Happy Anniversary: Led Zeppelin’s “Good Times Bad Times”

45 years ago today, Led Zeppelin released their first single, and even though it only made it to #80 on the Billboard Hot 100, it still managed to become a full-fledged rock ‘n’ roll classic.

As the lead track of Led Zeppelin’s self-titled debut, “Good Times Bad Times” had already made a significant impact on listeners a few months before it found its way onto a 45 – backed with “Communication Breakdown” – and into the lower reaches of the singles charts. The song features guitarist Jimmy Page passing his Fender Telecaster through a Leslie Speaker for the guitar solo, drummer John Bonham kicking out the jams, and bassist John Paul Jones offering a riff which he described in a 2008 Rolling Stone Q&A as the one most difficult one he ever wrote. Once the band threw Robert Plant’s howling vocals on top of it all, there was little question in anyone’s minds that the resulting song was going to leave a lasting impression.

“Good Times Bad Times” was rarely played live by Led Zeppelin, and even on the rare occasions when they dared to dredge it up, it was usually as part of a medley with “Communication Breakdown” or “Whole Lotta Love.” When the band reunited for their December 2007 show at the O2 Arena, however, they selected it as their opening number, making an already unforgettable occasion all the more remarkable.