Introduction
There’s a feeling I get / When I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving / […] / And as we wind on down the road / Our shadows taller than our soul (Led Zeppelin, 1971).
In writing, a tone describes the general mood or attitude the text aims to convey to a reader or listener. J. R. R. Tolkien’s The Fellowship of the Ring has a distinct tone characterized by the heroic “call to adventure,” one of the primary stages of the Hero’s Journey. The same tone can be found in Led Zeppelin’s masterpiece Stairway to Heaven, written by Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (1971). The song adopts a similarly mystical and adventurous tone to transport the listener into a heroic fantasy setting reminiscent of the Fellowship’s journey.
Main Body
The song opens with a minimal passage that invokes the visions of a pastoral England – the prototype for Tolkien’s Shire. The call to adventure begins in the third verse: “There’s a feeling I get / When I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving” (Led Zeppelin, 1971). Similarly, Frodo craves adventure inspired by Bilbo’s and Gandalf’s stories, so he accepts the Ring bearer’s quest, moving from the ordinary to the unfamiliar (Tolkien, 1954).
After facing multiple challenges, allies, and enemies, the song’s hero fully embraces their responsibility and the perilous road ahead, now accompanied by fellow journeymen: “And as we wind on down the road / Our shadows taller than our soul” (Led Zeppelin, 1971). This section shifts from an overall cheerful and adventurous tone to a more foreboding and ominous one, suggesting the dangers and mysteries of the coming night. It corresponds to the first steps the newly formed Fellowship of the Ring takes outside the safe walls of Rivendell on their journey to Mordor.
Conclusion
The Fellowship of the Ring is regarded as a literary masterpiece, perfecting the conceptual narrative template of Hero’s Journey, or monomyth, which has permeated human stories from the earliest recorded history. J. R. R. Tolkien’s desire to create specifically English mythology by adapting and developing existing narrative tropes and fantastical concepts has shaped the modern fantasy genre. The way it resonates even today with the broad audience can be attributed to the captivating, exciting, and inspirational nature of Hero’s Journey. Similarly, Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven is a profoundly universal narrative following one of the greatest stories ever told to create one of the greatest songs ever sung.
References
Led Zeppelin (1971). Stairway to Heaven [Song]. On Led Zeppelin IV [Album]. Atlantic.
Tolkien, J. R. R. (1954). The Fellowship of the Ring. George Allen & Unwin.