Jimmy Page Hates Led Zeppelin’s ‘Living Loving Maid,’ but He Is 100% Wrong

Jimmy Page never shied away from stating his opinion: He regretted the false start on “Tangerine” from Led Zeppelin III, and the guitarist has repeatedly blamed Phil Collins for Led Zeppelin’s underwhelming reunion at Live Aid. Page has always hated Led Zeppelin’s “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman),” and he’s entitled to his opinion, but he’s also 100% wrong.

Jimmy Page hates ‘Living Loving Maid,’ which is based on a real-life groupie

A groupie who hounded Page and Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant in the band’s early days inspired “Living Loving Maid.” The subject of the Led Zeppelin II track could also be a composite of several aggressive female fans, George Case writes in Led Zeppelin FAQ. 

Whatever the origins of the song, the aftermath is clear. The Page-Plant tune appeared on Led Zeppelin II, but the group never took it to the stage. For a band that became famous for their marathon-length concerts, the fact they never played it live illustrates just how much Page hates “Living Loving Maid.”

Page is entitled to his opinion as one of the songwriters, but he also happens to be completely wrong.

Page’s hatred for ‘Living Loving Maid’ is over the top and wrong

“Living Loving Maid” isn’t the only Led Zeppelin song Page hates. He detested the butchered version of “Whole Lotta Love” so much it persuaded him not to release singles in the United Kingdom. Still, recording but never playing “Living Loving Maid” illustrates Page’s true feelings about the song.

And he’s wrong.

We’ll admit it’s not one of Led Zeppelin’s best songs. It’s not even one of their underrated songs. Still, “Living Loving Maid” is a check in the pros column.

The song’s main riff is instantly recognizable. It dances around the low end of the E and A strings, and it’s catchy as hell for what is essentially a relatively simple blues-based riff. Page often built up multiple guitar tracks on Led Zeppelin albums, making it tough for wanna-be guitar heroes to replicate their songs. “Living Loving Maid” goes in the other direction. It’s a song a novice guitar player can play competently with a little bit of practice.

Page didn’t do himself any favors with its placement on the album, either. “Living Loving Maid” begins a fraction of a second after “Heartbreaker,” which is one of Led Zeppelin’s best songs. It’s almost like a two-song medley. Radio DJs who played “Heartbreaker” on the air kept the needle on the vinyl for “Living Loving Maid.” Page hates the song, but where he placed it on the album and the way it segues from one of Zep’s best songs ensured it would gain exposure. A ton of airplay combined with a catchy riff helped make “Living Loving Maid” a popular tune.

Is the song one of the band’s classics? No, but it shouldn’t be counted as one of Led Zeppelin’s worst songs, either. Jimmy Page can hate “Living Loving Maid” all he wants. It doesn’t change the fact that the song includes one of Zeppelin’s catchiest riffs or that it’s almost a sequel to “Heartbreaker,” which is one of their best tunes.

Several other Led Zeppelin songs are less satisfying than the one Page hates

Jimmy Page hates “Living Loving Maid,” and he always has. We don’t feel the same way, but we’ll allow the guitarist to have his opinion. Meanwhile, we’ll nominate a few other Led Zeppelin songs we don’t find nearly as satisfying as “Living Loving Maid.”

• “The Lemon Song,” another Led Zeppelin II track, doesn’t really go anywhere. Aside from a couple of uptempo sections underneath Page solos, it plods along for most of its six-plus minutes.
• You can say the same thing about “Hots on For Nowhere” from Presence. Its swinging riff stands out among Zep’s usual blues-based turns, but it rides that riff almost the entire time. Hearing Plant call out Page and Led Zeppelin’s manager is probably more interesting than the music.
• Let’s not forget about “Hot Dog,” a sloppy rockabilly song from In Through the Out Door. Its saving grace is that it lasts a little over three minutes.

Jimmy Page hates “Living Loving Maid,” but Led Zeppelin’s output contains several songs that are far less memorable. 

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