snitramc wrote: 
There used to be a small shop on the edge of town that made the best date (as in fruit) milk shakes.  Otherwise, yeah, hot and nowhere.

The song, however, is really good.  I've enjoyed Plant's solo career.

this is definetively, the one and only song from Robert Plant I actually like... might be because he was thinking about Alannah... 
In contrast to other Robert Plant songs I might actually rate it positively ... I know he'll sleep better after reading my comment!

 fingerpin wrote: 
And you were right, dude. 

... 

 Stratocaster wrote: 
Ahhahahahahahahaha! 29 Palms? Ever been there? Aside from the easy access to Joshua, it is just another backwater dustbowl. The coolest place to hang out is Dennys. This says even more about Alannah than her pop songs do!

Can't believe I never rated this one.  Nice to see the comments below and get the back story.  Makes me appreciate this more, and Black Velvet, too.

What a ridiculous bunch of comments.  These comments are supposed to be about THE SONG, people.  There are plenty of other online forums for politics where you can spew forth your wisdom of how only your plans, ideals and political leanings will save the world. </rant>

From songfacts.com:
"According to Alannah Myles Facebook page: "Alannah & Robert became an item after her meteoric rise to fame. Torn between her hard won success and loving his philandering heart, she chose music and has never looked back. During their recording separation she wrote an orchestrated ballad 'Song Instead Of A Kiss' revealing lost love, he wrote an ode to her favourite place in the California dessert, '29 Palms'. " 

Personally, I love the song...the crisp acoustic guitar driving the rhythm, the tight beat, the catchy melody, and the cool backstory about two musicians...yup, interesting. 

The funny thing is,  I saw Alannah Myles open up for Robert Plant back in 1989.    I see the connection now!

 timmus wrote: 
Glad you said this, as I couldn't spell segue ...

We were up there last weekend.
Well, just south of the town, in Joshua Tree National Park.

Clever segue, following Alannah Myles "Black Velvet" in this set.  Didn't see the connection until I read the Wiki.

 cosmiclint wrote: 
Alannah Myles...  wasn't she the chick that did "Black Velvet"?

 Papernapkin wrote: 
Robert wrote it about Alannah Myles, a Canadian singer from the early 90s.That's what he means when he says "when I hear your voice on the radio."

 Droidac wrote: 
Sure there is.  There are bacteria in the oceans that eat crude oil - that's why natural seepage from the ocean floor hasn't fouled the oceans.  They're much more active in the Gulf of Mexico than in some of the colder latitudes, and will do much if not most of the cleanup.  There have even been those suggesting the dispersants used hindered the bacteria, slowing down the natural cleanup.

 Bluesgrrl wrote: 
Actually it is possible that much of the oil has been broken down by bacteria. There are oil eating microbes in the Gulf. There was a similar oil disaster in 1979 off Mexico where an explosion on a rig left an oil pipe spewing oil for 9 months before it was stopped. Five years later scientists could find no trace of that oil. Nature sometimes has a way of dealing with these man made disasters. 

 deppo wrote: 
That's a rather optomistic thought. I think we're being told far less that what we should be. There's no way that much oil can just vanish.

 deppo wrote: 

So the media would have you believe. There are still millions of barrels in our marshes, and plumes under the surface. Its criminal how our adminstration and BP are handling this. We may never be the same.

 1wolfy wrote: 
Thank goodness it all seems to have dispersed now!

Robert Plant 4 by ~oazen2008
©2008-2010 ~oazen2008

Robert Plant 4

 1wolfy wrote: 

...that was the theme for fate of nations' album art - each page of the gatefold featured a vignette with the boy, girl, and bear witnessing environmental destruction...

mainstream-Rob

 sdn wrote: 
Yeah, he's really ridin' on her coattails.

Yanking this thread back onto the actual SONG - there are a LOT of 29 Palms in the world - Californja doesn't hold the monopoly. Besides, it's just a fun song, with that ringing guitar and the mellowswing beat. I've never listened too closely to the words, because I'm a writer. I know enough words - I'd rather quote Joe Perry and "Let the music do the talking."

Robert Plant is a chameleon - he rocked with Zep, had an eclectic and always-interesting solo career, and has toured with Allison Krause (country.) I love it that he's so varied, and so good at it all!

And, I just love this song. I made the drive from Oregon to Nevada, across the desert, with this song and cassette (well, I have it on CD now) and there are memories that I will forever associate with it. Say what you will - Robert Plant is an icon. (I have a friend who named her philodendron "Robert.")

The Cover brings to mind the Spill of all SPILLS in the Gulf 

I forgot all about this little ditty! It's a good one that got lost in time!

 flyboy wrote: 
.... He says of the Nobel Prize-winning campaigner for fighting climate change, Vietnam combat veteran, author, and advocate for viewer-created and citizen journalism - who graduated cum laude from Harvard. Because the alternative was obviously SO much better: An ignorant, C-average, draft-dodging, failed-businessman, wanna-be macho cowboy from Texas who was such a fantastically brave and tough President, and did such a great job sending young men abroad to die doing a job similar to the one he himself was unwilling to do when his country was at war in his youth.

What an ignorant statement.

 black321 wrote: 
What he said...

 flyboy wrote: 
Who knew Bill O'Reilly posted on RP?

 Papernapkin wrote:Yeah, it's mostly just an auto oasis and the center of the nothing that is out there.  But there is (or used to be) a place there that you can buy the best date shake in the world.  Great song by a guy who, imo, has made quite a nice solo careeer.