John Bonham’s drum solo
Led Zeppelin’s 1971 album, Led Zeppelin IV, was an instant commercial success and contained one of their most famous songs, “Stairway To Heaven”. The epic 8-minute long track featured a signature John Bonham drum solo that highlighted the album’s melodic and improvisational style. Bonham’s drums recorded during the session were mixed heavily by producers Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, making them sound bigger and more powerful. This drum solo has become one of the most iconic in music history and was often recreated by aspiring drummers in their jam sessions.
Themes and Lyrics
The lyrics of “Stairway To Heaven” documents a journey of spiritual enlightenment and self-growth. Starting out with the lyrics, “There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold/and she’s buying a stairway to Heaven”, the song continues to introduce different characters and their stories on the journey to their ultimate destination. Throughout, the song speaks of the importance of questioning one’s feelings and of ultimately being able to find peace and happiness.
Music
The song is divided into three distinct sections by the guitar and keyboard instruments. The first part is a slower folk-style section with acoustic guitar and light string accompaniment. The second section is a heavier electric guitar and bass driven verses, where the instrumentation is more developed and more sophisticated. Finally, the third section is an uptempo guitar and drums-driven climax with a signature and famous guitar solo. Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant contributes a powerful performance in this section, allowing the track to reach its peak and come full circle.
The Legacy of “Stairway to Heaven”
In the years since its release, “Stairway To Heaven” has become one of the most popular and recognizable hard rock songs of all time. And Led Zeppelin’s IV album remains one of the highest selling albums of all time, with over 30 million copies sold worldwide. The song has been cited as an influence on a variety of music from the 1980s and 1990s hard rock and metal bands and continues to be the subject of admiration and praise from fans and music critics alike.
Notable cover versions
The influence of “Stairway To Heaven” can be heard in a variety of cover versions. In 2008, the group Heart released a cover of the song which charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, reaching number 75. Heart’s version was heavily praised by fans and critics alike as a faithful and powerful homage to the original. Ten years later in 2018, the song was released as a single by South Korean pop star IU. Being the first international artist to cover the song, IU’s version also received acclaim from fans and critics. Other notable versions include the seminal 1990 re-recording of the song by metal supergroup Dream Theater.
Jimmy Page’s guitar solo
A particularly notable feature of the song is Jimmy Page’s guitar solo in the coda. Page had to record a few versions solo before selecting the one which made it to the final version. While the solo was improvised by Page in the studio, it has become a part of rock history and continues to be studied by aspiring guitarists. Indeed, Page’s solo has been awarded numerous accolades such as Rolling Stone magazine ranking it the greatest guitar solo of all time in 2011 and the Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2018.
Conclusion
Led Zeppelin’s 1971 album Led Zeppelin IV and its iconic track “Stairway To Heaven” have become an indisputable part of the classic rock canon and musical history. From the powerful and dynamic drum solo of John Bonham to the emotive vocal performance by Robert Plant and the all-time-classic guitar solo by Jimmy Page, “Stairway To Heaven” is a timeless song with a lasting legacy that continues to influence future generations of rock and rollers.
