Led Zeppelin Singer Robert Plant Is Crazy for Thinking Pearl Jam Ripped Them Off

Despite the band’s name, Led Zeppelin took off almost as soon as their first record hit shelves in 1969. Their massive hits and underrated songs influenced many groups that followed. Black Sabbath changed their sound because of Led Zeppelin, and Pearl Jam’s members are fans, too. Zep singer Robert Plant called out one Pearl Jam song as a Led Zeppelin copy, but he’s crazy for thinking the Seattle band ripped them off.

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant said one Pearl Jam song is a Zep rip off

Any musician looking to the past for inspiration could do worse than being influenced by Led Zeppelin. The English band changed the musical landscape almost immediately, and their music endures with generations of new music fans.

Zep and Pearl Jam are different bands from different eras, but they share some similarities. Both groups achieved success out of the gate, and their music continues to inspire musicians.

Some listeners say the 1998 Pearl Jam song “Given to Fly” resembles Zeppelin’s “Going to California.” Plant took it a step further. During a conversation with Pearl Jam guitarist Mike McCready, Plant flat-out said “Given to Fly” was a rip-off of the Led Zeppelin IV tune. “How many times have you played ‘Going to California’? Oh sorry. Whatever your song is called,'” Plant said to McCready, per Far Out. 

The Led Zeppelin singer is entitled to his opinion, but Plant is crazy for calling the Pearl Jam song a copy.

Plant is crazy for thinking Pearl Jam ripped off Led Zeppelin’s ‘Going to California’

Robert Plant said Pearl Jam ripped off Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California” with “Given to Fly.” But the singer is crazy for saying the newer song is a copycat.

We’re not saying there are similarities between the songs. That will happen when there are only eight notes (plus some sharps and flats) to work with and a finite way to arrange them that actually sound pleasant. So it makes sense that “Given to Fly” shares some of the same notes played in a similar style to “Going to California.”

Yet Pearl Jam takes their tune in a vastly different direction. “Going to California” is an acoustic folk tune with sparse instrumentation. The electric “Given to Fly” includes some guitar work in the opening section that slightly resembles the Led Zeppelin song. It becomes a soaring anthem for the bridge and the chorus — something that Zep doesn’t do in its song. 

Thematic elements are the biggest similarities between the two songs. The lyrics for Led Zeppelin’s “Going to California” cover a journey of self-discovery and making “A new start.” Pearl Jam’s “Given to Fly” has a protagonist who “Made it to the ocean” before Eddie Vedder seemingly sings about a soul rising into the sky, which differs from Zep’s song.

The two songs have some things in common, but Plant is crazy for saying Pearl Jam ripped off Led Zeppelin. Plant’s comments are especially rich coming from someone whose band stood accused of stealing multiple times.

Zep was accused of ripping off other artists multiple times

We won’t sit here and say Led Zeppelin didn’t have a phenomenal career, but their early work and their biggest hit faced plagiarism accusations.

“Dazed and Confused” and “Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” from their debut album are songs Led Zeppelin was accused of ripping off. “Whole Lotta Love” and “The Lemon Song” from Led Zeppelin II faced the same accusations. The group eventually settled a copyright lawsuit over “Dazed and Confused.” They eventually gave blues man Willie Dixon a songwriting credit for “Whole Lotta Love.” Plant’s lyrics resemble the words Dixon penned for Muddy Waters’ “You Need Love.”

Led Zeppelin was accused of plagiarizing their biggest hit, “Stairway to Heaven.” We hear the resemblance between those two songs way more than we hear “Given to Fly” as a rip-off of “Going to California.” Those songs are as different as Bach and Blake Shelton, and Robert Plant is crazy for believing Pearl Jam ripped off Led Zeppelin.

For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.