As pointed out in Stephen Davis's Hammer of the Gods, this song's lyrics reflected Robert Plant's views on ecology and environment. (thanks, Adrian - Wilmington, DE)
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant wrote this in Wales on a retreat to the Bron-y-Aur cottage, where they wrote many of the songs on the album. They took a long walk with a guitar and tape recorder (yes, they carried a tape recorder on their hikes), sat down in a ravine, and wrote this.
One of the most mellow Zeppelin songs, it reflects the quiet countryside in Wales where it was written.
This was the first song Led Zeppelin authorized for use on a film soundtrack. After seeing a rough cut of Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous in 2000, Page and Plant agreed to let him use some Zeppelin songs on it, but this is the only one that is on the soundtrack. Other Zeppelin songs in the movie are "Tangerine," "The Rain Song," "Bron-Y-Aur" and "Misty Mountain Hop."
The lyrics "I can't believe what people saying, you're gonna let your hair hang down, I'm satisfied to sit here working all day long, you're in the darker side of town" reflects the way Zeppelin was treated in their earlier days in America. In the south it was common for Zeppelin to receive death threats before concerts. When they walked into restaurants they were usually asked to leave, but not before being spit on or having a gun pointed at them for their long hair. (thanks, John - Boca Raton, FL)
The original title was "The Boy Next Door."
According to Robert Plant, this was written 30 minutes before Page's daughter Scarlet was conceived.
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