I’m a member at my local cinema, and every now and then they hold “classics” evenings, where they show older movies, so people who may not have been around when it was originally released, or people who just want a kick of nostalgia, can appreciate one of their favourites on the big screen. These classic nights started with films like The Godfather, with Marlon Brando portrayed in HD, but they’ve held so many now that their definition of the word “classic” has shifted.
The other day, as I was walking past big screen numbers, quickly taking in the posters and making a mental note of everything that was coming out, the advert for the cinema’s next “classic” night caught my attention. The poster? One of Jack Black’s power stances is fully engaged, and a Gibson SG is dangling around his neck. The movie? You guessed it, School of Rock.
The premise of this iconic film was simple: Jack Black, an ageing rockstar, tells some white lies to get a job as a temporary teacher and ends up educating a load of kids in the power of rock. It’s a fun film, with plenty of heart and soul, but do you think he would have ever considered it a classic when it was being made? Probably not, but here we are.
In my humble opinion, School of Rock has well and truly earned its place as a classic. Granted, it feels slightly weird to mention it and The Godfather in the same breath, but you can blame my cinema for that. Am I saying they can be compared as films? No, of course not, but considering something a classic doesn’t just mean what it represents in the broader scale of movies, it can also be what it means to one generation who had their minds blown by the teachings of Dewey Finn.
For 90 minutes, I wasn’t a movie watcher; I was one of the kids in that classroom. I was sitting alongside them, hearing the ‘Smoke On The Water’ and ‘Highway To Hell’ riffs for the first time. I was hearing the names of bands that I’d never heard before, and someone was finally explaining to me what “sticking it to the man” meant. This was a shared experience by many of my generation, so is it as good as The Godfather? No, it’s better, because The Godfather never taught me about who Led Zeppelin were.
Yes, that iconic scene. The band has just managed to lie their way to the competition, and Black is celebrating on the drive home by blasting the vocals of ‘Immigrant Song’. The kids are in the back of the van nodding their heads, and the temporary teacher is screaming the words “We come from the land of the ice and snow, from the midnight sun where the hot springs flow, hammer of the Gods!”
It makes for one of the most iconic scenes in the movie, as the kids watching get to hear Zeppelin in all their glory for the first time, meanwhile, you get to see how much the battle of the bands competition means to our main character. It was also a surprise to many people who heard it, as Led Zeppelin notoriously didn’t let anybody use their music, be it for movies, adverts or anything. So, what was different about School of Rock? Well, Jack Black issued a personal plea.
In a video he shared of himself on stage, clearly having filmed the final scenes of the movie and with a crowd of extras behind him, he begged Led Zeppelin to let them use ‘Immigrant Song’. He was unwavering in his adoration for the band and in convincing them why the song would be a good idea.
“Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones, the Gods of rock. The greatest rock band of all time. We need your song, man. We need the ‘Immigrant Song’,” says Black, “This is a movie about rock, and without that song, this movie will crumble into smithereens. Oh no, the movie’s kickass, but dude, your song would be a hard-rocking cherry on the top of the mountain!”
It seems that Led Zeppelin liked Black’s plea enough to let them use the song. Plant admitted that the magic of the movie is what inspired him to let them use the track, as he felt like there was so much myth surrounding the band that he wanted to try and dispel it. He felt as though introducing Led Zeppelin to a new generationwould be one of the most effective ways to do that.
“Everyone gets it, young and old. It’s a great song. Not only slightly ridiculous but ridiculous,” said Plant, “Considering that we wrote it in midair, leaving Iceland – a fantastically inspiring gig and an adventure beyond which there will be no books written. To give it to the kids is important. Send it up, send it down, and just keep sending it. Just dig it because there’s no hierarchy.”
