The reference to a person’s “Moby Dick” infers something that one becomes completely obsessed with, until it ultimately consumes them. In the instance of rock band Led Zeppelin’s drummer, John Bonham, this drum solo was his “Moby Dick”. According to everything2.com, “In concert, Bonham would extend his solo until this song reached a half-hour in length. The live version on ‘The Song Remains the Same’ soundtrack is not quite that long, just under 13 minutes.” This drum solo presented for Bonham an opportunity to showcase his skill, which for drummers, is not often found through solos, let alone of such length. The conceptual notion behind the creation of this solo extends beyond allowing the other band members a ‘smoke break’ through to the experience given to the crowd from Bonham’s obsessive beat. He takes his drumming, his single-minded obsession of this epic solo, to new heights as he extends, shortens, or modifies the solo throughout his concert career. This solo could be named “Moby Dick” because of the expertise Bonham needed to create, edit, and recreate the solo live in front of audiences everywhere. However, the obsessive nature of the solo follows its namesake in more than just the expertise needed for such a feat. According to songfacts.com, “Bonham sometimes drew blood performing this from beating his hands on his snare and tom toms.” The grotesque level to which this solo affected Bonham is similar to the obsessive nature through which Captain Ahab and the Pequod’s sailors pursue the sperm whale “Moby Dick”.
–Rebecca
I was going to post this as well, being an avid Zeppelin fan. I looked it up, and for the longest time, it was known as “Over the Top” (also due to Bonham’s drumming expertise). However, after some time, Bonham’s son asked him to play “the long song, because it’s big like Moby”. So in actuality, the name of the song evolved due to the humor of John Bonham’s son.
-Marc