This is the first time they're hearing it! And that was at the L. Forum, so I knew we were onto something with that one. The world radio premiere of "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded at the Paris Cinema on 1 April , in front of a live studio audience, and broadcast three days later on the BBC.
The band's final performance of the song was in Berlin on 7 July , which was also their last concert until 10 Dec at London's O2 Arena; the version was the longest, lasting almost fifteen minutes, including a seven and a half-minute guitar solo. When playing the song live, the band would often extend it to over ten minutes, with Page playing an extended guitar solo and Plant adding a number of lyrical ad-libs, such as "Does anybody remember laughter? For performing this song live, Page used a Gibson EDS double neck guitar so he would not have to pause when switching from a six to a twelve string guitar.
By , the song had a regular place as the finale of every Led Zeppelin concert. However, after their concert tour of the United States in , Plant began to tire of "Stairway to Heaven": "There's only so many times you can sing it and mean it It just became sanctimonious. The song was played again by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the Live Aid concert in ; [14 ] at the Atlantic Records 40th Anniversary concert in , with Jason Bonham on drums; [27 ] and by Jimmy Page as an instrumental version on his solo tours.
By the late s, Plant made his negative impression of the song clear in interviews. In , he stated:. I'd break out in hives if I had to sing "Stairway to Heaven" in every show.
I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in , but 17 years later, I don't know. It's just not for me. I sang it at the Atlantic Records show because I'm an old softie and it was my way of saying thank you to Atlantic because I've been with them for 20 years. But no more of "Stairway to Heaven" for me.
However, by the mids Plant's views had apparently softened. The first few bars were played alone during Page and Plant tours in lieu of the final notes of " Babe I'm Gonna Leave You ", and in November Page and Plant performed an acoustic version of the song at a Tokyo news station for Japanese television.
This song is played a whole step lower. Plant cites the most unusual performance of the song ever as being that performed at Live Aid: "with two drummers while Duran Duran cried at the side of the stage — there was something quite surreal about that. There are also hundreds of audio versions which can be found on unofficial Led Zeppelin bootleg recordings. But I knew it was the gem of the album, sure. The song's length precluded its release in full form as a single.
Despite pressure from Atlantic Records the band would not authorise 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. Other "single" appearances were on an Australian EP, and in as an added bonus with a 20th anniversary promo book. The group's recording of this song also appeared as the sole Led Zeppelin track in the Atlantic Records 2-LP promotional sampler album, We've Got Your Music , marking the first time that Led Zeppelin's "Stairway To Heaven" made its official debut appearance in an American-released various artists compilation collection.
On the 20th Anniversary of the song's release, Esquire magazine featured an article on the song's success and lasting influence. Karen Karbo wrote: [34 ]. It's doubtful that anyone knew it would become the most popular rock song of all time. After all, it's eight minutes long and was never released as a single. Even " Hey Jude " was shorter, was a 45, and enjoyed the benefits of comprehensible words and a sing-along chorus. But "Hey Jude" isn't the most requested song of all time on FM rock stations.
Nobody ever had a "Hey Jude" theme prom or played the song at weddings and funerals like "Stairway. Back in , FM deejays prided themselves on digging deep into albums to come up with oddball, cultish favorites. With its near-oppressive length, erratic changes, and woo-woo lyrics, the quasi-medieval anthem was a perfect choice. It continues to be a favorite among music listeners who are younger than the song itself, listeners who, in some cases, were no doubt conceived while the tune blasted from car speakers.
Erik Davis , a social historian and cultural critic , commented on the song's massive success, subsequent backlash and enduring legendary status: [37 ]. Think about it: we are all sick of the thing, but in some primordial way it is still number one. Everyone knows it Even our dislike and mockery is ritualistic. The dumb parodies; the Wayne's World -inspired folklore about guitar shops demanding customers not play it; even Robert Plant's public disavowal of the song—all of these just prove the rule.
It is the One , the quintessence, the closest AOR will ever get you to the absolute. Page has himself commented on the song's legacy:. The wonderful thing about "Stairway" is the fact that just about everybody has got their own individual interpretation to it, and actually what it meant to them at their point of life.
And that's what's so great about it. Over the passage of years people come to me with all manner of stories about what it meant to them at certain points of their lives. About how it's got them through some really tragic circumstances Because it's an extremely positive song, it's such a positive energy, and, you know, people have got married to [the song]. Robert Plant once pledged to a public radio station that promised they would never play the song. In a January television program on the Trinity Broadcasting Network hosted by Paul Crouch , it was alleged that hidden messages were contained in many popular rock songs through a technique called backward masking.
One example of such hidden messages that was prominently cited was in "Stairway to Heaven. Following the claims made in the television program, California assemblyman Phil Wyman proposed a state law that would require warning labels on records containing backward masking. In April , the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing on backward masking in popular music, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backwards.
During the hearing, William Yarroll, a self-described "neuroscientific researcher," claimed that backward messages could be deciphered by the human brain. Various versions of the alleged message exist. 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 There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan. The band itself has for the most part ignored such claims. In response to the allegations, Swan Song Records issued the statement: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards.
Why would they want to spend so much studio time doing something so dumb? The truth is, it has been several years since "Stairway" has been the most-played song at rock radio stations, both locally and nationwide. We've struggled with whether we should give another song top billing for a couple of years, but have always yielded to tradition and the fear that some of you would show up at the station with flamethrowers if we placed another song at the top of the countdown. This year, we're taking it to you, the i95 listener.
It's your radio station, and whatever you say goes. No wonder the song has been unofficially barred from being played in music stores worldwide. One night, while driving along the Oregon coast after a solo performance in Portland, Plant came across a radio station playing really cool non-mainstream music. Plant pulled over his car, whipped out his credit card, and ponied up the dough.
BY Kenneth Partridge. Walter Iooss Jr.
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