When Robert Plant first announced he was teaming up with Alison Krauss, people were confused. Not just a little confused. Like, "did the Golden God of rock finally lose his mind?" confused. You had the guy who fronted Led Zeppelin—the voice behind "Whole Lotta Love"—pairing up with a bluegrass angel. It sounded like a recipe for a very weird, very expensive disaster.
Then 2007 happened. Raising Sand dropped, and suddenly, everyone was talking about a track called Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone. It wasn't some overproduced pop song. It was a dusty, swampy, incredibly cool cover of an old Everly Brothers tune.
Honestly, it shouldn't have worked. But it did.
The Story Behind Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)
The song itself isn't new. Far from it. "Gone, Gone, Gone" was originally written and recorded by Don and Phil Everly back in 1964. The Everly Brothers were the masters of that tight, brotherly harmony that influenced basically everyone from the Beatles to Simon & Garfunkel. Their version was a bit more "British Invasion" in its energy—bouncy, driving, and very mid-60s.
When Plant and Krauss got together with producer T Bone Burnett, they didn't just copy the original. That’s the mistake most people make when they cover the greats.
Burnett is a bit of a wizard when it comes to "roots" music. He’s the guy who made the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack a cultural phenomenon. He took this 60s pop-rocker and dragged it through the mud of the Mississippi Delta. He slowed it down just enough to give it a "swing" that feels dangerous.
The song is officially titled "Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)," and it serves as the fifth track on Raising Sand. While the rest of the album is mostly haunting, slow-burn ballads, this track is the one that gets your foot tapping. It’s lighthearted but has this underlying grit.
Why the Pairing Was Genius
You’ve got Plant’s voice—which by 2007 had matured into this hushed, textured instrument—and Krauss’s "angelic" soprano. On paper, they are opposites. In practice? They’re like whiskey and honey.
Plant famously said that working with Krauss was a "vacation" from the expectations of being a rock star. He wasn't trying to hit the high notes of "Immigrant Song" anymore. He was learning how to sing harmony, which is a whole different beast. If you listen closely to Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone, he’s often deferring to her, or they’re weaving around each other in a way that feels totally effortless.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Lyrics
There’s a bit of a misconception that this is a "happy" song because it’s upbeat. It’s really not.
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If you look at the lyrics, the singer is basically telling someone, "I'm leaving, and you’re going to be miserable." It’s a kiss-off song.
"Some sweet day you'll be sorry
You'll be the one to cry
You'll be the one to worry
When you're the one to say goodbye."
It’s almost mean-spirited if you think about it too hard. Plant and Krauss deliver it with a smirk, though. In the music video—which looks like a vintage 1960s variety show—they’re dancing and having a blast. It turns a song about a breakup into a celebration of moving on.
The Technical Magic of T Bone Burnett
We have to talk about the sound. The production on Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone is what actually makes it rank as a modern classic.
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- The Drums: Jay Bellerose plays these "thuddy" drums that sound like they're made of wood and old leather. There’s no crisp, modern snap. It’s all vibe.
- The Bass: Dennis Crouch provides a double bass line that feels like a heartbeat.
- The Guitars: You’ve got T Bone Burnett and Marc Ribot creating these tremolo-heavy, swampy textures.
It sounds old and new at the same time. That’s the hallmark of the "Americana" genre that this album helped define for a whole new generation of listeners.
The Impact and the Grammys
You probably remember that Raising Sand swept the Grammys in 2009. It didn't just win "Best Country Collaboration"—it won Album of the Year and Record of the Year (for "Please Read the Letter").
Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone won the Grammy for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals. Think about that for a second. A 1964 Everly Brothers cover, recorded by a 59-year-old British rocker and a bluegrass fiddler, won a "Pop" Grammy in the era of Beyoncé and Lady Gaga.
That tells you everything you need to know about the quality of the music. It transcended genres. It wasn't just for Led Zeppelin fans or country fans. It was just good.
Looking Back: Does It Still Hold Up?
Almost twenty years later, the answer is a resounding yes.
A lot of the music from the mid-2000s feels dated now because of the production styles. But because Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone was recorded with such a focus on organic, "real" instruments, it hasn't aged a day. You could release it tomorrow and it would still sound fresh.
Plant and Krauss eventually reunited for a second album, Raise the Roof, in 2021. They still play "Gone Gone Gone" in their live sets. If you ever get a chance to see them live, do it. Even in his late 70s, Plant has this magnetism, and when he and Krauss lock into those harmonies, it’s honestly a spiritual experience.
How to Get the Most Out of the Song
If you’re just discovering this track, don't just listen to it on your phone speakers.
- Get some decent headphones. The stereo separation between Plant’s and Krauss’s voices is where the magic happens.
- Watch the official music video. It captures the "vintage cool" aesthetic they were going for.
- Check out the original Everly Brothers version. It’s worth hearing where the DNA of the song came from to appreciate how much Plant and Krauss transformed it.
Basically, Robert Plant Gone Gone Gone is a masterclass in how to do a cover right. It respects the original but breathes a completely different kind of life into it. It proved that Robert Plant didn't need a Wall of Sound or Jimmy Page's riffs to be relevant. He just needed a great song and the right partner.
Actionable Insight: If you're a musician looking to cover a classic, take a page out of the T Bone Burnett playbook: don't try to replicate the original energy. Instead, strip the song down to its lyrics and melody, then rebuild it using a completely different "vibe" or genre palette. This "re-imagining" is what creates longevity rather than a simple carbon copy.