This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Zebra's "Who's Behind the Door?"
Saturday July 21, 2007
Not having been much of a Led Zeppelin fan for many years now, I was puzzled and somewhat irritated to see how common it is for music fans to compare one of the most interesting throwback hard rock bands of the '80s, Zebra, with the overly lauded, aforementioned '70s band. If I had paid attention to the many people out there who think Zebra frontman Randy Jackson has a highly Robert Plant-esque voice, I wouldn't have even bothered to revisit this intriguing and highly original track from the group's eponymous 1983 debut. But upon doing so I was met not at all with a Page/Plant clone but instead a spacey, time-warp tune featuring acoustic guitar, swirling keyboards and a welcome, otherworldly appeal. Though it peaked at only No. 61 on the Billboard pop charts, "Who's Behind the Door?" has become part of the '80s fabric simply because it is musically memorable and not particularly related to the stagnant artistic impulses that governed a great deal of the decade's hard rock. I took a peek behind the door, and thankfully, I found only a superficial trace of Robert Plant.
Album Cover Image Courtesy of Atlantic
Comments
I’ve loved Zebra from the first time i heard “Who’s Behind the Door”. “Tell Me What You Want” is another great one!
I remember this video because it might be the first time I saw the photo of the Vietkong being shot in the head after the Tet Offensive.
It seemed to evoke a feeling of living through a lot of pain and coming through the door of time, looking back. But looking at the lyrics and seeing the video again, maybe I ascribed more to it than was really there.
I still like it for what I thought it was.
I enjoy this song for what it is but the fact that you ascribe some sort of special place in music history to Zebra and denigrate Led Zepplin in the same paragraph demonstrates how little you know about or appreciate musical genius. Led Zepplin is historically revered because of it’s musical originality, lyrical depth and vocal range. Zebra’s lead singer manages to do a close enough ripoff of Plant to justify vocal comparisons but the music is an interesting but unoriginal replication of prior Zepplin songs with some electronica thrown in and the lyrics are totally vacuous and highly representative of 80’s hair bands in general. The fact that Zebra managed not to even make a dent in rock and roll history with their most popular songs is a testament to their lack of significance. With “Who’s Behind The Door” and “Tell Me What You Want” as their legacy, they are truly a 2 hit wonder in every sense of the words.