Why Didn’t Dazed and Confused Feature Music From Led Zeppelin?
Richard Linklater, a highly acclaimed modern filmmaker, wrote and directed Dazed and Confused in 1993. The film’s popularity is unparalleled, and it is classified as a comedy that falls under the “hangout movie” genre. The genre is not strictly defined, but some well-known titles include Rio Bravo (1959), American Graffiti (1973), and Clerks (1994). Dazed and Confused stands out as one of the best films in this genre. It is an iconic movie that set a new standard for the nineties, regardless of region or director.
The cast of Dazed and Confused is remarkable, with actors like Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Renée Zellweger, and Mila Jovovich putting up a brilliant performance. The script by Linklater is perfect from the start, creating a tangible tone with proper pacing and whip-smart dialogue. However, what stands out most in Dazed and Confused is the carefully chosen music. The film’s soundtrack is one of the greatest ever compiled, consisting of classic rock hits from the 1970s, the decade in which the film is set.
In the opening scene, a car moves in slow motion to “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith, setting the tone, voice, and style of filmmaking. The title of the film is derived from the Jake Holmes song of the same name from 1967, which was most prominently performed by Led Zeppelin on their debut album. Led Zeppelin’s music is rare in Hollywood franchises, but their titles were once rare commodities within soundtracks. Before Dazed and Confused, only one major Hollywood production had used one of their titles: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which had the song “Kashmir.”
Linklater made several attempts to convince Jimmy Page and Robert Plant, the band’s lead guitarist and lead singer, respectively, to allow the use of their song “Rock and Roll” in the film, but each attempt was to no avail. A decade later, Linklater directed Jack Black in School of Rock, and the actor-musician convinced Page to release the rights. The featured Zeppelin title for that film was “Immigrant Song,” perhaps the most popular piece from the band to be utilized throughout cinema.
Dazed and Confused is a cult classic that defined ’70s culture for those who grew up in that decade, but it remains timeless for capturing the essence of teenage friendships. It features a star-studded cast of young actors who would go on to become some of the biggest stars Hollywood has ever seen. Partying, sneaking in after hours, skipping class, hazing the freshman; all the staples of average high school experiences are captured in the film. The film’s tone would not have been as atmospheric if it weren’t for the iconic music featured in its well-known soundtrack. It’s a shame Led Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll” was not included, but the film’s popularity endures nonetheless.
Written and directed by Richard Linklater — one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed modern filmmakers — Dazed and Confused (1993) holds more name value than most films of its kind. Best classified as a comedy, it’s among the more famous instances of a “hangout movie” which, although isn’t a tightly defined genre, still boasts some well-known titles like Rio Bravo (1959), American Graffiti (1973), and Clerks (1994). But perhaps the best of the bunch is the film at hand.
Many filmmaking elements came into perfect fruition to create one of the best and most iconic movies of the nineties, regardless of region or director. Its cast performs brilliantly, putting several actors like Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Renée Zellweger, and Mila Jovovich on the Hollywood map. The script from Linklater works perfectly from the start, creating a tangible tone with proper pacing and whip-smart dialogue.
But among the more noteworthy qualities of Dazed and Confused would be its carefully chosen choices of music. It’s frankly among the greatest soundtracks ever compiled, consisting of classic rock hits from the 1970s — the decade in which the film is set. This is also how a tone, a voice, a certain style of filmmaking is established in the opening scene as a car moves in slow motion to “Sweet Emotion” by Aerosmith. The title of the film is even taken from the Jake Holmes song of the same name from 1967, which was most prominently performed by Led Zeppelin on their debut album.
A History of Led Zeppelin in Movies
Nowadays, music from Led Zeppelin can be heard in Hollywood franchises such as Shrek and Thor. But at one point in the industry, their titles were rare commodities within soundtracks. Before the release of Dazed and Confusedin fact, only one major Hollywood production had used one of their titles: Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982), which had the song “Kashmir”.
Much later, there was “Communication Breakdown” in Small Soldiers (1998), “Tangerine” in Almost Famous (2000), “What is and What Should Never Be” in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), “Good Times, Bad Times” in both The Fighter (2010) and American Hustle (2013), “Ramble On” in Oblivion (2013) and Our Friend (2019), and “When the Levee Breaks” in Argo (2012) and The Big Short (2016).
Then, there’s “Immigrant Song”, featured in Soldier (1998), School of Rock (2003), Shrek the Third (2007), Sucker Punch (2010), and Thor: Ragnarök (2017). That’s the most notable song from Zeppelin regarding their history in film, but Linklater had an original idea in the form of “Rock and Roll”, an entry from their untitled album. He had a specific vision of his frames being punctuated by that particular song. And as the writer of the original script, Linklater saw every other vision come into fruition with regard to Dazed and Confused.
Dazed and Confused Personified ’70s Culture
Following his directorial debut Slacker (1990), the filmmaker at hand was tasked with replicating the success of a seminal independent movie of the 1990s. That first feature from Linklater received widespread acclaim from critics, accrued over a million bucks at the worldwide box office, and has since been selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry. Pretty impressive statistics for a film with a $23,000 budget.
But Linklater returned in valiant fashion with the movie of the hour. Despite its poor showing at the box office, Dazed and Confused received widespread acclaim from critics, and is now considered a cult classic. With very good reason. It features a star-studded cast of young actors who would go on to become some of the biggest stars Hollywood has ever seen, and the project as a whole achieved a tangible tone that results in a unique experience provided by few films ever made.
This movie defined ’70s culture for those who grew up in that decade, but it remains timeless for capturing the essence of teenage friendships. Partying, sneaking in after hours, skipping class, hazing the freshman — all the staples of average high school experiences. But of course, that tone never would’ve been as atmospheric if it weren’t for the iconic music featured in its well-known soundtrack.
Why Wasn’t Led Zeppelin in the Dazed and Confused Soundtrack?
Few bands defined the late sixties and early seventies like Led Zeppelin, a rock group from London formed in 1968. Linklater made several attempts to convince both Jimmy Page and Robert Plant — the band’s lead guitarist and lead singer, respectively — to allow the use of their song “Rock and Roll” in the film. Ultimately, each attempt was to no avail.
A decade later, Linklater directed Jack Black in School of Rockwith the actor-musician actually being the one to convince Page to release the rights. For that film, the featured Zeppelin title was “Immigrant Song”, perhaps the most popular piece from the band at hand to be utilized throughout cinema. And for as great a use as that was of a Zeppelin song in cinema, it’s a shame Page came around so late.
Following the death of their legendary drummer John “Bonzo” Bonham in 1980 and the group’s tandem disbanding, the remaining members were rather hesitant to license their music. “Rock and Roll” is a dynamic, fast-paced hit from one of the most famous band’s in history. And for as legendary as the soundtrack to Dazed and Confused remains, it’d be perhaps the greatest ever compiled if they got that one song from Led Zeppelin.
