Robert Plant Reveals the 1 Bob Dylan Song That Made a Profound Impact on His Career

Bob Dylan and Robert Plant’s respective musical outputs span opposites of the musical spectrum. But Plant has acknowledged Dylan’s impact through not one but two songs. The theme of Dylan’s songs, he said, opened his eyes to the world, even if he didn’t go on to pursue the same folk-rock genre as Dylan.

It’s true knowing that both Plant and Jimmy Page highly regard Dylan as one of the greatest in the music industry. However, the praise wasn’t two-way, and Dylan doesn’t seem to hide his annoyance with Led Zeppelin. Still, Plant doesn’t seem to mind much and even gave his favorite Bob Dylan songs that greatly influenced him.

In an interview with the Guardian, Plant noted that something magnificent happened upon the arrival of Dylan in the music industry, as he is the first one to truly relate reality in his music. “Something happened when Dylan arrived. I had to grapple with what he was talking about,” he said. “His music referenced Woody Guthrie, Richard and Mimi Farina, Reverend Gary Davis, Dave Van Ronk, and all these great American artists I knew nothing about. He was absorbing the details of America and bringing it out without any reservation at all, and ignited a social conscience that is spectacular… Dylan was the first one to say: hello, reality. I knew that I had to get rid of the winkle-pickers and get the sandals on quickly.”

In a separate interview where Plant gets to play a guest DJ  and talks about his favorite songs, he named two Dylan songs: “Down the Highway” and “Masters of War.” “I think my world turned around and upside down when I heard this track from The Freewheelin Bob Dylan. It’s ‘Down The Highway,’” he said. Moreover, his social conscience opened wide when he listened to the folk legend’s “Masters of War,” highly regarded as one of the greatest protest songs of all time.