Song · Led Zeppelin
“Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin
From the album Led Zeppelin II (1969)
“Moby Dick” by Led Zeppelin appears on 14 radio countdowns from 10 stations between 1997 and 2024. It was first released in 1969 on the album Led Zeppelin II. Its best result is #19 on the 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #4,564 indie & aaa song of all time.
Led Zeppelin II gives its eighth track over to John Bonham: "Moby Dick", named for Herman Melville's 1851 novel, is an instrumental built around his drum solo, with a blues rock riff standing guard at either end. It came together after Jimmy Page, producing the record, caught Bonham jamming in the studio, taped stretches of his solos and stitched them together, and outtakes from the sessions show the solo was cut down from a much longer take. The riff itself goes back to "The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair", an unused BBC session track from the summer of 1969.
Over the years the band also called it "Pat's Delight", in an early version with a whole different riff, and "Over the Top", and it's often ranked among the greatest drum solos ever.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Indie & Adult Alternative
Classic Rock
Hard Rock & Metal
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | 916 | 102.3 WBAB | WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) | 1023 |
| 2001 | 846 | WFPK | WFPK 2001 Greatest Songs of All Time | 2000 |
| 2002 | 101 | KISW | KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) | 999 |
| 2010 | 464 | 97.9 The Loop | The Loop USO Rock 'N' Roll 500 (2010) | 500 |
| 2011 | 1050 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1100 Countdown (2011) | 1100 |
| 2012 | 1114 | 100.7 WZLX | 100.7 WZLX Top 1200 Countdown (2012) | 1200 |
| 2012 | 823 | WXPN | WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) | 885 |
| 2013 | 19 | 99.1 PLR | 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50 | 50 |
| 2020 | 931 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) | 1025 |
| 2022 | 1008 | 102.5 KZOK | KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) | 1025 |
| 2023 | 395 | KSHE 95 | KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2023) | 500 |
| 2023 | 1006 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) | 1043 |
| 2024 | 956 | Q104.3 | Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) | 1043 |
| 2024 | 462 | KSHE 95 | KSHE 95 Rock N' Roll 500 (2024) | 500 |
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