If you’ve seen the TV show Outer Range, you may or may not have noticed that it made various Led Zeppelin references that were historically inaccurate.
Outer Range is a sci-fi western drama starring Josh Brolin. The actor portrays a rancher who’s traveled through time via a giant hole located in a pasture on his family’s property in Wyoming. As other characters in the series discover the hole and its abilities, they attempt to manipulate the outcomes of certain situations by living in alternate realities of their lives.
If you enjoy Yellowstone and shows about time travel, Outer Range is for you. The series’ creators seem to be big rock ‘n’ roll fans, too, as the soundtrack is full of great songs.
There were even a couple of Led Zeppelin references during the second season, which just came out on Amazon Prime Video last month.
SPOILERS AHEAD: Please note that this story contains spoilers for the season if you haven’t watched it yet.
Outer Range Trailer
Led Zeppelin References in Outer Range Are Historically Inaccurate
Joy Hawk, the town’s deputy sheriff, accidentally traveled through time at the end of Season 1 (though it’s not entirely clear how, as she didn’t crawl into the mystical hole). Regardless, she ended up with her Shoshone ancestors in the year 1882. It’s later revealed that she spent a total of four years there.
During her time with the tribe, she befriended a fellow Native woman named Falling Star who traveled time from the 1970s. Falling Star pulled up her sleeve to show Hawk a tattoo on her forearm of Led Zeppelin’s Icarus logo, which is the symbol for the label Swan Song that the band founded in 1974.
“Is that Zeppelin?” Hawk asked.
“‘Kashmir’ is my favorite song,” Falling Star replied. “I’m a traveler of both time and space!”
Except, a bit later in the episode, Falling Star shared that she was originally from the year 1972 — two years before Zeppelin launched Swan Song, and three years before “Kashmir” was released on Physical Graffiti.
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To be fair, the Swan Song Icarus symbol was inspired by an 1860s painting by William Rimmer called “Evening (The Fall of Day),” but to associate it with Led Zeppelin in 1972 would still be inaccurate.
Led Zeppelin, ‘Kashmir’
“Stairway to Heaven” Reference in Outer Range Season 2
A few episodes later, Led Zeppelin were referenced again (with historical accuracy, this time) when Hawk was leaving to rescue a girl who’d been kidnapped. Falling Star offered some words of wisdom and encouragement — or rock ‘n’ roll.
“There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving,” she said.
“There are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on,” Hawk replied.
Obviously, these are lyrics from the band’s 1971 anthem “Stairway to Heaven.” So, by 1972, Falling Star had definitely heard this song.
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Going year by year, looking at the best albums in hard rock since 1970.
Gallery Credit: Loudwire Staff
