This is where the classic saying “don’t fly too close to the sun” originates from. Icarus chooses to ignore his father’s instructions and flies too close to the sun, thus melting the wax on his wings causing him to fall into the sea and drown. In the classic story of complacency and hubris, Daedalus warns Icarus to fly neither too close to the sun, for fear of the heat melting the waxen wings, nor too close to the sea, for fear of the moisture from the water dampening the feathers. Evening (The Fall of Day) by William Rimmer So, who is Icarus?Īccording to ancient Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, whom had crafted wings for his son out of feathers and wax in order to escape from Crete. Though much speculation exists on whether the logo actually represents Icarus, the official Led Zeppelin website sells merchandise with the symbol on it and refers to it as Icarus, so that’s what we’re going with here. The original artwork is said to be a depiction of Apollo, the Olympian god of the sun and light, though others have considered it to be a depiction of Lucifer, or in Led Zeppelin’s case, Icarus. Rimmer’s drawing is called Evening (The Fall of Day), naturally his most famous work due to the connection with Zeppelin, and it currently resides in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The Led Zeppelin Icarus symbol was initially based upon a drawing done sometime around 1870 by the American painter William Rimmer, which the band saw and decided to adopt into their Swan Song Records logo. In time, of course, the Icarus symbol became synonymous with the band itself, and today it can certainly be counted in the ranks of Led Zeppelin logos, right along with the four symbols (i.e Zoso) that initially appeared on the inner sleeve of Led Zeppelin IV. You’ve certainly seen the Icarus symbol on Led Zeppelin t-shirts, posters, and the works, but it’s important to note that the logo was initially not for the band itself but rather just for the label. This label was called Swan Song Records, and it launched in May of 1974 featuring an artists rendition of the angel Icarus as its mascot. Young Icarus flew too high while escaping Crete, causing his wings to melt and plucking him out of the sky. It's the story of the rise and fall of a shooting star, though Led Zeppelin's lasting legacy will keep them in the air forever.In 1973, the five-year contract agreement that Led Zeppelin had made with Atlantic Records expired, and instead of signing a new deal with Atlantic or another label, the band decided to start their own record label. You know that saying about not flying too close to the sun? That’s from Greek mythology, from the story of Icarus. Icarus is on plenty of tour tees and amazing Led Zep merch, it never graced their album artwork. Since the design was actually created for Swan Song Records, Led Zeppelin never actually featured the Icarus imagery on an album cover. “Icarus” Never Appeared On A Led Zeppelin Album Cover The label lasted nine years (’74-83) before shutting down, publishing just under 30 studio albums while active. The next biggest act to Led Zeppelin was probably Bad Company, another legendary band. While the Swan Song logo is tied so closely to the band, it was actually created as the “mascot” for their record label, Swan Song Records. The Swan Song Design Was Created For Their Record Label The man who drew the incredible Swan Song logo is none other than Joe Petagno, a renown artist who also worked with Pink Floyd, Motorhead and plenty of other rock bands. Petagno is known especially for creating Motorhead album art and designs, like their own iconic mascot Snaggletooth.

You can find the original piece at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Massachusetts. The Led Zeppelin Swan Song logo is actually based off a sketch by William Rimmer, titled Evening (The Fall of Day), originally drawn in 1869. We looked into the history of the Swan Song logo and picked out five interesting facts about the history of one of the most iconic logos in music history. The second thing might be the iconic Icarus Swan Song logo that is so closely associated with Jimmy Page and company. It's the perfect image for a band like Led Zeppelin, a timeless piece of art that just feels right in the lore of classic rock. When you think Led Zeppelin the first thing that's come to mind are the incredible albums released over the 12 years span they revolutionized rock.

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