Stairway to Heaven

For other uses of "Stairway to Heaven", see Stairway to Heaven (disambiguation).

"Stairway to Heaven"
Song by Led Zeppelin
From the album
Album released	November 8 1971
Recorded	December 1970
Genre	Hard Rock
Song Length	8:02
Record label	Atlantic
Producer	Jimmy Page
Album Listing
The Battle of Evermore (Track 3)	Stairway to Heaven (Track 4)	Misty Mountain Hop (Track 5)

"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the British rock group Led Zeppelin released in 1971 on their fourth studio album, Led Zeppelin IV - Led Zeppelin IV. It is widely accepted as one of the greatest of all rock songs and is the most frequently requested song on FM radio stations in the United States, despite never being released as a single.[1] It did, however, appear as a promotional disc in the United States, on an Australian acoustic EP, and in the 1990s as a 20th anniversary promo issue.

History

The band began to write the song during the sessions for Led Zeppelin III at Bron-Yr-Aur, Wales, but it was completed at Headley Grange, Hampshire, and finally recorded at Island Studios, London, in December 1970.

It is not entirely clear whether the song was inspired by a movie title. The original reference to a stairway to heaven comes from the Bible: Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the Earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12

The song was first played live at Belfast's Ulster Hall on March 5, 1971 and it was performed at every subsequent Led Zeppelin concert from 1975 to 1980, usually as part of a final encore. "Stairway" was also played at Live Aid in 1985 and the 40th anniversary celebration of Atlantic Records in 1988, and by Jimmy Page as an instrumental version on his solo tours.

"Stairway to Heaven" is one of the biggest-selling sheet music publications in rock history. Since 1971, it has sold more than 1.2 million copies.

"Stairway to Heaven" continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs. Some radio stations that have listed the song as #1 include WNOR (Norfolk), WEBN (Cincinnati), WGRX (Baltimore), WFXF (Indianapolis), KLSK (Albuquerque), WMYG (Pittsburgh), KLSX (Los Angeles), KRTH (Los Angeles), and KGON (Portland). [2]

Lyrics

The lyrics, written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant next to an evening log fire, were inspired by his search for spiritual perfection. A seminal influence was the book Magic Arts in Celtic Britain by Lewis Spence, which Plant had recently read; it contained references to May Queens, pipers, and "bustling hedgerows." The line, "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees," could be a reference to William Wordsworth's poem Tintern Abbey: "...and wreaths of smoke / Sent up, in silence, from among the trees!"

Music

File:Page.jpg

Jimmy Page with his double-necked guitar

The song is a multi-movement suite. A quiet introduction featuring acoustic guitar and recorder[3] gradually moves into to a slow electric middle section, before the faster hard rock final section. This style is found in many Zeppelin songs recorded after the release of "Stairway to Heaven".

The guitar introduction is one of the most famous pieces ever played on the guitar, but was in fact borrowed from the song "Taurus" by Spirit, who were touring with Led Zeppelin at the time. They have been interviewed about this and apparently do not mind. It opens with an Am-Fmaj7 chord progression with a chromatic descending bassline A-G#-G-F#-F. John Paul Jones contributed overdubbed wooden bass recorders in the opening section (he used an organ, and later, a mellotron to synthesize this arrangement in live performances) and a Rhodes electric piano in the middle section. The extended Jimmy Page guitar solo in the song's final section was played for the recording on a 1958 Fender Telecaster plugged into a Supro amplifier. Three different solos were recorded with Page deciding to keep the one which he felt best suited the theme of the song. The other guitar parts were played using a Harmony acoustic guitar and Fender Electric XII (12-string); both can be heard on the left and right recording channels respectively. For later live versions Page switched to using a double-necked 6/12 1968 Gibson EDS-1275, which was custom-built by Roger Giffin of Gibson's West Coast Custom Shop.

Cover versions

File:The-Money-or-the-Gun.jpg

"The Money or the Gun"
"Stairways to Heaven" video tape
(25 versions of the song includes the well-known version by Rolf Harris)

Although "Stairway to Heaven" is a popular set choice for cover bands throughout the world, the iconic status and unique structure of the song have precluded the recording of many cover versions by established artists. A few attempts at a straightforward cover have been made over the years, notably by hair metal band Great White. The supergroup Far Corporation was the first act to chart with a single release of the song, barely making the charts in the U.S., while becoming a top-10 hit in the UK in October 1985. Frank Zappa recorded an original version of the song during his 1988 world tour, and it appeared on the 1991 live album The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life.

The popularity of "Stairway to Heaven" has led to covers in other genres than rock. Singer Dolly Parton recorded a country-bluegrass version on her 2002 album Halos & Horns. A cover by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, which includes only the first three verses of the song, begins with a straightforward rendition, and then kicks into an energetic punk rock style. The London Philharmonic Orchestra, under the direction of Peter Scholes, recorded an instrumental version of the song on the album Kashmir: The Symphonic Led Zeppelin.

Many other covers are ironic or humorous in intent, notably Dread Zeppelin's reggae/Elvis-inspired version, Pat Boone's lounge take, and Rolf Harris's wobble board interpretation (which reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1993). Rolf Harris's version was one of several different versions of the song, which were performed live by guest stars on the television program The Money or the Gun - each being a unique version of the song in the style of performance of each guest star, following which the best 25 performances of the song were released on video tape for posterity (Rolf Harris' version would appear to be the only version that people are aware of).

Famous jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan recorded an instrumental cover of Stairway to Heaven which is played on two guitars simultaneously, with no overdubs.

The Foo Fighters's lead singer Dave Grohl also recorded a funny version of the song on The Late Show With Craig Kilborn, when he forgot the lyrics, and the audience needed to jump in and help them out. After becoming frustrated, he simply skips ahead to the ending of the song.

Fake versions

One version of the song circulating on the Internet is a supposed "reggae remix" by Jimi Hendrix. In fact, Hendrix died a year before the song was released. The recording is of a performance by Frank Zappa at one of his last live shows. This track is also sometimes attributed to Sublime.

Another widely circulated cover version is credited to Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd. This is most likely the version released by the Frank Farian supergroup Far Corporation on their 1985 album Division One (9 minutes 33 seconds long). Another version can be found on their 1994 album Solitude (8 minutes 46 seconds long).

Controversy

Critics of rock and roll songs (and of Led Zeppelin in particular) have alleged that a backward message is recorded into "Stairway to Heaven." The controversial lyrics are as follows:

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now
It's just a spring clean from the May Queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by; but in the long run,
There's still time to change the road you're on.

— Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, played forwards

Some interpret the reversed lyrics to sound like the following:

Here's to my sweet Satan
The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is fake/Satan.
He'll give those with him 666
There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.

— Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin, played backwards

This theory was primarily advanced by Michael Mills, Jacob Aranza, and Jeff Godwin, who offered detailed analyses of the hidden meanings of both the "backwards" and actual lyrics. In support of the theory is a rumor that Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page bought well known Occultist Aleister Crowley's house, which was known as the "Toolshed." Also, other lines in the song, including "And if you listen very hard / The tune will come to you at last" can be viewed as symbolic of a double meaning.

Some have attempted to disprove the backmasking claims by examining non-studio versions of the song for the alleged messages. Reversing live recordings and covers of the song seems to yield the same alleged message, which can be heard as clearly as on the original. This technique works particularly well on the 1976 live album The Song Remains The Same.

Led Zeppelin has for the most part ignored such claims; for years the only comment came from Swan Song Records which issued the statement: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards"[4]. Robert Plant expressed frustration with the accusations in an interview [5]: "To me it's very sad, because 'Stairway To Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music."

Trivia

• The opening chord progression in "Stairway to Heaven" is similar to that of the 1968 instrumental "Taurus" by the group Spirit. The group opened for Spirit on a 1968 tour. While nobody in the group has ever cited influence from the track, the band was known to cover the Spirit song Fresh Garbage during their early days, and Jimmy Page has said that his use of a theremin was inspired by seeing Randy California use one. It is also quite similar to a very slowed-down version of the opening to the Irish traditional song "The Irish Rover".
• The tendency for many aspiring guitar players to learn to play the introduction to the song was spoofed in the 1992 Mike Myers movie Wayne's World, when a "No Stairway to Heaven" regulation is enforced at a music store visited by the title character. When the movie was later released on home video, the producers were unable to reach a licensing agreement with music publishers, so the intro was replaced with the ending riff of We Will Rock You, making the joke incomprehensible. Plant himself referenced the scene's "No Stairway? Denied!" line during a concert appearance with Page in 1995.
• In the 1980s and 1990s the Camden Rock Shop, a musical instrument store in Camden Town, North London did display a sign listing the fines payable for playing clichéd riffs, concluding with Stairway to Heaven may only be played by prior arrangement.
• "Stairway to Heaven" is often the last song played at high-school dances in North America, a fact referenced by the Canadian band Barenaked Ladies in their lyrics for "Grade 9": "I've got a red leather tie and pair of rugger pants, I put them on and I went to the high school dance. Dad said I had to be home by eleven -- aw, man, I'm gonna miss Stairway to Heaven."
• In the early 1990s, each episode of the Australian chat show The Money or the Gun ended with a different group performing an idiosyncratic cover version of "Stairway to Heaven". From a diverse range that included Dread Zeppelin, Kate Ceberano, and the Doug Anthony All Stars, the best remembered is Rolf Harris's version (complete with didgeridoo and wobble board), which reached the Top 10 on the UK singles charts. Harris is said to have received death threats from fans of the song for his version of this iconic rock anthem.
• A compilation album, Stairways to Heaven, was put out on the Atlantic label, featuring versions of the song by The Australian Doors Show, The Beatnix, John Paul Young, Kate Ceberano, Leonard Teale, Michael Turkic, The Ministry of Fun, Neil Pepper, Pardon Me Boys, Robyne Dunn, The Rock Lobsters, Rolf Harris, Sandra Hahn, Vegimite Reggae and others.
• A novelty song featuring the music and arrangement of the song combined with the lyrics to the "Theme from Gilligan's Island" (which has a similar chord progression) was recorded by the San Francisco band Little Roger and the Goosebumps and often featured on the Dr. Demento radio program. Singer Plant has described this as his favorite cover version of the song.
• A heavy metal band Down named their second album A Bustle in Your Hedgerow, which is a quotation from this song.
• The Butthole Surfers, in an act of parody and/or tribute, released an album in 1988 called Hairway to Steven.
• On original versions of the song "Tribute" by Tenacious D (as well as on the Tenacious D TV show) one can hear Kyle Gass play the opening to "Stairway to Heaven", and, commonly, during live performances after the song is completed, harmoniously sing "And they're playing the best song in the world", in a manner identical to the ending lyrics of "Stairway to Heaven" ("And she's buy-y-ying a stair-r-way to heav-en"). Many people have suggested that Stairway to Heaven is the song "Tribute" is dedicated to.
• Robert Plant sings the phrase "Stairway to Heaven" only three times in the entire length of the song.
• In 1991 an Albuquerque, New Mexico radio station kicked off its Classic Rock format by playing "Stairway to Heaven" for 24 hours straight.
• In 1998 ApologetiX recorded a parody called "Narrow Way to Heaven" on the album Jesus Christ Morningstar.
• On an episode of South Park, Stan, Kyle, and Cartman hold a contest. The winner will replace Kenny as the fourth member of the group. Towlie performs the intro to Stairway To Heaven but messes up after the first few chords.

References

• Facts about Stairway to Heaven

External links

• "Stairway to Heaven" lyrics, songfacts and guitar tabs
• "Stairway to Heaven" lyrics
• The Straight Dope: What's the story behind Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven?"
• NPR Fresh Air audio interview with Robert Plant, who comments on various covers of the song, the lyrics and writing it.
• Web page offering "bustle in your hedgerow" clip backwards
• Supposed Stairway To Heaven Entire Backwards "Lyrics"