Stairway to Heaven
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- For other uses of "Stairway to Heaven", see Stairway to Heaven (disambiguation).
| "Stairway to Heaven" | ||
|---|---|---|
 |
||
| Song by Led Zeppelin | ||
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | ||
| Released | November 8, 1971 | |
| Recorded | December 1970 | |
| Genre | Hard rock / folk rock | |
| Length | 8:03 | |
| Label | Atlantic Records | |
| Writer(s) | Page/Plant | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page | |
| Led Zeppelin IV track listing | ||
| "The Battle of Evermore" (3) |
"Stairway to Heaven" (4) |
"Misty Mountain Hop" (5) |
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock group Led Zeppelin released in December 1971 on their fourth studio album, 
(Led Zeppelin IV). It is cited as the most played song on FM radio stations in the United States,[1] despite never being released as a single by Led Zeppelin.
Contents |
[edit] History
The music was written by Jimmy Page "over a long period, the first part coming at Bron-Yr-Aur one night".[2] The recording of "Stairway to Heaven" started in December 1970 at the Basing Street Studios (Island Studios, London). The song was completed by the addition of lyrics by Robert Plant during the sessions for Led Zeppelin IV at Headley Grange, Hampshire, in 1971.
First played live at Belfast's Ulster Hall on March 5, 1971, "Stairway" was performed at most Led Zeppelin concerts up until 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. Teasingly, the first few bars were played alone during Page and Plant tours, only to be morphed into another song.
"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, averaging about 15,000 copies per year.
It also continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, as well as topping a recent Guitar World poll. Some radio stations that have listed the song as #1 include WNOR (Norfolk), WEBN (Cincinnati), WLVQ (Columbus), WGRX (Baltimore), WFXF (Indianapolis), KZOK (Seattle), KLSK (Albuquerque), Triple M (Adelaide, Australia) WMYG (Pittsburgh), WMGK (Philadelphia), KLSX (Los Angeles), Virgin Radio (London), KRTH (Los Angeles), KGON (Portland), KSAN (San Francisco Bay Area), KGB (San Diego), CHOM (Montreal), WNCX (Cleveland), Q107 (CILQ Toronto), CFMI-FM (Vancouver) , WZLX (Boston) and WAXQ (New York City).[1]
The song's length precluded its release in full form as a single. Despite pressure from Atlantic Records the band would not authorize the editing of the song for single release, making "Stairway to Heaven" one of the most well-known and popular rock songs never to have been 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.
[edit] Lyrics
There are many mythological references to a stairway to Heaven. The idea of an "ascension" by a ladder, tree, bridge or rope is widespread throughout world mythology. The title itself comes from the Bible's description of Jacob's Ladder: 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 first attempts at lyrics, written by Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant next to an evening log fire at Headley Grange, were partly spontaneously improvised and Page claimed, "a huge percentage of the lyrics were written there and then".[3] Jimmy Page was strumming the chords and Robert Plant had a pencil and paper. Plant later said that suddenly, "my hand was writing out the words, 'There's a lady is sure [sic], all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to Heaven'. I just sat there and looked at them and almost leapt out of my seat." Plant's own explanation of the lyrics was that it concerned "a woman getting everything she wanted without giving anything back". [2] The lyrical inspiration came to Plant by his search for spiritual perfection and a key 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 many cryptic references in the song have inspired various proposals on possible allusions within Stairway to Heaven.[citation needed] One 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!"; the poem also conspicuously repeats the word "hedgerows."[citation needed] The lines "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west / And my spirit is crying for leaving" may be a reference to the Elves in the works of J. R. R. Tolkien, specifically to the departure of the Elves from Middle-earth for the immortal land in the West.[citation needed] All that glitters is gold is a reversal of the common saying All that glitters is not gold.[citation needed] In addition, the "All that glitters is gold" line could be another Tolkien reference - there is a poem about Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings with the line "All that is gold does not glitter." Also refering to this book, the lyrics mention "a lady we all know /Who shines white light and wants to show", which could possibly be related to Galadriel as she possesed the "light" (Nenya) or to Varda.[citation needed]
[edit] Music
The song is a multi-movement suite. A quiet introduction featuring acoustic guitar and a recorder [4](beginning-2:12) gradually moves into to a slow electric middle section (2:13-5:33), before the faster hard rock final section (5:35-end).
Written in the key of A minor and mainly in common time the song opens with an Am-Fmaj7 arpeggiated, hybrid-picked guitar 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, and later, a Yamaha CP70B Grand Piano and Yamaha GX1 to synthesize this arrangement in live performances) and a Hohner Electra-Piano electric piano in the middle section.
The sections build with more guitar layers, each complementary to the intro with the drums entering at just over four minutes. The bridge to the solo consists of shifting time signatures (3/4 to 4/4 to 5/4 to 4/4 to 7/8) before dropping back into common time for the solo and ending.
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 although in a Guitar World interview Page also claims, "It could have been a Marshall, but I can't remember"[3]. Three different solos were recorded with Page agonizing about deciding which to keep. 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 live versions, Page switched to using a Heritage Cherry Gibson EDS-1275 6/12 Doubleneck guitar.
The final progression is a I-VII-VI (natural minor) progression (Am G F), a mainstay of rock music.
Page always kept a cassette recorder around and "Stairway"came together - from bits of taped ideas.[5]
The opening chord progression in "Stairway to Heaven" is similar to that of the 1968 instrumental "Taurus" by the group Spirit. [citation needed] The group opened for Spirit on a 1968 tour. [citation needed] 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". [citation needed]
[edit] Cover versions
"Stairways to Heaven" video tape
(25 versions of the song includes the well-known version by Rolf Harris)
A few attempts at a straightforward cover have been made over the years, notably by glam 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. Tiny Tim has a recorded version of the song, on his album Girl, where he is accompanied by the band Brave Combo, and it is played very jazzy and lounge, which is one of three times the song will be played as a lounge song. 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. In 1993, the band Leningrad Cowboys collaborated with the Red Army Chorus to perform a cover of the song. [6]
Singer Dolly Parton recorded a country-bluegrass version on her 2002 album Halos & Horns. Jazz singer and conservative Pat Boone chose it to close out his 1997 album of heavy metal covers In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy. 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 pop 'punk' style. This cover got them booed off stage while performing during a 2006 Pittsburgh Pirates game. [7] 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.
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, Sandra Hahn and Michael Turkic (Grand Opera), The Ministry of Fun, Neil Pepper, Pardon Me Boys, Robyne Dunn, The Rock Lobsters, Rolf Harris, Vegimite Reggae and others.
Many other covers are ironic or humorous in intent, notably Dread Zeppelin's reggae/Elvis-inspired version, Pat Boone's and Richard Cheese's lounge takes, and Rolf Harris's didgeridoo-and-wobble board interpretation (which reached number 7 in the UK charts in 1993). Rolf Harris's version was one of 25 different versions of the song, which were performed live by guest stars on the early 1990s Australian chat show The Money or the Gun - each being a unique version of the song in the usually idiosyncratic 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). Dread Zeppelin, Kate Ceberano, and the Doug Anthony All Stars are also of some note. Harris is said to have received death threats from fans of the song for his version of this iconic rock anthem.
Jazz guitarist Stanley Jordan recorded an instrumental cover of Stairway to Heaven where he simultaneously played two independent parts on one guitar with no overdubs.
The Foo Fighters's lead singer Dave Grohl also recorded a humorous version of the song on The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn, where he pretended to forget the lyrics (Grohl is an avid Led Zeppelin fan and has numerous tattoos representing the band across his body) and proceeded to improvise the electric guitar solo vocally.
Native American singer Jana recorded a techno cover of Stairway to Heaven which won the Native American Music Award (Nammy) for Best Song in 2002.
Rodrigo y Gabriela recently recorded an instrumental cover of Stairway to Heaven for their self-titled album in 2006. An instrumental version has also appeared on Hayseed Dixie album "Pickin' on Zeppelin: A Tribute".
[edit] 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 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).
[edit] Detournments
Composer Thomas Dimuzio reversed the original recording and digitally spliced it into quarter notes, then reassembled it in forward order to retain the original melody. According to Dimuzio, the resulting file contains exactly 666 regions. [1]
[edit] Satanic claims
- "Stairway to Heaven (section) (reversed)" (file info) — play in browser (beta)
- A reversed version of the claimed backmasked section of Stairway to Heaven
- Problems listening to the file? See media help.
Critics of rock and roll songs (and of Led Zeppelin in particular) have alleged[8] that a backward message is recorded into "Stairway to Heaven." The message, which allegedly occurs during the middle section of the song ("If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now..."), is purported to contain Satanic references:
Oh here's to my sweet Satan.
The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan.
He'll give those with him 666.
There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.—Most popular version of the lyrics to Stairway to Heaven played backwards[8]
In 1982, a consumer protection committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing on the song. Several "experts" claimed that "Stairway to Heaven," when played backward, contains a similar message[1]:
I sing because I live with Satan.
The Lord turns me off -- there's no escaping it.
Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan.
He will give you 666. I live for Satan.—Alleged lyrics to Stairway to Heaven played backwards, from the 1982 California State Assembly hearing
The controversy originated from a prominent Baptist, who, in 1982, preached on the radio that "Stairway to Heaven" contained subliminal backward messages.[9] This theory was later 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.
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". 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."[10]
[edit] Cultural references and spoofs
- A parody of "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded by Rolf Harris. Harris, along with a backing band, performed the (modified) lyrics, and accompanied himself on the digeridoo and wobble board.
- 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.
- This was likewise spoofed in Terry Pratchett's Soul Music, where the guitar store owner, after taking advantage of the new guitar craze, tells his assistant to hire a troll, instructing it to pull the head off of anyone who tries to play "Pathway to Paradise".
- 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. Also popular on Dr. Demento's program was likely one of many parodies incorporating 7-Eleven, "7-Eleven" by Led Slurpee, a one-time-only pseudonym of the duo Icemark composed of Rob "Iceman" Izenberg and former KZZP disk jockey Mark Jonathan Davis[2].
- During live performances of their song Tribute, Tenacious D often plays the song with bits and pieces of guitar riffs and chord progressions from Stairway to Heaven. Also, they often sing the last few words of the song similarly to how the end of Stairway to Heaven is sung. On their HBO series version of Tribute, large chunks of the song use chord progressions and vocals reminiscent of Stairway to Heaven.
- During the South Park episode Professor Chaos, Towelie attempts to play Stairway to Heaven, in his usual high state.
- In the "Mushroom Samba" episode of Cowboy Bebop, Spike Spiegel, after eating a psychedelic mushroom, hallucinates climbing an endless staircase, upon which is sitting a small frog who warns him that "This here is the stairway to heaven."
- In Bad News Tour, Vim Fuego boasts "I could play Stairway To Heaven when I was twelve. Jimmy Page didn't actually write it until he was twenty-two [sic - Page started writing Stairway in 1970, when he was 26]. I think that says quite a lot."
- In the manga and anime Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, The character Enrico Pucci controls a stand called Stairway to Heaven. It is one of the most powerful "stands" in the entire series, capable of doing godly feats.
- A piece of the lyrics of Stairway to Heaven was used at the beginning of chapter 4 of the book The C Programming Language of Kernighan and Ritchie as an input for a sample program.
- In the Playstation 2 game Guitar Hero II on one of the loading screens there is a sentence saying remember, no Stairway!. This is probably a reference to the movie Wayne's World. This is ironically similar to one of the loading screens in Guitar Hero, the first game in the series, when it shows, they don't really want you to play Freebird, they're just heckling you, and "Okay, so they wern't heckling you" before you play Freebird in Guitar Hero II.
- Writer Michael Klassen wrote "Understanding Stairway to Heaven" in 1990 as a parody of moribund classic rock radio formats and the backlash by the Parents Music Resource Center against rock lyrics.[citation needed]
- In the Tenacious D movie, The Pick of Destiny, When the D visit the museum of rock, there is a Stairway leading up to the guitars and the Pick itself called the "Guitarway to Heaven", complete with lights and gates.
[edit] References
- Led Zeppelin: Dazed and Confused: The Stories Behind Every song, by Chris Welch, ISBN 1-56025-818-7
- The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, by Dave Lewis, ISBN 0-7119-3528-9
- ^ a b c " Stairway To Heaven: Is This the Greatest Song of All Time?". Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
- ^ a b Sutcliffe, Phil (Apr., 2000). "Bustle in the Hedgerow". MOJO, p.62
- ^ a b Tollinski, Brad and di Benedetto, Greg, (Jan. 1998). "Light and Shade: A historic look at the entire Led zepellin catalogue through the eyes of Guitarist/Producer/Mastermind Jimmy Page". Guitar World, p. 100.
- ^ Rolling Stone. Stairway to Heaven. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
- ^ Tollinski, Brad and di Benedetto, Greg, (Jan. 1998). "Light and Shade: A historic look at the entire Led zepellin catalogue through the eyes of Guitarist/Producer/Mastermind Jimmy Page". Guitar World, p. 104.
- ^ Leningrad Cowboys - Total Balalaika Show at amazon.com
- ^ Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Strike Out in Pittsburgh at punknews.org
- ^ a b Milner, Jeff. Jeff Milner's Backmasking Site. Retrieved on 2006-06-09.
- ^ Oates, David John. Reverse Speech - Stairway to Where?. Retrieved on 2006-06-21.
- ^ Considine, J.D. Interviews. Retrieved on 2006-06-07.
[edit] External links
- Stairway to Heaven songfacts, tabs, videos and audio, at the Stairway to Heaven website.
- 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.
- 101 cover versions of “Stairway to Heaven”
- Sold on Song, "Stairway To Heaven" at BBC Radio 2
- [3] Live performance at Google Video
- Jeff Milner, "Backwards Songs"
