Plant's lyrics were often influenced by the books of J.R.R. Tolkien. "Big Log" is a mythical, extended metaphor for a lost love: "My love is in league with the freeway... My love is the miles and the waiting." A "big log" is common lingo of tractor trailer drivers. It is the book in which their road hours are logged, therefore the connection between the road and love and the countless hours we all log on both.
This was Robert Plant's first big hit as a solo artist after the breakup of Led Zeppelin. In 1982, he released his debut solo album, Pictures at Eleven, and the singles "Burning Down One Side" (#64) and "Pledge Pin" (#74). "Big Log," the first single from his second album, The Principle of Moments, went to #20 and earned significant airplay.
Keyboardist Gerald "Jezz" Woodroffe and guitarist Robbie Blunt co-wrote the song with Plant. In Robert Plant: The Voice that Sailed Zeppelin, author Dave Thompson describes Blunt's importance to The Principle of Moments (including this song). Blunt had a tough role to fill not only because he was working with one of the true legends of rock but also because he was guitarist to the man who worked side-by-side with the great Jimmy Page. Despite this, Blunt was assertive throughout the recording of the album and willing to give Plant hard feedback when needed. Blunt was insistent on staying true to himself as a musician, which earned Plant's respect and played a formative part in the final sound.
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