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Revision as of 14:47, 30 November 2005 by No Parking (talk | contribs) (First try.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) For other uses, see Stairway to Heaven (disambiguation).| "Stairway to Heaven" | ||
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| From the untitled album File:Zoso.png | ||
| Album released | November 8 1971 | |
| Recorded | December 1970 | |
| Genre | Hard Rock | |
| Song Length | 8:02 | |
| Record label | Atlantic | |
| Producer | Jimmy Page | |
| Led Zeppelin IV 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 and released on their untitled 1971 album. One of the most frequently requested songs on FM radio stations in the United States despite never being released as a single.
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 song had its beginnings during the sessions for Led Zeppelin III at Bron-Yr-Aur, Wales, but was completed at Headley Grange, Hampshire, and finally recorded at Island Studios, London, in December 1970. It is not entirely clear whether a movie title was an inspiration for the song or the source of the song title.
The song was first played live at Belfast's Ulster Hall on March 5, 1971; it was performed at every Led Zeppelin concert thereafter, usually as part of a final encore from 1975 to 1980. "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, "Stairway to Heaven" has sold more than 1.2 million copies.
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. This is the only Led Zeppelin song to feature lyrics on the inside cover of the CD in which the song is featured.
Music
The song takes the form of a multi-movement suite. A quiet introduction featuring acoustic guitar and recorder gradually moves into to a slow electric middle section, and finally, a faster hard rock final section. This form would influence many other rock artists, notably Queen, who would use a similar structure for their opus "Bohemian Rhapsody".
The guitar part 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 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
Although the song 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. German producer Frank Farian formed the "supergroup" Far Corporation which 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, reaching number 8 in October 1985. Singer Dolly Parton recorded a country-bluegrass version on her 2002 album Halos & Horns. Many other covers tend to be ironic or humorous in intent, notably Dread Zeppelin's reggae/Elvis-inspired version, a punk music rendition by Me First and the Gimme Gimmes, and Pat Boone's lounge take, and Rolf Harris who reached number 7 on the UK charts in 1993.
Frank Zappa covered the song during his 1988 world tour, and it appeared on the 1991 live album The Best Band You Never Heard in Your Life.
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 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." If a portion of the song is played backwards, then supposedly words beginning with "Oh here's to my sweet Satan" can be heard. demonstration Various Christian fundamentalists have interpreted different lyrics from the allegedly-backmasked portion, which most agree to be the lines beginning with "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow...". The theory was advanced by Michael Mills, Jacob Aranza, and Jeff Godwin among others, sometimes offering detailed analyses of the hidden meanings of both the "backwards" and actual lyrics.
Led Zeppelin have 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". Robert Plant expressed frustration with the accusations in an interview: "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, who accompanied Led Zeppelin on a tour that year. Spirit has acknowledged this and is okay with it. No one in Led Zeppelin has ever mentioned being influenced by the Spirit track.
- 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. The intro was replaced with a more generic, non-"Stairway" riff in later releases of the movie, making the joke rather incomprehensible.
- 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 an Elvis impersonator, 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").
- Robert Plant sings the phrase "Stairway to Heaven" only three times in the entire length of the song.
- In 1991 an Albequerque, New Mexico radio station kicked off its Classic Rock format by playing "Stairway to Heaven" for 24 hours straight.
References
External links
- NPR Fresh Air audio interview with Robert Plant, who comments on various covers of the song, the lyrics and writing it.
