Led ZeppelinImage via Ron Raffaelli
By
Teguan Harris
Published 50 minutes ago
Tehuan Harris is a news and features journalist at Collider, reporting and writing about all things music and reality TV (sometimes). She is a talented journalist and a natural storyteller who writes with curiosity and interest. After graduating from university, she jumped straight into journalism, with one goal in mind: to tell stories that matter.
Away from the newsroom, Teguan runs her own. She runs her own newsletters on Substack and Medium and recently became the Editor in Chief of her brand new Substack newsletter, Channel 25, which covers TV and movies. The T Word, a Substack newsletter that covers pop culture, trends, and society, was also launched in March (it's about time anyway).
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Led Zeppelin is known for their unforgettable tracks, including “Whole Lotta Love”, “When The Levee Breaks,” a song that Beyoncé had secretly sampled, and “Stairway to Heaven,” the Wedding Song from Led Zeppelin IV. Hit after hit, they became legends in rock music, with their music still in rotation years after the band’s separation. Like many rock bands, they released love songs, and songs such as “All My Love” are popular. However, “All My Love” is not the greatest, as their 1969 track “Thank You” takes that title. Despite the song being the greatest rock love song, it is also the most forgotten.
Who Was Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" About?
Led ZeppelinImage via Sony Pictures
Robert Plant, who is arguably Led Zeppelin’s best songwriter, wrote “Thank You” about his then-wife, Maureen Wilson, whom he had married in 1968 shortly after Led Zeppelin’s formation. Plant had recruited the band's composer, Jimmy Plant, to write the song with him, but it was up to Plant to come up with the lyrics to express his gratitude and his love for his wife. “Thank You”, which was included in the band’s second album, Led Zeppelin II, was the only song that Page wrote all by himself from that album.
Plant and Wilson had a daughter at that time, which was another inspiration behind the band’s most heartfelt yet most forgotten song. As the band skyrocketed to fame and embarked on the road for tours and shows, Wilson and Plant spent less time together. “Thank You” was more than just a song for Wilson; it was a letter of gratitude and a reminder to Wilson that Plant will always love her and is always thinking of her.
Despite the heartfelt gesture that completed side 1 of Led Zeppelin’s sophomore album, Wilson and Plant’s marriage did not last. They remained married for nearly 15 years, and throughout that time, they underwent personal tragedies, including their son’s death from a stomach virus in 1977, and Plant’s demanding career took a toll on their relationship. In 1983, they divorced, but that did not overshadow the phenomenal love song that “Thank You” was.
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Posts By Teguan Harris Jul 17, 2025Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" is Rock Music's Greatest Love Song
Led Zeppelin's band members in upcoming documentary.Image via La Repubblica
Many rock music fans are quick to name other songs, such as Aerosmith's "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" and U2's "With Or Without You" as the greatest rock love songs, largely because of the songs’ popularity and lyricism. However, “Thank You” is Led Zeppelin’s greatest song and rock music's greatest love song. Although the song is less known than these songs and other love songs such as the band's “All My Love” and Elvis Presley's “Can't Help Falling In Love", “Thank You” is still rock music's greatest love song.
“Thank You” displays powerful imagery and emotional lyrics, and they are impossible to replicate. Lyrics such as “If the sun refused to shine/I would still be loving you” and “If mountains crumble to the sea/There will still be you and me” are sincere and beautiful, and also separate the band from their usual lustful lyrics and demonstrate their talents in an entirely new way. “Thank You” is also a display of raw emotions and feelings of gratitude that is not typically recognised in rock bands, which makes the song have a beautiful yet emotional appeal.
The song is also another remarkable example of Led Zeppelin composing and writing music outside their usual rock-blues style, showcasing the band’s versatility. “Thank You” also includes rare harmonies by the band members in the chorus, which highlights the song’s testament of prevailing love through hardship and gratitude and adds to the raw, vulnerable appeal that the song has. Although the person that the song is dedicated to is no longer romantically involved with the songwriter, the meaning behind the song is not lost, as it is universally relatable to all love that prevails through hardship.
Led Zeppelin's "Thank You" Deserves More Recognition
Rock music listeners largely appreciate “Thank You”, but not as much as the other rock love songs. “Thank You,” a song part of Led Zeppelin II, is one of the most forgotten songs, as it did not draw as much attention as other rock songs that went mainstream, like The Cure's "Lovesong" and The Beatles's "Something." Both songs, unlike "Thank You" charted on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number two and number one, which is a huge factor as to why other rock songs received far more recognition than "Thank You."
"Thank You" is also not as appreciated as Led Zeppelin's other rock love songs, like "All My Love" and other ballads like “Stairway to Heaven”. They received more attention and radio play than “Thank You”, which is another reason why the song is underappreciated. However, with a group like Led Zeppelin that produces so many iconic hits, many classic songs like “Thank You” are more likely to be forgotten and disregarded. Despite this, “Thank You” is still the greatest rock love song and is more deserving of being “The Wedding Song” over “Stairway to Heaven”.
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