And for Easter I am going to discuss Led Zeppelin’s Livin’ Lovin’ Maid. Go to Church if you want a spiritual fix.
And “fix” is where I start.
Playing the tune yesterday got me thinking about the opening lyrics, or what I thought were the lyrics – “with a purple umbrella and a fix in hand.” Turns out that “fix in hand” is really “a 50 cent hat.” That English accent strikes again.
And after consulting the lyrics, I then discover that I have also misheard “going round town in a beige Cadillac.” Bear in mind, that I have probably listened to this song a couple thousand times, at least, and never once have I thought about the “beige Cadillac” reference until yesterday. But it made wonder about it because I don’t think that I have ever seen a beige Cadillac. And guess what? I was correct to question it because I discover that Plant is actually singing an “aged Cadillac.”
In my defense though, I had everything else lyric-wise in the song pretty much sussed out correctly. Guess it’s kind of tough to not hear “better lay your money down” correctly.
Livin’ Lovin’ always makes me think of a trip I once made to New York City. I had just checked into the hotel in Manhattan when the radio played what the DJ referred to as a “Zep Set,” featuring several Zeppelin songs back to back. In the most exciting city in the world with a million things to do, I stayed in the room until the set finished. To this day, every time I hear Livin’ Lovin’ Maid I think of that moment.
If not a beige Cadillac, at least everybody’s heard of a pink one: