Rock and roll is fraught with health and safety concerns, from dealing with the effects of years spent under the influence of drugs and alcohol to the potential for falling off stages and breaking bones. For a band like Led Zeppelin, who lived the archetypal rock and roll life of anarchy, destruction, and partying, these risks were significantly increased. However, the potential for injury seemingly brought with it the potential for songwriting inspiration, at least in the case of Robert Plant. 
Chances are, if you can think of a stereotypical attribute of a rock and roll star, it was Robert Plant who first established that trope. From the outset of Led Zeppelin’s existence, the flamboyant frontman typified the attitude and lifestyle of rock, in addition to setting the standard for virtually every other rock vocalist. Although it is the incredible guitar riffs of Jimmy Page which are often placed under the spotlight when it comes to Zeppelin, Plant’s vocal tones formed a colossal part of the band’s infectious and enduring sound.
Plant’s voice helped to establish Led Zeppelin among the definitive rock outfits of the 1970s. By the mid-point of the decade, the band were on top of the world – legions of adoring fans, an unparalleled musical repertoire, and all the trimmings of rock fame. However, this success brought with it a unique set of problems. Namely, the band were facing hefty tax bills. So, like The Rolling Stones before them, the band sought to become tax exiles, living predominantly outside of the UK.
We’re not here to get into the morality of this practice, but it seems as though the band’s tax-dodging ways led to a run of particularly bad luck for Plant. While the singer was in Greece, as a tax exile, he experienced a pretty nasty car accident, when his rental vehicle span off the road. This resulted in a broken ankle, which severely disrupted the band’s touring and recording schedule to accommodate for his recovery.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The nature of Plant’s injury and the location in which it had occurred immediately drew parallels to the world of Greek mythology and the figure Achilles, who was famously brought down by an arrow to the ankle. Page and Plant quickly used this inspiration to create the song ‘Achilles Last Stand’, a sprawling ten-minute epic released on Presence in 1976, which quickly became one of the band’s defining moments.
Nevertheless, the car accident did little to settle Plant’s karma. During the recording process for ‘Achilles Last Stand’, the singer suffered further injury. “I fell over when I was singing it in the studio, and I was rushed to the hospital. They thought that I had fucked it for good. So I spent two weeks yet again with [his leg] up in the air,” the singer once shared with Interview Magazine.
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