Robert Plant’s Favorite Bob Dylan Songs

The former singer of the Led ZeppelinRobert Plantlike most musicians, has a boundless admiration for Bob Dylan recognizing his greatness and the importance he had in the history of music.

In a 2005 interview with Charlie Rose, reported by Rock and Roll Garage, he declared that the now 83-year-old American musician was “the guy who woke us all up.” “I think my favorite Dylan song is ‘One More Cup of Coffee'[fromthe1976album’Desire’]. I think it’s a fantastic song. How can I forget Dylan’s contribution, he was the guy who woke us all up.”

Plant goes on to elaborate on what Dylan’s arrival on the music scene represented: “There was a reactionary music scene on the college circuit with Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Woody Guthrie, Odetta, Dave Van Ronk, and all those people who were there.

But Dylan made it sexy and vital. Can you imagine, there’s a great thing on Broadway now called ‘Hairspray’ and the thing is, the great conclusion of that show is that after all the rock and roll and the Philadelphia sound with Cameo-Parkway Records, Bobby Rydell, all that stuff. Suddenly you walk into a room and there’s a guy sitting there playing an acoustic guitar and singing the first protest song. That’s the end of the show. Because it’s the end of the era of corniness. It’s the beginning of thoughtful social consciousness. Dylan, he sang some songs. I don’t know how he survived, the way he sang about lynchings in Oxford, Mississippi.”

In an interview with Classic Rock in 2020,
Robert Plant
recalled an exchange he had with Dylan about touring. He recalled asking him why he continued to tour after all the years. “Talking about the creation and development of music is a double-edged sword. I did a concert recently in Roskilde, Denmark, and Bob Dylan wanted to talk to me about touring. So we met where all the buses are parked, at this big festival. We looked at each other and smiled in the darkness. It was pouring rain, two hooded creatures in a dark parking lot, and I said, ‘Hey, you never stop!’ He looked at me, smiled and said, ‘Why stop?’ But I couldn’t ask him about his songs. Because as much as I’ve been influenced by his work, you can’t talk about it. My work isn’t nearly as profound. At the same time, you can get to know the motive and circumstances behind a particular song, without it being ‘Masters Of War.'”

Beyond

“One More Cup of Coffee”
own
“Masters of War”
it’s another song by
Bob Dylan
which Plant loves a lot. He had some sweet words about it in 2021 during his appearance on BBC Radio 6’s “6 Music’s Festive Takeover.” “My goodness, does it ever go away, that theme, that feeling we all have? This is Bob Dylan’s ‘Masters Of War’, from 1963, Columbia’s ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ album. There’s so much to say about Dylan and his intentions and his lyrics. How many millions of people actually sang his songs and hopefully conveyed that same intent.”