Robert Plant - Burning Down One Side

What this video is

Released in 1982 as the lead single from Robert Plant's debut solo album 'Pictures at Eleven' on Swan Song/Atlantic Records, 'Burning Down One Side' represented Plant's first public statement as an artist independent of Led Zeppelin following the band's 1980 dissolution after John Bonham's death. The track peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Top Tracks (AOR) chart, demonstrating Plant's retained radio authority even…

Why it matters

This video is a primary document of the early-MTV AOR transition moment: a legacy hard rock artist adopting the new promotional video format to reach a changing market. It captures the synth-influenced, post-punk-adjacent sound Plant was developing with collaborators Robbie Blunt and Jezz…

The director

Dave Robinson (born 14 May 1944, Drumcondra, Dublin) is an Irish music executive, music video director, record producer, and photographer. He co-founded Stiff Records in 1976 with Jake Riviera, signing acts including The Damned, Madness, The Pogues, Kirsty…