Kashmir was released in 1975 on Led Zeppelin’s 6th Studio Album “Physical Graffiti” and is their most popular song that originates from it. 

To understand Kashmir’s meaning we first must not only look at what role it plays in the Album but also what the creators, Robert Plant and Jimmy Paige, were thinking at the time. 

First to answer the question what role it plays it is important to understand that Led Zeppelin was originally a Blues Band. This is most evidently seen in their first Album as a Group, Led Zeppelin 1, though trough out the years they have mixed this with many different styles. Led Zeppelin 4 as an example takes many inspirations form folk music and Led Zeppelin 2 mixes their Blues with rock. In almost all their albums they pay homage to those beginnings with the first few Songs almost always having a form of Rock or Blues within them. Once again per example of Led Zeppelin 4, the album begins with “Black Dog” which is a clear blues-rock song. This homage paying is also present in “Physical Graffiti”, with “Custard Pie”. 

The role of Kashmir, in my opinion, is to properly introduce the Listener to the identity of the Album and the calmer atmosphere of the following songs. The few songs before it, still maintain a very different sound aesthetic more similar to “Custard Pie”. 

Now after our first question has been answered we can ask ourselves what Jimmy Paige and Robert Plant’s thoughts were during the writing process of “Kashmir”. Jimmy Paige got the idea from one of the riffs from a song called “Swan Song”, though it was only used very shortly at the end. He wanted to expand on it, so he inverted it and at a practice Session where only the bands drummer John Bonham showed up, he played it to him and on that day almost all the lines for the bass and guitar were written as well as the drum beat. A year later the band’s singer, Robert Plant, had heard the track and proceeded to sing over it with whatever came to his mid. He described it as majestic and mighty. He visualized the song as if an orchestra would be playing over it. But for the lyrics he had stated that a trip with Paige along the Moroccan Atlantic Coast to the national festival of folklore had inspired him, especially the Sahara Desert region through which their travelled. 

After understanding these factors, we can truly examine the song properly. The song is made up of the Band’s classic instruments: Electric guitar, bass, and drums. But the song also utilizes orchestral instruments like an orchestral brass and string, and trumpets. The mixture of these two music genres creates a very distinct identity for Kashmir. Very few songs sound anything like it. This can also be attributed to the lower tuned guitar Paige uses. Usually, a guitar is tuned in the following order: E A D G B E. Though Paige wanted a different sound. And because of this reason the guitar used is tuned in D A D G A D. But the riff that Paige wrote is almost hypnotic. How it cycles on trough almost the entire song yet builds itself up with more instruments and adds small melodies to itself. It evolves through the entire song until the climax where all these instruments and melodies empower Plant’s powerful voice until the song finally ends. The song consists of 3 main components the original riff that is played trough out the song many times, the bridge and the ending. All of them weave into one another seamlessly. Musically seen this is the band at their creative height. 

And finally, the lyrics. The lyrics are interesting to say the least. Without context of the song they can sound like complete nonsense to one and that is the largest issue one can make when interpreting “Kashmir”. Not taking into account when the lyrics are sung and what had happened musically before in the song and what will come. Many people have gotten very used to lyrics telling a clear story and the music being a background, or the other way around, but this way of thinking couldn’t ever work for understanding “Kashmir”. In my opinion not taking every part of the song into thought when writing lyrics traps one creatively and it’s nowhere near as interesting and thought provoking for listener. When listening to “Kashmir” one needs to really think about how this exact moment in the song makes one feels and then compare those feelings to the lyrics and only then will the true meaning be able to reveal itself. After understanding this we can truly see that this is Led Zeppelin’s greatest monument. Them being able to convey and project dreamlike visions and describe almost ethereal and poetic worlds.

The band has stated that they imagine Kashmir is a place where they are “conversing with the old local prophets, about revelations and the coming of the Messiah”. I interpret these lyrics, with this information as them seeing visions or being in a state of trance where they experience a mystical reality. The guitar riff mirrors this delusionary state by going on in a loop.

Oh, pilot of the storm who leaves no trace
Like sorts inside a dream
Leave the path that led me to that place
Yellow desert stream
Like Shangri-la beneath the summer moon
I will return again
As the dust that floats finds you
We’re moving through Kashmir

These lyrics mirror this mythological idea of a place as well. Plant speaks about wanting to return since this is sung over the original riff, which I interpret as him being in the real world once again. And he does just that later in the song he returns, and the riff and melody change reflect this change of reality as well. 

I can only begin to interpret “Kashmir”. And trying to go through it lyric for lyric would take until the end of time. What I tried to showcase in this text is the creative power of Led Zeppelin and the genius of Kashmir. But as well I wanted to show how popular music used to be. I believe to this day, that “Kashmir” is one of the greatest works of Art ever created.