Descriptive Essay about Immigrant Song

No words could fully explain the feeling of pure joy I got while listening to Led Zeppelin's, “Immigrant Song'' skiing down an expert-level ski slope, looking out at the beautiful snow-covered mountain peaks of Lake Tahoe. I put this song on repeat throughout the days as I close my eyes, "jam out" and remember the joyous feeling I got while listening to “Immigrant Song.” However, my mind tells me to flip my phone over while playing Zeppelin and don’t talk to others about some of my “questionable” rock music tastes that I shamefully love. Would it be considered strange to play “Immigrant Song” while getting ready to go to the college fraternity parties with my girlfriends? Yes, most definitely.

Being a female college student from the south, I feel pressured to spend my weekdays listening to songs such as “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett and “Love Story” by Taylor Swift. On the weekends it gets a little more “adventurous” with the idea that I should be attempting to rap the lyrics of “Gods Plan” by Drake while having a good time with friends. Simply put, the more popular the song the better. For example, country music has been a part of Southern culture for decades and is what most expect a Kentucky girl to listen to regularly. Country music highlights the familiarity of life in the South, like driving a truck on a dirt road. This music genre and Thomas Rhett are popular in the Southern region; therefore, I should listen to these top charts country songs. I enjoy listening to similar rock songs to “Immigrant Song” and cringe at most country songs I hear. 

While listening to Thomas Rhett’s “Die a Happy Man” is associated with the southern region that I call home, pop and rap music are associated with my age group and position as a college student. “Love Story” by Taylor Swift is a perfect example of a pop song a teenage girl is supposed to be enjoying. Although Taylor Swift can be fun to listen to, I prefer singing along to Led Zeppelin. It is about innocent love and has feminine features such as the idea that girls should be “boy crazy”. Most people in modern-day society are full of conformist thoughts, like the notion that girls should be obsessed with boys. Even though some may not agree with them, societal normalities are shaped around what is popular. Such as listening to soft rap is what is expected to be played by college students of the modern age. "God's Plan” by Drake is one song that is considered “appropriate" to listen to as a college student. Playing “Immigrant Song” on the other hand is not. 

Listening to “Immigrant Song” is not popular with any taste cultures I may identify with, which accounts for the guilt felt while listening to the song. The yelling and loud guitar sounds are rarely part of modern-day music which may account for the distastefulness of the song. The rebelliousness of the artists in Led Zeppelin may also be considered different from enjoying their songs. For example, the lead artist of Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant, did not conform to the acceptable appearance around the 1970s would have been conservative clothes and cut hair, wearing open shirts on stage, and having hair longer than most women at the time. I was exposed to “Immigrant Song” on a car ride back from school because my father appreciates this rock band which often seems to be appreciated by his generation. Strangely, a rock song could be popular with earlier generations but unpopular with later generations. It may be my guilty pleasure to listen to this "used to be" a popular song, however, I will continue to rock in private as it brings me quilty pleasure I cannot resist.