Additional Coverage:
- 1969 Led Zeppelin Song, Never Played Live, Was One of Jimmy Page’s Least Favorite Tracks (parade.com)
In 1969, Led Zeppelin’s sophomore album delivered a string of rock anthems destined for radio airplay, yet one track never made the leap to the live stage-reportedly due to guitarist Jimmy Page’s refusal to perform it in concert.
That track was “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just a Woman).” Although it frequently aired on rock radio, often as a seamless follow-up to “Heartbreaker,” the band itself never included it in their live setlists.
Co-written by Page and vocalist Robert Plant, “Living Loving Maid” features lyrics about a woman sporting “a purple umbrella and a fifty-cent hat.” Page’s guitar riff has been praised for its fresh, modern sound; Goldmine magazine described it as “tonally fresh” and “the most modern-sounding riff on 1969’s Led Zeppelin II,” likening it to a more sophisticated take on their earlier hit “Communication Breakdown.”
Page confirmed in a 1993 interview with Guitar Player magazine that he used a Vox 12-string guitar on the track, a distinctive sound that can also be heard on songs like “Thank You.”
Despite the positive reception to the guitar work, Page and his bandmates reportedly weren’t fans of the song itself. Guitarist Robbie Gage, who jammed with Page in 1991, told Ultimate Classic Rock that Page expressed a strong dislike for “Living Loving Maid,” saying he’d play almost anything live except that song or “Stairway to Heaven.”
Plant has also been openly critical of the track. In a conversation with True Metal, he admitted, “’Living Loving Maid’ is probably the first one” on his list of songs he wished he hadn’t written, calling the lyrics “terrible.”
While Plant occasionally teased the song onstage in the 1970s-singing the opening line during performances of “Heartbreaker”-Led Zeppelin never fully performed it live. Plant did play the song as an encore during his 1990 Manic Nirvana solo tour, but not with the band.
Still, Plant acknowledges “Living Loving Maid” as a meaningful thread in Led Zeppelin’s diverse musical tapestry. Speaking to The Arts Desk, he reflected on the band’s early years, emphasizing their refusal to be confined by a single style.
“We didn’t actually develop a style and stick to it, we were moving all over the place,” he said. “People now who find us can’t believe that you can actually cover such a broad volume of alternative areas in one four-piece band. That was the great thing about it.”
He added that the contrast between songs like “Living Loving Maid,” “In the Light,” and “Four Sticks” was intentional, noting, “It’s entertainment, and we purposely set out to please ourselves, and kept changing around.”
Nearly six decades after its release, “Living Loving Maid” may not rank among Led Zeppelin’s most celebrated hits, but it endures as a classic rock radio staple-often played alongside “Heartbreaker” as a memorable double feature.