Standing On a Hill in My Mountain of Dreams

Thoughts on Romanticism, Led Zeppelin, and wandering with Caspar David Friedrich above a sea of fog.

Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, Caspar David Friedrich ca. 1818. Via Wikimedia Commons.

I first heard the song “Going to California” when I was fifteen. 

At that age, I was rediscovering the fantasy genre that I had enjoyed as a little girl, and my head swirled with the mystical visions of Susanna Clarke’s fairies and Erin Morgenstern’s nocturnal circus. Diving into a new world of speculative fiction for adults would leave a lifelong imprint on my own writing projects. 

At the same time, my love for classic rock truly blossomed, and I had already fallen for Led Zeppelin’s fantasy-inspired songs. I was delighted to see a rock band directly reference J.R.R. Tolkien in its lyrics (see “Ramble On,” “Misty Mountain Hop,” etc.), and I was eager for more. 

“Going to California” is one of their gentler tunes from perhaps their most famous album, Led Zeppelin IV. (The album features hits like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Black Dog,” among others.) When I first listened, I was hypnotized by the lilting…