Stairway to Heaven

This article is about the song by Led Zeppelin. For other uses, see Stairway to Heaven (disambiguation).

"Stairway to Heaven"
American radio promotional sleeve
Song by Led Zeppelin
from the album Led Zeppelin IV
Released8 November 1971 (1971-11-08)
RecordedDecember 1970, January 1971, February 1971[1]
StudioIsland Studios, London; Rolling Stones Mobile Studio, Stargroves, East Woodhay, Hampshire; Ronnie Lane's Mobile Studio, Headley Grange, Hampshire[1]
Genre
Length7:55[2]
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Jimmy Page
Audio
"Stairway to Heaven" on YouTube

"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, released on 8 November 1971 on the band's untitled fourth studio album (commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV), by Atlantic Records. Composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page with lyrics written by lead singer Robert Plant, it is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time and by some as the greatest.[3][4][5][6][7]

The song has three sections, each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. The song begins in a slow tempo with acoustic instruments (guitar and recorders) before introducing electric instruments. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement, highlighted by Page's guitar solo and Plant's vocals, which ends with the plaintive a cappella line: "And she's buying a stairway to heaven".

"Stairway to Heaven" was voted number three in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the "100 Greatest Rock Songs",[8] in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Stairway to Heaven" number 31 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list.[9] It was the most-requested song on FM radio stations in the United States at the time, despite never having been commercially released as a single in the US.[10] In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release, "Stairway to Heaven" reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.[11]

  1. ^ a b Guesdon & Margotin 2018, p. 260.
  2. ^ Untitled (a.k.a. Led Zeppelin IV) (Album notes). Led Zeppelin. New York City: Atlantic Records. 1971. Side one LP label. SD 7208.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  3. ^ "The Influence Of Led Zeppelin Is So Profound That It's Almost Impossible To Overstate. (However, We Are Still Going To Try)". SPIN. SPIN Media. September 2002. p. 80.
  4. ^ "Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven' Voted the Greatest Rock Song before the year of 2000". Gigwise.com. Retrieved 24 November 2010.
  5. ^ "500 Greatest Rock Songs". digitaldreamdoor. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. ^ "Top 1000 Classic Rock Songs of All Time". www.rocknrollamerica.net. Archived from the original on 29 April 2022. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Top 10 Best Rock Songs of All Time". TheTopTens. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  8. ^ "VH1 100 Greatest Rock Songs 1–50". rockonnet.com. Retrieved 1 June 2008.
  9. ^ "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  10. ^ Lewis, Dave (1994). The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-711-93528-9..
  11. ^ "Led Zeppelin score top 40 hit". NME. 18 November 2007. Archived from the original on 12 January 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2024.