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Robert Plant — Big Log
Album: The Principle of Moments
Avg rating:
7.8

Your rating:
Total ratings: 1388









Released: 1983
Length: 4:57
Plays (last 30 days): 1
My love is in league with the freeway
Its passion will ride as the cities fly by
And the taillights dissolve in the coming of night
And the questions, in thousands, take flight

My love is a-miles in the waiting
The eyes that just stare, and the glance at the clock
And the secret that burns, and the pain that grows dark
And it's you once again
Leading me on (Leading me on)
Leading me down the road
Driving beyond (Driving beyond)
Driving me down the road

My love is exceedingly vivid
Red-eyed and fevered with the hum of the miles
Distance and longing, my thoughts do collide
Should I rest for a while at the side?

Your love is cradled in knowing
Eyes in the mirror, still expecting they'll come
And sensing too well when the journey is done
There is no turning back, no
There is no turning back
On the run

My love is in league with the freeway
Oh, the freeway, and the coming of nighttime
My love, my love is in league with the freeway
Comments (147)add comment
 Edweirdo wrote:

I love his voice on this.  The electronic drum, not so much, but that's 1983 for you.



I was just thinking the same about the electronic drums and tried to imagine this great song with different percussions. The guitar work is sublime and aged well imho
I love his voice on this.  The electronic drum, not so much, but that's 1983 for you.
 the_jake wrote:

"Big Log" brought to my mind a totally different image that floats in water too.
Brings to mind the joke: 
Q: What was Spock doing with his head down the toilet?
A: Consulting the Captain's log



 timmus wrote:

Oh good grief, after almost 40 years I find out it's "My love is in league with the freeway", not "doesn't lead to the freeway".



i always thought it was "my love is in lead (as in first place in a race) with the freeway."

the real lyrics - much better! 
 Relayer wrote:

I heard him say that truckers use a large book to log miles, cargo, fuel, routes, etc. Truckers call it their big log.  And that is somehow where he got the name about a love song for the highway.


this is great info! thank you!
this is a brilliant guitar song and Plant is very much in his stride here…
odd name for a song

#currynight
My love is in league with the freeway
 
Oh my god, after 40 years I finally realized it's not "My love doesn't lead to the freeway".
 greine wrote:

Love this song, what makes the clapping sound?


A TR-808 drum machine it seems (https://www.wow-vinyl.com/thes...).
 Rockit9 wrote:

Sandbanks, Picton, this song, with my bf Jay, sitting in our dugout sand chairs, sunset.......I am sure this will flash before my eyes when I am leaving this PLACE!




Ahhh Robert Plant, and anything Led Zeppelin for that matter, does bring The Sandbanks of Picton to mind for me too!
 greine wrote:

Love this song, what makes the clapping sound?



Hands.
And the wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round...
Love this song, what makes the clapping sound?
Robert really had great taste in band mates... except for that clapping sound - that's a bit pronounced for me today?  mix?
Oh good grief, after almost 40 years I find out it's "My love is in league with the freeway", not "doesn't lead to the freeway".
What an outstanding track✌️
 Relayer wrote:

I wish there was more music out there with Robbie Blunt, his early guitarist.  Just wonderful in his music writing and playing.  




There are some youtube videos of Plant/Blunt live, Blunt's playing is really exceptional.
Fabulous, rich, and evocative of a wild and fairly care-free year of my life, during which I left Engineering and committed to living Rocky Mountain Way... Makes me remember my friend Johnny M, who loved guitar, taught himself to play it well, and dug this song madly. 
 the_jake wrote:

"Big Log" brought to my mind a totally different image that floats in water too.


You'll be ready for 10th grade, next year
 Pjesnik wrote:
 

Not quite, but reaches it asymptotically.




Show off.  
I keep forgetting this is a Robert Plant solo piece.  I keep assuming that it is a Led Zeppelin piece.  This is a terrific lush, wandering song all the same.
Can't ignore the proto- eighties production. What the hell's that handclap meant to be? It's not a song that evokes a row of dumbly clapping robots. What were they thinking? They were thinking "We've got 64 tracks now, better use them all. The sound of one hand clapping on 52 of them. Pass the biggest Roland."
 tanyhon wrote:
Pure bliss 

Not quite, but reaches it asymptotically.


I wish there was more music out there with Robbie Blunt, his early guitarist.  Just wonderful in his music writing and playing.  
 the_jake wrote:

"Big Log" brought to my mind a totally different image that floats in water too.
 
I heard him say that truckers use a large book to log miles, cargo, fuel, routes, etc. Truckers call it their big log.  And that is somehow where he got the name about a love song for the highway.
 Baby_M wrote:
I've always liked this one.  I've also never figured out why it's called "Big Log."  A title like "Big Log," you'd expect it to be a song about lumberjacks or sawmills or something like that.
 
"Big Log" brought to my mind a totally different image that floats in water too.
This and 29 Palms is The Southland in my mind. 
 Dave_Mack wrote:

...or Percy's...errr....Percy.

And it sounds like he's saying "freeway", but it's really "three-way". 
 
Umm, no, look again. Freeway it is.
 Baby_M wrote:
I've always liked this one.  I've also never figured out why it's called "Big Log."  A title like "Big Log," you'd expect it to be a song about lumberjacks or sawmills or something like that.
 
...or Percy's...errr....Percy.

And it sounds like he's saying "freeway", but it's really "three-way". 
Just realised the cover is a homage (I'll give him the benefit of the doubt) to Nick Drakes River Man.
Sandbanks, Picton, this song, with my bf Jay, sitting in our dugout sand chairs, sunset.......I am sure this will flash before my eyes when I am leaving this PLACE!
 Baby_M wrote:
I've always liked this one.  I've also never figured out why it's called "Big Log."  A title like "Big Log," you'd expect it to be a song about lumberjacks or sawmills or something like that.

 
A reference to a truck driver's log book, my guess.
I've always liked this one.  I've also never figured out why it's called "Big Log."  A title like "Big Log," you'd expect it to be a song about lumberjacks or sawmills or something like that.
Beautiful!
A fine album, too.
Pure bliss 
The first 8 notes of this song (i.e. the hook) are what KZOK, Seattle's Classic  (Clear Channel) Rock station, use as their interlude between songs on HD Channel 2, Classic Rock deep cuts.

Complete Pavlovian response by me thinking "what's next?" And now I know what song it is, finally! 

KZOK HD2 is about the only FM I can listen to, thankfully HD stations don't have much advertising, and "deep cuts" can be deceiving, sometimes the main chanel plays a deeper cut while simultaneously playing a #1 song on HD2.

Check it out if you want Classic Rock only; it's streamed online.

Long live RP!  
Beautiful work.  Still sounds good.
My favourite from this album.
Heard this song for the first time in the GTA V video game and love it since then..
Absolutely gorgeous!!
All right, I give up. What's the Big Log?
 Stratocaster wrote:
He stayed in my hotel once.  He ate breakfast every morning in public, graciously spoke with fans that approached him, and he was the antithesis of what you would think a star of his stature would be.  I thought that was pretty cool.

 
He used to use the same petrol filling station as i used. I never saw him but the guys serving would mention it. He drove an Audi back then (early/mid 2000's)
 Baketown wrote:
That is great you saw the Firm,  How were they?

I saw Plant on the Now and Zen tour
 
...i remembre robert explaining the invisible women onstage who would sway their hips to make the 'heaven knows' sound...
 Zonkers wrote:
Damn this song brings back some memories, some sweet, some bitter. I got a chance to see him on this tour (and Page with The Firm)
Thanks for playing this! 

 

That is great you saw the Firm,  How were they?

I saw Plant on the Now and Zen tour
OMG, wore out this album my first year in University - love love love {#Good-vibes}
Certainly better than Zep!
Damn this song brings back some memories, some sweet, some bitter. I got a chance to see him on this tour (and Page with The Firm)
Thanks for playing this! 
I may need to go back and re-visit some of this solo stuff...
 

Timeless,  it has held up well!


 netskink wrote:
Is Viktor her brother?

 
BobSteinVisiBone wrote:
Alison Krauss did an amazing cover of this.
 
 
Yes.
God, was it really thirty years ago!! Wondered who was playing guitar and came up with this which might be of interest to the RP posse..

Robbie Blunt went from being a journeyman blues player to the guitarist Robert Plant worked with after Jimmy Page during Plant's early solo career. Blunt excelled at this daunting proposition and became an integral part of Plant's sound. Although this is Blunt's major claim to fame, he has contributed to a lesser degree to various artists both before and after his association with Plant. 

Blunt had been a fairly popular gun for hire in the '70s, working with such forgotten groups as Bronco, Silverhead, and Chicken Shack. His long friendship with Robert Plant paid off in the months following the demise of Led Zeppelin, as Plant asked him to join his R&B pickup group, the Honeydrippers. This arrangement turned less casual when Plant decided to formally test the solo waters in 1982 with Pictures at Eleven. Blunt's playing on the album was very reminiscent of Jimmy Page's, blending blues, Eastern melodies, heavy riffing, and emotive solos into a surprisingly potent mix. Blunt continued to play a key part in the writing and playing on Plant's solo breakthrough, 1983's The Principle of Moments, and its two MTV and radio hits, "Big Log" and "In the Mood." After an official Honeydrippers release and its hit remake of "Sea of Love," Plant wanted to emphasize keyboards more on 1985's Shaken 'n' Stirred, which left Blunt's role somewhat confused. The relationship deteriorated, and Blunt and the rest of the band were sacked in late 1985.

Blunt has added guest guitar to many projects since then, appearing with artists as varied as Clannad, Edie Brickell, and Julian Lennon, but he has never quite equaled the success or exposure that he had with Plant
 dkwalika wrote:
I like the fact that Plant is never afraid to try new things. This is a gem.
 
ABSOLUTELY!    {#Cheers}
Great song, holds up well over time! 
 crockydile wrote:
Lost my virginity to this one. {#Hug}
 
i might have lost mine to the same song... the time was about right. whew, i've not heard this in a very long time.
Nobody can beat Bill's segue ways !
the first song I learned to play on the guitar using notation rather than tab.   the second was Bouree by Jethro Tull.  Still sounds great even though learning it destroys the romance.
I like the fact that Plant is never afraid to try new things. This is a gem.
 crockydile wrote:
Message from the TMI Dept:

Lost my virginity to this one. {#Hug}
 
sexxy
(nice how you can not rate songs now, too) 
He stayed in my hotel once.  He ate breakfast every morning in public, graciously spoke with fans that approached him, and he was the antithesis of what you would think a star of his stature would be.  I thought that was pretty cool.
Memories: I was 16, driving home from swimming and got somewhat lost in this song, to the point that I was going 73 in a 45. Did I mention I was 16? Just before I turned into my driveway, full on cop lights in the rearview. Adrenaline, pumping, I pull in. He follows. This was my first pull-over.

My mom comes out: "What's wrong"?

"I dunno".

The cop sees my bloodshot eyes (chlorinated pool) and asks if I'd been smoking pot. I said of course not, I was swimming and I guess I just spaced out. Luckily, I had a wet swimsuit and wet hair (I had hair at the time).

He let me off.

Every time I hear this song, I think of it.

Good song.
Don't the hand claps just add to the 80s nostalgia. This song reminds me of road trips of my youth driving across the big expanse of nothing that exists between Boise and Phoenix. Nothing like 19 hours in a car for a 10 year old.

Ahhhhhhh. My ears are loving it! As a forever Robert Plant fan - this is definitely a favorite. Still, Ship of Fools is my favorite! {#Sunny}

Great minimalist track. Yanks me right back to high-school. Wasn't this the video with the water droplets on the guitar strings? Love it.


This song should have been on Miami Vice...seriously.  Luv it.
 black321 wrote:
 philipburrows wrote:

This song is a classic; the only thing is those ruddy handclaps. With each passing year they stand out just that little bit more. 

I love Plants solo work, even the dodgy 80’s stuff. Under the 80’s production lay some fantastic songs. Great track on Picture At Eleven called Slow Dance.



 

I was just going to post more or less the same thoughts. Perhaps he should takes the tapes back into the studio and remix the sound.
 
Yes!

Bob, if you're listening, get on your laptop and get to work on a clap-less 30th anniversary edition, please.

 philipburrows wrote:
This song is a classic; the only thing is those ruddy handclaps. With each passing year they stand out just that little bit more. 

I love Plants solo work, even the dodgy 80’s stuff. Under the 80’s production lay some fantastic songs. Great track on Picture At Eleven called Slow Dance

I agree on those claps.  I also agree has had a quite distinguished solo career.   


The ULTIMATE road trip song
 philipburrows wrote:

This song is a classic; the only thing is those ruddy handclaps. With each passing year they stand out just that little bit more. 

I love Plants solo work, even the dodgy 80’s stuff. Under the 80’s production lay some fantastic songs. Great track on Picture At Eleven called Slow Dance.



 



I was just going to post more or less the same thoughts. Perhaps he should takes the tapes back into the studio and remix the sound.

This song is a classic; the only thing is those ruddy handclaps. With each passing year they stand out just that little bit more. 

I love Plants solo work, even the dodgy 80’s stuff. Under the 80’s production lay some fantastic songs. Great track on Picture At Eleven called Slow Dance.



EXELLENT!
 ziakut wrote:
Not a Robert Plant fan per se. But...really like this tune. Also love Little by Little and Ship of Fools. 
 
Ship of Fools is an amazing track. I never tire of it.

This one sparks some fond memories from my younger days - friends and booze and being completely invincible.  I loved this tune then and still really enjoy it now, even after commercial radio overkill.


Not a Robert Plant fan per se. But...really like this tune. Also love Little by Little and Ship of Fools. 
I 'm a former Idahoan. Top of the handle. Where long distances abound.
Maybe we had taters in our ears!!{#Tongue}
tanyaahogan wrote:
I learned to drive long distances to this amazing view of life via RP ~

{#Roflol}  funny

sandpebble
(near Paradise) wrote:

My love is a leaf on the freeway.
 
 

Is Viktor her brother?

 
BobSteinVisiBone wrote:
Alison Krauss did an amazing cover of this.
 


My love is a leaf on the freeway.
Perfect accompaniment for tea time this afternoon ... {#Meditate}
Fabulous...always love this song. Comes along in good timing today.


Robbie Blunt
blunt
Nice!
I love this song... I could do without the clap. but hey, it was the 80s. I'm roller skating now 
Message from the TMI Dept:

Lost my virginity to this one. {#Hug}
A classic voice, such dated music.
 alvarorb wrote:
I remember when I got that LP. Phil Collins plays the drums on it. I think he produced the album too. I was 16 at the time and I think I must have worn the groves out of that LP. Good times.
Wonderful song. 
 

Smiling...! Yes - most-most wonderful!
A real-real singer!
WONDERFUL SONG TOO!
I remember buying the vinyl purely for this song, happy days!

The Rifleman
I remember when I got that LP. Phil Collins plays the drums on it. I think he produced the album too. I was 16 at the time and I think I must have worn the groves out of that LP. Good times.
Wonderful song. 
" Plant's lyrics were often influenced by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. Big Log is a mythical, extended metaphor for a lost love: "My love is in league with the freeway... My love is the miles and the waiting." A Big Log is common lingo of tractor trailer drivers. It is the book in which their road hours are logged, therefore the connection between the road and love and the countless hours we all log on both." (thanks, Stuart - Salem, MA)
 . . . It's about Trucking and management of the BIg Log Book -
 Lonestar wrote:
Fitting name for this song, it's gotta be one of his worst.
 
Yeah, we used to make fun of this song for that reason.

The fact that some of the younger members of my social group thought that Plant was doing his best work on these solo albums always stirred up quite a fuss, as well.

Some of us "old folks" will always remember the "salad days" when Led Zeppelin toured America. Some of those shows were among the best live shows ever.

Hard to compare to. {#Cool}

 Lonestar wrote:
Fitting name for this song, it's gotta be one of his worst.
 
ok that really made me laugh
Fitting name for this song, it's gotta be one of his worst.
I was just thinking that a) I really loved this when it came out (great ethereal open sound) and b) it really sounds dated now.  Mostly thanks to the sampler claps, drum-machine, and the sound of his reverb.  Still, I remember the warm feeling it used to give me more than anything.

Edit: That guitar solo is perfectly understated though... still rates high for me despite its 80s fingerprints.

 nu-GFX wrote:
Wait one more minute and Don Johnson will step into the picture. {#Think}

I like this song. Has a very nice mood.

 


Alison Krauss did an amazing cover of this.

a big log indeed.

but the lyrics salvage it somewhat.
Wait one more minute and Don Johnson will step into the picture. {#Think}

I like this song. Has a very nice mood.

Ah 80's...not my favorite musical period when it comes to songs like this.
It's driving me AWAY from this song.{#Frustrated}
amazing song...great!!!!!{#Notworthy}
The last time I heard this song, Alison Krauss was singing lead.  What an incredible show!
Cruithne3753 wrote:
You could hear his hair?
Definitely. That and the leather trousers.
EssexTex wrote:
Or it's about poo!
I analysed this song in high school english class. I believe he is talking about being on the road on tour and leaving the person he loves behind. Robert Plant is a true genius...a true rock god!
starfishNcoffee wrote:
one definition of "log" is "to travel for (a certain distance or a certain amount of time), according to the record of a log: We logged 30 miles the first day. He has logged 10,000 hours flying time." Maybe he is saying that he will log the distance of the freeway i.e. he is not limited by anything. Just a thought...
Or it's about poo!
one definition of "log" is "to travel for (a certain distance or a certain amount of time), according to the record of a log: We logged 30 miles the first day. He has logged 10,000 hours flying time." Maybe he is saying that he will log the distance of the freeway i.e. he is not limited by anything. Just a thought...
Love this. Robbie Blount was his guitar player on the first few solo albums. He was quite different from Jimmy in that he used a strat, and Jimmie played Gibsons pretty exclusively. He was very underrated, and he was from "Wales." He wales, alright
asocash wrote:
So much of Robert Plant's early solo stuff was so interesting... especially his commercially un-popular follow-up to Principal of Moments album called 'Shaken and Stirred'... quite experimental. This song reminds me of late-summer days... Robbie Blunt is one of the most underappreciated guitarists out there... Robbert let Robbie slip away for "Now and Zen" and I haven't pyrchased a Robert Plant album since
I'd recommend "Fate of Nations." He gets back to this kind of sound on that album and away from the hyperactive grating sort of stuff he did on Now & Zen and Manic Nirvana.
I remember thinking of him as "Just" Led Zepplin stuff... I remember this album being released and I thought "Wow - hes good" this album really changed my perceptions on Robert Plant ... this and the Honeydrippers work was sure a depature from the Led Zep stuff of old
very damn good!
My favorite Plant solo song.
Awesome song!!
Absolutely fantastic track from a fantastic album. Stunning guitar!
zaakster wrote:
This was when he was trying very hard NOT to sound like Zeppelin -- short hair...
You could hear his hair?
I knew there was something familiar about the cover
I once went out a blind date with a guy who blasted this on the stereo in his Trans Am. I think he had a mullet, too. Good times.
fingerpin wrote:
The popular explanation for the title of this song is completely innocuous. It's been said that when this song was being written, the flames in the fireplace were dying. Someone suggested they get it going again and this time "Use the 'big log'". Seriously.
Kind of like naming a song after a 'black dog' wandering around the studio.
Interesting how dated the chorus effect sounds today. Back then it was novel and ubiquitous, and now you can pretty much date any recording that used it.
ThePoose wrote:
Cover art echoes Neil's After the Goldrush
Now you mention it I do believe your right. Dose Nick Drake not also have a wall photo like this on the back/inside covers of one of his albums?
The popular explanation for the title of this song is completely innocuous. It's been said that when this song was being written, the flames in the fireplace were dying. Someone suggested they get it going again and this time "Use the 'big log'". Seriously.
It's probably about R. Plants (big d***)..it's infamous...... it just has to be.... ( that's what I'd like to imagine anyway)
Nice stuff - an excellent blast from the past. So what, I wonder, is "big log" all about? It does sound a bit scatological to me... ;-). Or maybe it could be David Lynch's theme tune?
Cover art echoes Neil's After the Goldrush