Stairway to Heaven: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
rm copyvio
Line 27: Line 27:


== History ==
== History ==
The music was written by [[Jimmy Page]] "over a long period, the first part coming at [[Bron-Yr-Aur]] one night".<ref name="MOJO">Sutcliffe, Phil (April., 2000). The famous opening guitar cadence was taken (without writing credit) from a song called 'Taurus' by the band 'Spirit' whom the band were friends with during the late 60's and early seventies ('Spirit's' influence on the band is well documented in the book 'Hammer Of The Gods'.) "Bustle in the Hedgerow". ''MOJO'', p.62</ref> 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]].
The music was written by [[Jimmy Page]] "over a long period, the first part coming at [[Bron-Yr-Aur]] one night".<ref name="MOJO">Sutcliffe, Phil (April., 2000). The famous opening guitar cadence was taken (without writing credit) from a song called 'Taurus' by the band 'Spirit' whom the band were friends with during the late 1960s and early 1970s ('Spirit's' influence on the band is well documented in the book 'Hammer Of The Gods'.) "Bustle in the Hedgerow". ''MOJO'', p.62</ref> 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]].


After the inaugural public performance at [[Belfast]]'s [[Ulster Hall]] on [[March 5]], [[1971]], (coincidentally Led Zeppelin's first appearance in [[Northern Ireland]])<ref name="Total Guitar">Llewellyn, Sian (December., 1998). "Stairway to Heaven". ''Total Guitar'', p.61-62</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sold on Song, Stairway to Heaven|BBC radio 2|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/stairway.shtml|accessdate=2006-02-09}}</ref> "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 other songs. Plant cites the Live Aid performance as the most unusual performance of the song ever, "with two drummers while [[Duran Duran]] cried at the side of the stage - there was something quite surreal about that."<ref name="Total Guitar" />
After the inaugural public performance at [[Belfast]]'s [[Ulster Hall]] on [[March 5]], [[1971]], (coincidentally Led Zeppelin's first appearance in [[Northern Ireland]])<ref name="Total Guitar">Llewellyn, Sian (December., 1998). "Stairway to Heaven". ''Total Guitar'', p.61-62</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Sold on Song, Stairway to Heaven|BBC radio 2|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/soldonsong/songlibrary/indepth/stairway.shtml|accessdate=2006-02-09}}</ref> "Stairway" was performed at almost every [[Led Zeppelin concerts|Led Zeppelin concert]] up until [[1980]]. Following Bonham's death in that year, the song was played by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the [[Live Aid]] concert in [[1985]], at the [[Atlantic Records]] 40th anniversary party 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 other songs. Plant cites the Live Aid performance as the most unusual performance of the song ever, "with two drummers while [[Duran Duran]] cried at the side of the stage - there was something quite surreal about that."<ref name="Total Guitar" />


"Stairway to Heaven" is the biggest-selling single piece of [[sheet music]] clocking up an average of 15,000 copies yearly.<ref name="Total Guitar" /> It also continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, as well as topping a recent ''[[Guitar World]]'' poll.<ref name="SuperSeventies" />
"Stairway to Heaven" is the biggest-selling single piece of [[sheet music]] clocking up an average of 15,000 copies yearly.<ref name="Total Guitar" /> It also continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, as well as topping a recent ''[[Guitar World]]'' poll.<ref name="SuperSeventies" />

Revision as of 15:10, 14 June 2007

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

"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the British rock group Led Zeppelin, composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant, and recorded on their fourth studio album, Led Zeppelin IV (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 there.

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.

After the inaugural public performance at Belfast's Ulster Hall on March 5, 1971, (coincidentally Led Zeppelin's first appearance in Northern Ireland)[3][4] "Stairway" was performed at almost every Led Zeppelin concert up until 1980. Following Bonham's death in that year, the song was played by the surviving members of Led Zeppelin at the Live Aid concert in 1985, at the Atlantic Records 40th anniversary party 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 other songs. Plant cites the Live Aid performance as the most unusual performance of the song ever, "with two drummers while Duran Duran cried at the side of the stage - there was something quite surreal about that."[3]

"Stairway to Heaven" is the biggest-selling single piece of sheet music clocking up an average of 15,000 copies yearly.[3] It also continues to top radio lists of the greatest rock songs, as well as topping a recent Guitar World poll.[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 book.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine put it at #31 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

Lyrics

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".[5] 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 "was some cynical aside about a woman getting everything she wanted all the time without giving back any thought or consideration. The first line begins with that cynical sweep of the hand ... and it softened up after that."[3]

Music

The song is a multi-movement suite. A quiet introduction featuring acoustic guitar and a recorder[6] (ending at-2:15) gradually moves into to a slow electric middle section (2:16-5:37), before the faster hard rock final section (5:48-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)[3] 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 4:18. 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 (an instrument he used extensively with the Yardbirds)[3] 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".[5] 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 and verse in "Stairway to Heaven" are nearly identical to the 1968 instrumental "Taurus" by the group Spirit.[2][7] In the liner notes to the reissue of Spirit's 1968 eponymous debut, songwriter Randy California mentions the fact that Jimmy Page took special interest in "Taurus". Prior to his death in 1997, Randy California was often asked about it in interviews, to which he typically responded that he did not consider the "Stairway" intro to be a rip-off, but simply a "reworking" of his song. [citation needed]

Led Zeppelin was the opening act for Spirit's 1968 tour.[8] While nobody in Led Zeppelin has ever cited influence from the track, the band was known to incorporate bits of Spirit song Fresh Garbage into their early concert medleys, and Jimmy Page has said that his use of a theremin was inspired by seeing Randy California use one. [citation needed]

Other versions

Covers

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 Choir to perform a cover of the song.[9] Jewish rock musician Dan Torres recorded an acoustic version on Dan Torres's Greatest Hits clocking in at 8:21, featuring louder, longer verses.

Singer Dolly Parton recorded a country-bluegrass version on her 2002 album Halos & Horns. Pop singer 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.[10] Native American singer Jana recorded a electronic cover of Stairway to Heaven which won the Native American Music Award (Nammy) for Best Song in 2002.

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. 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. 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 the bluegrass album "Pickin' on Zeppelin: A Tribute".

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)

Many other covers are ironic or intentionally humorous, 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 that 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). A compilation of these versions, titled 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.

Harris is said to have received death threats from fans of the song for his version of this iconic rock anthem. The Foo Fighters's lead singer Dave Grohl also performed 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. [11]

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) [citation needed] was recorded by the San Francisco band Little Roger and the Goosebumps and often featured on the Dr. Demento radio program. Singer Robert Plant has described this as his favorite cover "version" of the song. [citation needed]

Parodies

A parody of "Stairway to Heaven" was recorded by the ApologetiX, a Christian parody band. The parody was titled "Narrow Way to Heaven" and depicted their interpretation of the Christian path to Heaven.

Also popular on Dr. Demento's program was "7-Eleven", a parody based on the title of the store, 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[12].

Detournements

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]

Live performances

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.

Backmasking Controversy

Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end

Critics of rock and roll songs (and of Led Zeppelin in particular) have alleged[13] that a backmasked 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 will 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[13]

The controversy originated from a prominent Baptist, who, in 1982, preached on the radio that "Stairway to Heaven" contained subliminal backward messages.[14] 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. In 1982, the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing on backmasking in popular music, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backwards.[15] William Yarroll, a self-identified neuroscientist, claimed that "Stairway to Heaven," when played backward, contains a similar message: "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.[1] Other versions of the alleged message include "Here's to my sweet Satan, no other made a path. For it makes me sad. Whose power is Satan? Oh, my number, 666", and "Oh, here's to my sweet Satan. The One whose little path has made me sad. Whose power is Satan? Oh, my number, 666".[16]

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". Zeppelin producer Eddie Kramer confirmed this, calling the allegations "totally and utterly ridiculous. Why would they want to spend so much studio time doing something so dumb?"[17] 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."[18]

An informal experiment by scientist Simon Singh suggested that listeners only hear the message after prompting.[19]

See also

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
  1. ^ a b c "" Stairway to Heaven: Is This the Greatest Song of All Time?"". Retrieved 2006-06-07.
  2. ^ a b Sutcliffe, Phil (April., 2000). The famous opening guitar cadence was taken (without writing credit) from a song called 'Taurus' by the band 'Spirit' whom the band were friends with during the late 1960s and early 1970s ('Spirit's' influence on the band is well documented in the book 'Hammer Of The Gods'.) "Bustle in the Hedgerow". MOJO, p.62
  3. ^ a b c d e f Llewellyn, Sian (December., 1998). "Stairway to Heaven". Total Guitar, p.61-62
  4. ^ "Sold on Song, Stairway to Heaven". Retrieved 2006-02-09. {{cite web}}: Text "BBC radio 2" ignored (help)
  5. ^ a b c Tollinski, Brad and di Benedetto, Greg (January 1998). "Light and Shade: A Historic Look at the Entire Led Zeppelin Catalogue Through the Eyes of Guitarist/Producer/Mastermind Jimmy Page". Guitar World, p. 100-104.
  6. ^ Rolling Stone. "Stairway to Heaven". Retrieved 2006-06-07.
  7. ^ Guitar World Magazine, April 1997: "California's most enduring legacy may well be the fingerpicked acoustic theme of the song "Taurus," which Jimmy Page lifted virtually note for note for the introduction to "Stairway to Heaven."
  8. ^ The London Independent, January 17, 1997
  9. ^ Leningrad Cowboys - Total Balalaika Show at amazon.com
  10. ^ Me First and the Gimme Gimmes Strike Out in Pittsburgh at punknews.org
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqL-YNyxFd0
  12. ^ Template:Dlw
  13. ^ a b Milner, Jeff. "Jeff Milner's Backmasking Site". Retrieved 2006-06-09.
  14. ^ Oates, David John. "Reverse Speech - Stairway to Where?". Retrieved 2006-06-21.
  15. ^ Denisoff, R. Serge (1988). Inside MTV. Transaction. p. 290. ISBN 0887388647.
  16. ^ Blecha, Peter (2004). Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands and Censored Songs. Backbeat Books. p. 51. ISBN 0879307297. {{cite book}}: Check |isbn= value: checksum (help)
  17. ^ Stephen Davis, The Hammer of the Gods, William Morrow and Company Inc., New York, 1985, p. 335. Cited in David Oates, Reverse Speech: Voices From The Unconscious
  18. ^ Considine, J.D. "Interviews". Retrieved 2006-06-07.
  19. ^ Tucker, William (2005-03-31). "Big Bang: Simon Singh Takes on the Cosmos". New York Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2007-05-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stairway_to_Heaven&oldid=138143586"