#18 What Is And What Should Never Be

As difficult as it is to focus your ears off of the wailing vocals of Robert Plant, the thrashing guitar of Jimmy Page, or the power of John Bonham’s drums, I would ask that you center your listening this time on the lonely bass player, John Paul Jones. I certainly have a bias as a bass player myself, but “What Is And What Should Never Be” contains a bass line that even the untrained ear should have little difficulty recognizing.

Driving the verse over Robert Plant’s distorted vocals, John Paul Jones is famous for quietly holding the band together through all of the madness that was being the biggest performers on the planet in the 1970's. As Led Zeppelin toured relentlessly during the recordings of their first 4 albums, tales to become rock folklore began whispering through fan bases. TV’s being thrown from hotel windows, John Bonham driving his motorcycle into the lobby of the Hyatt House (which the band subsequently nicknamed, the ‘Riot House’), women, drugs, mischief, and money, however, John Paul Jones was the one member of the band that could walk in a public place and not get recognized.

This gave JPJ the ability to be a “tourist” when they stayed in foreign cities. His quiet demeanor on stage as the man standing in the back carried into his personal life, as the man with a camera hanging from his neck while taking guided tours of historical landmarks in Europe, Asia, and the Americas. For John Paul Jones, being a rock star was basically a long, relaxing vacation traveling the world...and he liked it that way. While his fellow band members were making the front pages of magazines and newspapers, he could pick and choose when he wanted to be a “member of Led Zeppelin” in public.

The bass line is the loudest track during the verse of “What Is And What Should Never Be”, with the exception of the vocals. It is said that Robert Plant’s lyrics tell of a romance that he had with his then wife’s younger sister. Plant has never confirmed this himself. Storied record producer Rick Rubin has described Plant’s melodic rhythm as “almost like a rap-it’s insane”. This song was featured on the first episode of HBO’s “Sharp Objects” during a scene where Camille (Amy Adams) falls asleep in her car, intoxicated outside a bar. Despite this scene’s implications, I’d recommend “What Is And What Should Never Be” as great driving music 👍🏻!