“Paradise Overhead”: Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven, and the Divine Concept of the Sublime!

“The sky is the limit.” “Shoot for the stars.” “Climb every mountain.” It’s interesting that when we aspire to any hope, goal, or dream, we always place it above us. The sky, the clouds, the sun, the stars, and the galaxies all epitomize our highest aspirations. Why do we do that? Well…the higher up you go, the clearer and simpler the view becomes, and the more knowledge, power, and peace you gain. Hence, Hell is below the earth and Heaven is, of course, above us. If we had to choose an artistic work that reflected the celestial realm, which one would we choose? We could pick out Dante Alighieri (The Paradiso), the Sistine Chapel, or “Cheek to Cheek (Heaven)” by Fred Astaire. But today, let’s focus on Heaven within the context of one of the most famous rock bands that ever existed- Led Zeppelin!

Led Zeppelin

Led Zeppelin—initially known as the New Yardbirds—formed in 1968¹⁷. Their style was extremely diverse- incorporating early rock and roll in with blues, folk, psychedelic rock, Celtic, Indian, and Arabic music¹⁷. The band’s members include Jimmy Page (born January 9, 1944, Heston, Middlesex, England), Robert Plant (born August 20, 1948, West Bromwich, West Midlands), John Paul Jones (born January 3, 1946, Sidcup, Kent), and John Bonham (born May 31, 1948, Redditch, Hereford, and Worcester- died September 25, 1980, Windsor Berkshire)¹⁷. Page himself was the lead guitarist for the Yardbirds, and Jones too (the bassist/keyboard player) was a veteran studio musician¹⁷. Led Zeppelin was known for both its acoustic, folk-based sound, as well as its bottom-heavy, loud, raw, and powerful electric style¹⁷.

Led Zeppelin derived its name from a humorous conversation between its members (in which they discussed the possibility of going down like a “lead balloon (zeppelin)”). They are known for numerous hits like “Kashmir,” “Dazed and Confused,” and “Whole Lotta Love.” Many of their hits emphasized enormous drum sounds and bass, giving the group fresh, sonic spaciousness¹⁷. Plant wrote most of the lyrics, Page was responsible for a majority of the band’s signature riffs, and Jones also contributed to many of the songs’ arrangements¹⁷. Plant’s expressive, exaggerated vocal style paid homage to singers such as Muddy Waters and Howlin’ Wolf¹⁷.

Led Zeppelin enjoyed phenomenal commercial success during the 1970s¹⁷. While they never received mainstream acceptance or critical acclaim (like the Beatles or the Rolling Stones), they had a prodigious impact on rock music in general, and various bands (such as Nirvana and Black Sabbath) imitated their sounds¹⁷. Their biggest hit was of course “Stairway to Heaven.”

Stairway To Heaven

“Stairway To Heaven” is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time. In 2000, people voted it #3 on the VH1 list of “100 Greatest Rock Songs”¹¹. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it #31 on the “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list¹².

How did Led Zeppelin compose their classic, progressive/folk/rock ballad^1,2,3? They split it up into three sections. You’re likely wondering: “Three sections…the Trinity…a stairway to Heaven. Is that a coincidence?” (Perhaps. Although I don’t imagine it is). Each section progressively increases in both tempo and volume.

The opening section begins with Page on his six-string guitar. He finger-picks an arpeggiated chord progression with a chromatic descending bassline of A-G#-G-F#-F. Jones then enters with four flute-sounding recorders^4,5. At around 2:15, the song gradually segues into a slow electric middle section (2:16-5:33), a long guitar solo (5:34 -6:44), and then, finally, the fast, hard rocking denouement (so to speak) (6:45-7:45). Plant maintains a mid-vocal range throughout the song’s opening, middle, and epilogue sections and a high-vocal range (bordering on falsetto) throughout the hard rock section.

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant both conceived of the song in 1970 while they were spending time at Bron-Yr-Aur (a remote cottage in Wales)⁸. Page admitted that the song came together from bits of taped music, and then he consolidated those bits with his cassette recorder (which he always kept on hand)⁹.

Led Zeppelin began recording “Stairway to Heaven” in December 1970 at the Island Records’ new recording studios on Basing Street in London^6,7. They completed their studio recording in November 1971, and the song was included on their fourth, untitled album (Led Zeppelin IV). Led Zeppelin’s manager, Peter Grant, refused Atlantic Records’ request to issue it as a single (many people, as a result, bought the fourth album as if it were the single)¹⁰.

Led Zeppelin inaugurally performed the song at Belfast’s Ulster Hall on March 5, 1971⁵. According to bassist John Paul Jones, the crowd was surprisingly “…all bored to tears waiting to hear something they knew”¹³. However, over the years, people grew to love the song. Led Zeppelin gave their song its first world radio premier when they recorded it at the Paris Cinema on April 1, 1971, in front of a live studio audience¹⁴. Three days later, BBC broadcasted their song¹⁴.

The band has played “Stairway to Heaven” at almost every subsequent Led Zeppelin concert (minus the rare occasions in which technical issues or curfews cut their performances short). They often extended the piece (passing the 10-minute mark). Page would use his Gibson EDS-1275 double neck guitar (so he didn’t have to switch up instruments mid-song), and Jones would use a mellotron to replicate the sounds of woodwind instruments. Jones would also synthesize those sounds through his Yamaha CP-70B Grand Piano and Yamaha GX1^4,5.

By 1975, “Stairway to Heaven” became the regular final song at all their concerts. Plant grew tired of performing the song. “There’s only so many times you can sing it and mean it…It just became sanctimonious”¹⁵. The surviving members did play it at the 1985 Live Aid concert, at the Atlantic Records 40^th Anniversary concert (1988), and on solo tours (Jimmy Page provided instrumentals)^5,16.

The Lyrics

So, what is the song ultimately about? It’s hard to say. Like many rock-and-roll classics, the meaning is often vague or ambivalent. Page and Plant integrate various references to J.R.R. Tolkien and Celtic mythology, and plenty of allusions to hallucinogenic drugs abound. But long story short, it’s a critique of our modern-day materialistic society. Well…not our modern-day materialistic society, but the one that young Baby Boomers occupied during the 1960s and 1970s.

We’re talking about that special era in which “sticking it to the man” and “returning to nature and all ‘simple’ and ‘groovy’ things” were “counter-cultural” (at least as far as pop culture was concerned). Free love and acid were “cool,” and “Corporate America” was “square.” Yada, yada, yada. Fifty plus years pass, and now the “counter-cultural” ideas seem way…way different!

The song generally tells the story of two people. One is the mysterious “lady.” Who is this lady? Lady Freedom, Lady Liberty, or Lady Godiva? The Virgin Mary? It’s likely not any of those famous ladies, as this lady is convinced that she can purchase her way to Heaven. “When the stores are all closed,” all she must do is say “the word,” and she’ll get what she came for.

The “pilgrim” (singer), on the other hand, travels a mysterious, mountainous/forested landscape looking for his goal. This enchanted realm is filled with tall trees, rings of smoke, and other natural wonders. Songbirds sing that “our thoughts are sometimes misgiven,” but, more importantly, that it’s never too late to regain hope and redemption. “There are two paths you can go along, but in the end there’s still time to change the road you’re on.”

The “pilgrim” discovers what any religious, medieval acolyte discovered in the wake of all the scandals involving indulgences- whatever heaven is, it cannot be purchased. Does it exist beyond this world? Who knows? But the path to it is far more subtle and hidden. The “stairway” to heaven can be found in the “whispering wind.”

Were Plant and Page writing about hallucinogenic drugs (such as LSD or psilocybin)? Possibly. Those did often provide ecstatic, indescribable “trips” (although they also provided very Hellish ones). But even in their absence, the concept of Heaven always entails a certain ineffability that mirrors a higher state of consciousness (even setting aside the religious and/or post-mortem interpretations of Heaven).

The Ancient Firmament

Various traditions across the world have their own concepts of Heaven and Hell. The word “Heaven” in many ancient variations roughly translates to “sky, firmament” or the “cloud, cover.” It’s hard not to see why. All the supposed blessings and/or “divine retributions” that humanity received came from the sky (at least as far as they were concerned)- sunshine, thunderstorms, snowfall, rainfall, and so on. The sky was big, broad, beautiful, and full of both awe-inspiring terror and wonder!

In traditions such as Buddhism, “Heaven” closely resembles the naturalistic interpretation of death. Nirvana translates to “blowing out” or “becoming extinguished,” and thus the “heavenly” domain is one of stillness and nonexistence. On the other end of the spectrum, the Christian interpretation of “Heaven” is one where choirs of angels sing, and people enjoy great feasts. Does “Heaven” exist beyond the grave? Is “Heaven” a new version of earth and/or a reincarnation of life upon it (“the world to come”)? Who knows. Or…is Heaven a psychological state we may or may not experience in this life?

It’s easy to think of Heaven as the highest state of pleasure. If you love chocolate or pizza or ice cream, then Heaven is just that. But the notion of pleasure- even absolute pleasure- sells Heaven short. Pleasure, after all, is transient. Dopamine fuels it. We want a cookie, so we have a cookie, and we feel good. But then that feeling goes away and we desire another cookie (and we are not satisfied until we get another cookie).

Joy and meaning, though, are the higher goals that comprise the “celestial realm” (at least symbolically speaking). Whether we’ve had a cookie or not, we feel a sense of richness and fullness to our existence. We feel love and we feel loved. The universe isn’t constantly torturing and preying upon us. We’re in harmonious accordance with the cosmos, and we’ll never tire of exploring all its wonders and curiosities. Heaven, in that sense, isn’t some static version of a tropical island or regions of clouds where harpists play delightful music, but an endless unfolding and unraveling of all things precious, awe-inspiring, and beautiful.

Can we purchase our way into Heaven? If we’re talking about the one that potentially exists beyond the grave, certainly not. If we’re talking about the psychological, experiential state of joy one can reach in this mortal life, also probably not. But the good news is that you don’t need to purchase it. You can simply discover it, and, even if “…narrow is the way which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it” (Matthew 7:14), the path is still at least as wide as a “stairway.” Now doesn’t that “make you wonder”!?

SOURCES

[1] Edward Macan (1997). Rocking the Classics: English Progressive Rock and the Counterculture. Oxford University Press. p. 154.

[2] Colothan, Scott (19 April 2010). “Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Voted The Greatest Rock Song”. Gigwise. Retrieved 5 July 2016. The prog-rock epic is one of three Led Zep songs to make it into the top ten in a listeners’ poll conducted by radio station Absolute Classic Rock.

[3] Alfred William Cramer (2009). Musicians and Composers of the 20th Century. Vol. 4. Salem Press. p. 1116.

[4] Rolling Stone. “Stairway to Heaven”. Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 28 October 2007. Retrieved 7 June 2006.

[5] Llewellyn, Sian (December 1998). “Stairway to Heaven”. Total Guitar, p.61-62

[6] Schulps, Dave (October 1977). “Jimmy Page: The Trouser Press Interview”. teachrock.org. Trouser Press. Retrieved 22 November 2021.

[7] Welch, Chris. “Classic Interview: Engineer Andy Johns on the secrets behind Led Zeppelin IV”. musicradar.com. Future Plc. Retrieved 2 December 2021.

[8] Sutcliffe, Phil (April 2000). “Bustle in the Hedgerow”. MOJO, p. 62

[9] Tolinski, 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.

[10] Dave Lewis (1994), The Complete Guide to the Music of Led Zeppelin, Omnibus Press

[11] “VH1 100 Greatest Rock Songs 1–50”. rockonnet.com. Retrieved 1 June 2008.

[12] “500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. Rolling Stone. 11 December 2003. Retrieved 23 March 2022.

[13] “Sold on Song, Stairway to Heaven”. BBC radio 2. Retrieved 9 February 2006.

[14] Pallett, Simon (January 1998). “Radio Dazed”. Guitar World, p.122

[15] Dave Lewis and Simon Pallett (1997) Led Zeppelin: The Concert File, London: Omnibus Press. ISBN 0-7119-5307-4, p. 58.

[16] Welch, Chris (2002). Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin. Omnibus Press. p. 231.

[17] Led Zeppelin | British Rock Band, Hard Rock, Blues Rock | Britannica