There used to be this local radio station – DC 101. Every weeknight, they would have a nightly segment at 10 pm titled Get the Led Out, where they would play three Led Zeppelin songs. I’d look forward to this, listening in the car, stereo, or walkinan. 

A friend and I discussed the band’s music. It is either really melodic or jarring. Maybe a bit like who I am. They sing about many topics – women, wine, wandering, wisdom, wanting, so on and so forth. 

English in origin, they also reference Tolkien in several songs – alluding to Mordor, Sauron, Ringwraith’s, and more. They point to a world outside this often banal, brutal one – a bit like the Harry Potter universe. Several years ago, the surviving band members were honored at the Kennedy Center. 

The closing song was Stairway to Heaven, their most well-known song. The performance was led by Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart and involved a full gospel choir. The choir was a bit of a surprise, coming on at a crucial point in the song, which also happens to be my favorite segment which I would often sing to my kids. 

The choir is wearing black bowler hats, in a tribute to the late drummer, whose son became a drummer himself and was part of the night’s performance. 

It was epic. 

You can see Yo Yo Ma, Bonnie Raitt, President Ohana and Michelle rocking along. The band members are clearly touched. The lead singer has tears in his eyes.

I never learned to play this otter song correctly – Going to California but it reminds ne of you. The song is about a man who has spent his life with the wrong woman and is now looking for a fresh start with trepidation and anxiety. I love the closing lines of the song as they fit you. 

Find a queen without a king 

They say she plays guitar and cries and sings 

Rides a white mare in the footsteps of dawn 

Trying to find a woman who’s never been born 

Standing on a hill 

On the mountain of dreams 

Telling myself it’s not as hard as it seems 

It is relatively well-known that the woman referred to is Joni Mitchell. In some performances, the lead singer calls out her first name after singing those lyrics. 

Her singing reminds me of yours.