The Battle of Evermore
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| "The Battle of Evermore" | ||
|---|---|---|
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | ||
| Released | November 8, 1971 | |
| Recorded | December 1970 | |
| Genre | Folk rock | |
| Length | 5:52 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| Led Zeppelin IV track listing | ||
| "Rock and Roll" (2) |
"The Battle of Evermore" (3) |
"Stairway to Heaven" (4) |
"The Battle of Evermore" is an acoustic guitar and mandolin track from English rock band Led Zeppelin's fourth album, released in 1971.
Folk singer Sandy Denny duets with Robert Plant. In live performances, bassist John Paul Jones sings Denny's vocals with Plant, and plays acoustic guitar while Jimmy Page plays mandolin.
Contents |
[edit] Tolkien's influence
It is commonly believed to be based on events in The Return of the King , primarily The Battle of the Pelennor Fields, in the final volume of J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy book, The Lord of the Rings.
In the most common interpretation, the Prince of Peace, who "embraced the gloom" and "walked the night alone", refers to Frodo, who left the Fellowship of the Ring and went to Mordor with only his servant and friend Samwise Gamgee for company. "The Queen of Light" who "took her bow" is taken to refer to Galadriel, a ruler of the Elves, signifying that the Third Age is ending and that the Age of Men will begin soon.
Other interpretations of how the lyrics relate to Tolkien exist: one example has the "Prince of Peace" referring to Aragorn. This interpretion is logical in the sense that Aragorn, heir to the throne of Gondor, did embrace the darkness and walk the night alone. This occurred in The Return of the King when Aragorn walked the path of the dead in order to have the Dead Men of Dunharrow fulfil their pledge to help Gondor. Also, this could refer to Gandalf who wrestled with the Balrog in the dark depths of Moria and walked through the darkness alone for a time.
Probably the song's most compelling link to Tolkien is the lyric: "The Ringwraiths ride in black", a Tolkien invention. An extended commentary in favour of the Tolkien interpretation can be read here: "The Battle of Evermore" and Tolkien.
However, not everyone agrees that the lyrics of The Battle of Evermore refer to Tolkien's book.
[edit] Similarities to the Irish national anthem
The lyrics "Dance in the dark of night, sing till the mornin' light." has some similarity to a line in the national anthem of Ireland:
"Impatient for the coming fight, And as we wait the morning's light, Here in the silence of the night, We'll chant a soldier's song."
Other possible links to the Irish national anthem include:
Sons of the Gael! Men of the Pale! The long watched day is breaking; (tired eyes on the sunrise)
The serried ranks of Inisfail Shall set the Tyrant quaking. (the tyrant's face is red)
Our camp fires now are burning low (no comfort has the fire at night);
See in the east a silv'ry glow, (the eastern glow)
Out yonder waits the Saxon foe, So chant a soldier's song.
[edit] Cold War imagery
References to Tolkien works and the Irish national anthem aside, the time period in which the song was written, the Cold War, must also be regarded as a factor in the song's content considering much of the imagery present in the lyrics. The ominous title of the song itself, as well as such lines as, "the pain of war cannot exceed the woe of aftermath" and "the tyrant's face is red" are imagery pulled straight from the politics of the early 70s Cold War period.
[edit] Trivia
- In "All Music Guide to Rock", the song is incorrectly referred to "The Ballad of Evermore."
- Page and Plant would also record a version of the song in 1994, released on their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded. Singer Najma Akhtar sang Sandy Denny's vocal part.
- The song was also covered by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, credited as "The Lovemongers", on the soundtrack to the 1992 film Singles.
- Robert Plant wrote the lyrics after reading a book on Scottish history. The lyrics are about the everlasting battle between night and day, which can also be interpreted as the battle between good and evil.
- This is the only song Zeppelin ever recorded with a guest vocalist; Sandy Denny from Fairport Convention sang on this with Robert Plant. Fairport Convention was a British folk group Zeppelin shared a bill with in 1970.
- Denny was given a symbol on the album sleeve - 3 pyramids - to thank her. The 4 members of Led Zeppelin each designed their own symbols for the album.
- Jimmy Page wrote the music on a mandolin he borrowed from John Paul Jones. He had never played the mandolin before.
- Plant felt he needed another voice to tell the story. He was the narrator and Sandy Denny represented the people as the town crier.
- Led Zeppelin rarely played this live, but when they did, John Paul Jones sang Denny's part.
- Many J.R.R. Tolkien fans see the lyrics as a reference to his book Return Of The King, where the lyrics could describe the Battle of Pelennor ("The drums will shake the castle wall, The ring wraiths ride in black"). Plant is a huge Tolkien fan, and referred to his books in "Ramble On" and "Misty Mountain Hop."
- A lot of this fits the Battle of the Pelennor Fields: "The magic runes are writ in gold to bring the balance back" referring to the destruction of the One Ring. But some of the lyrics don't fit to that particular battle/book, including the part about the angels of Avalon, as Avalon was not from Tolkien's world but the legends of Merlin and King Arthur (although it could simply be used metaphorically).
- The word Avalon is Latin for "place with apples," and here is the part of the song Avalon is mentioned - "I'm waiting for the angels of Avalon, waiting for the eastern glow. The apples of the valley hold the seeds of happiness," so it may just mean "I'm waiting for the angels of place with apples."
[edit] Sources
- Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
- The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
| Led Zeppelin |
|---|
| Jimmy Page · Robert Plant · John Paul Jones · John Bonham |
| Discography - (Category) |
Studio albums: Led Zeppelin · Led Zeppelin II · Led Zeppelin III ·  (Led Zeppelin IV) · Houses of the Holy · Physical Graffiti · Presence · In Through the Out DoorLive albums: The Song Remains the Same · BBC Sessions · How the West Was Won |
| Films |
| The Song Remains the Same · Led Zeppelin DVD |
| Other |
| Peter Grant · Richard Cole · Swan Song Records · The Yardbirds · XYZ · The Firm · Page and Plant · Strange Sensation · Bootlegs ∙ Concerts ∙ Songs |
