a little Hoodoo/Voodoo to get things going ๐
Ps. Isn’t Crossroad Blues in S2? ๐
Oh, yes please!!
Alison H, I was at that Knebworth gig too! I’ve still got the tee-shirt somewhere …
Man, it would be so amazing to get a Led Zeppelin song for the show! Maybe Plant will take pity on us fans and hook us up!
I’m so jealous that you got to see them, Alison H! I was born too late to get to see them together, but I did get to see Page/Plant in high school in ’98, I think. That was pretty cool. Not the same for sure, but the best I could get!
Hi Faellie
This was really good.
If this was to work, think of all the possibilities for other Artists and songs.
Well it canรขโฌโขt hurt to try or dream.
Isn’t Jimmy Page the one that owns the rights to the music?
Might look into that one.
I love how this has brought Zep fans out of the closet – sadly, I can’t compete with the wonderful experiences mentioned here.
Randall, I’m speechless.
Supernarttu, thanks for spotting the error, and Alice, thanks for correcting it.
We can at least live in hope of an answer, can’t we?
Even though Knebworth was 30yrs ago I still remember everything about that day.My whole family–57yr old Mum,twin sister, two older brothers, one sister-in-law and her sister–travelled to Knebworth in two vans.I vividly remember trying to find the bathroom and being told it was a hole in the ground surrounded by tarp.I was so sheltered then. ๐ ๐ฎ
Fantastic idea!!!!!!!!
I love this letter!!!
I’m only wondering why the use of Blue Oyster Cult’s “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” in S1.12 episode “Faith” wasn’t listed as one of the examples?
I don’t think they used BOC’s version of “Don’t Fear the Reaper” in “Faith.” I believe they used someone else’s recording, didn’t they?
AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME!!! If there are more steps to be taken to get this to happen Alice, you know you have me and Lindsay’s support! We will do whatever it takes!
Awesome letter, I hope Robert Plant read it. Too funny that some years ago I was dressed like a 70’s style fashion and my hair is curly and long this friend of mine saw me and the first thing he told me was that I looked like Robert Plant. Then when Supernatural started back in 2005, I didn’t watch from the beginning, I started watching SPN because my Mom watched “Phantom Traveler” very next day she told me that one of the boys reminded her of me, then I learned it was Dean and that we share the same flying issue, and Dean is a huge fan of Led Zeppelin.
Robin — I don’t know for sure, but I think it was BOC. It would be awesome to have an actual Zeppelin song. Not Stairway to Heaven though –something that doesn’t get played on the Labor Day or Memorial Day greatest hits marathon every year LOL.
Really, the use of the classic rock on the show has been done so well that even though I knew the songs before, now I think of SN when I hear them — like DOn’t Fear the Reaper, Renegade and of course, Carry On My Wayward Son.
I took the liberty to post a link to this letter at The Led Zeppelin Forum, here it is the link: http://forums.ledzeppelin.com/index.php?/topic/13016-an-open-letter-to-robert-plant/page__p__446612__hl__open%20letter__fromsearch__1&#entry446612 but some people comments said that it is wrong to address only to Robert Plant. Really no idea the status of the members and how they work but could be interested to find out.
Whitelady, I certainly didn’t mean to cause offence. Music ownership rights are notoriously complicated and contentious, so probably it would have been more correct to have addressed the letter to “everyone who has any ownership or creative rights over any Led Zeppelin song ever”. I’m not sure that has quite the same ring about it, though.
A letter which is addressed to a specific person usually has a significantly greater chance of having an effect than one addressed “to whom it may concern”. Sadly, I suspect that Alice probably called this one right by filing it under “The Lighter Side”. All efforts to further the cause are most welcome, though!
I discovered my love for Zeppelin and specifically Robert Plant through my love for Dean Winchester, it would be amazing if they could put some Zeppelin songs on the show, would love it