Few bands would seriously attempt to record an account of the blood and violence that the Norse warriors known as the Vikings wrought across Northern Europe and parts of North America during their time as the region's dominate sea-going people. Yet that is exactly how Led Zeppelin chose to open their third album, the appropriately-titled ‘Led Zeppelin III'. Written by the band during a tour in 1970 which saw them touch down in Iceland, Robert Plant was reportedly inspired by the history surrounding the tiny nation, and decided to dedicate a song to famous Norse explorer Leif Ericson. Ericson had been credited with not only discovering North America well before Christopher Columbus did, but also playing an important role in creating a Viking settlement in what is now Newfoundland.
A burst of sonic energy from Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song opens with a haunting, rising and falling cry from Plant, almost akin to the battle cry one would call from the foredeck of a Viking ship. The song goes on to detail the origins of a people from a land of ‘ice and snow' who feel nothing stronger than their desire to explore and conquer the planet. One of the most enduring lyrics from the track has been the reference Plant made to the ‘hammer of the gods', and this turn of phrase has been used by the media for decades to describe everything from Led Zeppelin's music to their deleterious effect on hotel rooms. Some people have even gone so far as to link the song's imagery with the enormous popularity and power of metal in Scandinavian countries.
The band enjoyed playing the song live, and they used it to open their concerts for a period of two years. The song's thumping guitar riff and drum beat make it an excellent tool for pumping up a crowd. Again over the protests of the band, the song was released as a single in the U.S., and it performed reasonably well, peaking at #16. Led Zeppelin was never interested in the idea of releasing singles, and they used to toy with label management by promising to come up with a special song specifically for single release - a song that of course never materialized.
With fans clamoring for more from Led Zeppelin Immigrant Song gave the world a glimpse at a side of the band that wasn't afraid to sing about the obscure and make a hit about a subject that most high school history teachers couldn't even keep their students awake long enough to learn about.