Robert Plant is rock's ultimate mystic nature boy. I mean, his last name is Plant, right? It's like he came up through the earth to blossom in the sun and soak up life among forests and streams, stones and gardens.
The Rain Song is this concept in full bloom; it's a lovely ballad. Jimmy Page plays the guitar like a gentle spring rain, moist green leaves quivering with raindrops. Robert strolls among the trees, communing with nature, experiencing the joy and mystery of the world...It is the springtime of my loving, the second season I am to know. He is on the verge of Donovan territory, epistle to dippy and all that. But Robert's sensitivity is more profound than that fey lad's. More like Nick Drake, attuned to his surroundings and daily life. Robert also sees himself as a strong heroic figure, as evidenced by his fantasy sequence in the film The Song Remains the Same, where he searches for the Holy Grail and rescues a damsel being held in a castle.
The lyrics compare the emotional journey of love to the changes of the seasons, rising and falling, summer to winter, a cycle. There are occasional rough patches, but as long as the torch burns those can be overcome. This is the wonder of devotion. Life and love are filled with joyful moments, but true to nature, upon us all a little rain must fall. Hopefully it helps strengthen the bond, not becoming a deluge that wipes it all out. I never understood the line this is the mystery of the quotient. Something involving division, right? At one point Robert studied to be an accountant, so maybe this line is a flashback to a math problem he was trying to solve? haha.
The music is delicate and romantic. Mellotron and piano, light guitar, no Zeppelin bombast until late in the song, around 5:00, and even then it's not extreme. It reminds me sometimes of Black Sabbath's song, Changes. Makes me wonder how much the groups influenced each other.
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