"The Rain Song", Houses of the Holy
I've been listening to "The Rain Song" a great deal lately. Despite its title, it goes marvelously with a sun-kissed day, and also the wee hours of the night, just before bed. Though I've heard the song endlessly, as it ranks as one of my very favorites, its poignancy never seems to fade. The delicately ethereal lilt, the grandiose sounds of JPJ's ascending Mellotron, matched with the intimate and gentle coos of JP's Danelectro - and the way they all come together - its timeless and heavenly. Light and sweeping, it cradles you into its realm, elegantly building into an epic, with its emotion boldly in tact all the way through. Robert Plant gracefully sprinkles his vocals throughout, as he leads the band's showcase of versatility. And did I mention, the guitar sounds shatteringly gorgeous? Yes. I didn't even know he played a Danelectro on it until recently, because he played it on the double neck live. And that note that I've mentioned before, you first hear it at :29. Everlasting, yes. And beautiful -- absolutely.
