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Song · Led Zeppelin

“What Is and What Should Never Be” by Led Zeppelin

From the album Led Zeppelin II (1969)

“What Is and What Should Never Be” by Led Zeppelin appears on 62 radio countdowns from 22 stations between 1982 and 2026. It was first released in 1969 on the album Led Zeppelin II. Its best result is #16 on the 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50. In the combined RockLists rankings it is #8,424 indie & aaa song of all time.

62countdowns
22stations
#16best position
0#1 finishes
0top 10 finishes
1982–2026years charted

Watch

Led Zeppelin - What Is and What Should Never Be (Official Audio)

Video from YouTube (Led Zeppelin). Pressing play loads YouTube's player. Watch on YouTube

"What Is and What Should Never Be" comes second on Led Zeppelin II, from 1969, and it swings between a woozy, daydreaming verse and a riff that lands like a dropped anvil. Jimmy Page wrote it with Robert Plant, one of the first Zeppelin songs to carry Plant's name in the credits, and Page, who first worked it out on an acoustic Harmony Sovereign, recorded it with the Gibson Les Paul that would soon become his trademark, among the first times he did.

Page produced, George Chkiantz engineered and Eddie Kramer mixed, and the whole thing is a headphone trip: the guitars swing from one speaker to the other, and Plant's voice comes through phased in the verses. Years later Rick Rubin praised that descending riff and the almost rap-like rhythm of the vocal, calling it one of their most psychedelic songs.

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#StationCountdownof
1982 272 95.5 KLOS KLOS Memorial Day 500 (1982) 499
1990 665 Z-Rock Z-Rock Top 1001 Songs of All-Time (1990) 1000
1991 415 WNEW-FM WNEW Firecracker 500 (1991) 500
1994 210 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1994) 1000
1995 333 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1995) 1000
1996 197 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1996) 1000
1997 687 102.3 WBAB WBAB Top 1,023 Rock and Roll Songs of All Time (1997) 1023
1997 38 100.7 WZLX WZLX Memorial 500 (1997) 499
1998 154 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1998) 1000
1999 202 KISW KISW Top 1000 of All Time (1999) 998
2002 295 92.3 KGON KGON Top 923 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2002) 923
2002 871 KISW KISW Top 999 of All Time (2002) 999
2004 870 WXPN WXPN 885 All-Time Greatest Songs (2004) 885
2012 806 WXPN WXPN 885 Greatest Rock Songs (2012) 885
2013 65 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR CT 500 (2013) 500
2013 269 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2013) 500
2013 16 99.1 PLR 99.1 PLR Led Zeppelin 50 50
2014 760 Big 100 BIG 1000 New Year's Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 210 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX 1K Countdown (2014) 1000
2014 240 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 400 (2014) 400
2015 285 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Firecracker 500 (2015) 499
2015 304 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2015) 500
2015 204 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Classic Rock Countdown (2015) 1007
2015 349 I-95 I-95 Memorial Day Weekend Top 500 (2015) 500
2016 93 103.5 The Fox The Fox Memorial Day 500 (2016) 299
2016 241 Qfm96 Qfm96 Memorial Day 500 (2016) 500
2016 371 102.9 The Whale 102.9 The Whale Hartford 500 (2016) 500
2016 333 100.7 WZLX 100.7 WZLX Top 1007 Countdown for 2016 1007
2017 402 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2017) 500
2018 417 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2018) 500
2019 311 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2019) 500
2019 177 Big 100 BIG 500 Memorial Day Countdown (2019) 500
2019 458 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2019) 500
2019 279 102.5 KZOK KZOK Top 1025 of 2019 1025
2019 425 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2019) 500
2020 198 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2020) 500
2020 287 Q105.7 Q105.7 Memorial Day 500 (2020) 499
2020 372 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2020) 500
2020 357 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2020) 1025
2020 322 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2020) 500
2021 375 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2021) 1043
2021 367 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2021) 499
2021 185 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ 500 (2021) 500
2021 446 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2021) 500
2021 252 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2021) 500
2022 224 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2022) 500
2022 805 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2022) 1043
2022 465 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2022) 500
2022 146 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2022 217 102.5 KZOK KZOK Classic Rock Top 1025 (2022) 1025
2022 253 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2022) 500
2023 220 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2023) 1043
2023 395 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2023) 500
2023 429 WMGK WMGK Philly 500 (2023) 500
2024 352 97 Rock 97 Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 499
2024 567 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2024) 1043
2024 391 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2024) 500
2025 363 102.5 WDVE DVE Memorial Day 500 (2025) 500
2025 925 Q104.3 Q104.3 Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time (2025) 1043
2025 388 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2025) 500
2026 392 106.7 WLLZ WLLZ Rock N Roll 500 (2026) 500
2026 222 100.7 KSLX KSLX Arizona 500 (2026) 500

Also listed as: What Is And What Should Never Be; What is and What Should Never Be; What Is & What Should Never Be; What Is and What Should Never.

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