Led Zeppelin "The Lemon Song"

As I sit down to write this review I have just returned from a phenomenal and quite overwhelming visit to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio. After a careful, up-close study of John Paul Jones's bass guitar and a good look at the outfit he wore in The Song Remains the Same, I have never felt closer to the music. What better frame of mind to be in when writing about "The Lemon Song," a Zeppelin tune that heavily features the legendary bass player?

"The Lemon Song" is another example of a great Led Zeppelin live jam session. A perfect fit for Led Zeppelin II it helped make this famous rock and roll album into the cocaine that it is: try it once and you are hooked! A celebration of the band's blues/rock roots it is another example of early Led Zeppelin in their purest form, stripped down and live, light on the overdubs, as if you are right there with them in some cramped garage.

The slow middle section when John Paul Jones and John Bonham calmly but rhythmically play off each other while Jimmy Page holds back and provides subtle guitar fills is arguably John Paul Jones on his best night. I recently listened to Led Zeppelin II with my oblivious but interested father who, during the "bass solo" remarked with genuine admiration, "This guy is hitting every note!" I remember an old friend of mine, who years ago began to teach himself how to play bass guitar by listening to his favorite songs and trying to mimic the bass line, told me, "I never thought John Paul Jones was any good until I tried to play 'The Lemon Song.'"

Indeed "The Lemon Song" is a pleasure to listen to. Not a world famous song and really one of those Led Zeppelin numbers that's famous to fans only, even my older brother, a huge fan of rock music, used to tell me to skip over "The Lemon Song" when I'd play our Led Zeppelin II LP. Heathen. It's sort of a sub-classic on the Led Zeppelin Classic Meter, a two-star tune but a Zepphead favorite.

Continuing the early Zeppelin obsession with sex-based blues rock, "The Lemon Song" is one of those fun little numbers that's part of a larger picture. On its own it is nothing more than a catchy little white boy blues jingle. But taken within the context of Led Zeppelin II it adds necessary flavor to the album's listening experience. It's easy to understand why Led Zeppelin hardly released any singles. Sure, there was a financial justification for doing so, but forcing fans to purchase their albums meant that tunes like "The Lemon Song" could never be ignored.