1975, I started dating a girl. We were both 16. She introduced me to bell bottoms, cool cigarettes, and Led Zeppelin. She changed me from a red neck into a rock and roll fan. I'm sitting here listening to Stairway to Heaven and she's in the other room watching reruns on Breaking Bad. Lifes been good.
Girl, you took that ride!!! No pause, no comment!! Just feeling it and rolling with it. That's what that music was all about. Thank you for what you do!!❤
I don’t care how many cynics cry about this song being overplayed, it deserves every drop of its reputation. It’s just that good. A composition for the ages!
I am 79 years old and I have tears running down my face :) I was 27 when this came out, I was a Vietnam Veteran who had just returned home after 8 years of war and it so magnified the emotions that PTSD haunted my older than my years desperation! This song began as one of Welshman Robert Plants poems written about the hedonism that was rising in the 1970s & 80s and became an anthem to those of us who shunned materialism & sought the nearness of and clarity of inner dwelling Truth in our lives? Rosalie I really like the analysis of my music:
From one military veteran to another, God bless you brother. I grew up during that period and I saw the hell vets went through because of older friends and family members who served. Music is a universal language that we all speak and is a refuge and shelter when we need to tune out the world and turn inwards to ourselves where the inner world of ourselves that is real.
Led Zeppelin, the group the critics hated, and the audience loved. All those critics are long gone, and forgotten, while Led Zeppelin will be remembered forever.
What are you talking about? What critics didn't like them? This song was an immediate sensation. It was on the radio rotation for over 20 years. I had some issues with their appropriation of the blues greats in their first 3 albums, but IV was VERY original with their arrangements and pacing. I admit I got sick of hearing it after 10 years or so, but nowadays it sounds as fresh as when I was 16.
The BRITISH critics were TERRIBLE to the band. Thats why they immediatly toured America as they felt they would be accepted there. They were right and upon their return tne British public was ready for them. The critics were STILL negative. Check it out...@@markmurphy558
He is telling the audience to live your life however you want... even if it goes against God's will... you will have time to change your life and make it to Heaven. Such a deceitful song! No one knows when they are going to die and you could be lost for eternity!!!!
At 13 and alone in my bedroom with this on my am/fm clock radio was my first listen. Junior High School was not kind to me. Led Zeppelin was and is always kind to me. Thank God for them. They helped save a young girl's life more than once.
Aww WoW This is Beautiful & OMG it is how i feel about them especially my Jimmy Page Magical Genius Wizard Babe ive been in Mad Luv with him & Led Zeppelin since i was 8 yrs old listening to them in the dark in my older sisters room they grabbed me by my Soul & NEVER let GO everytime i listen to them they put me in a Trance like an out of body experience which is an utter Gift to me now since i have severe chronic pain now & when i am listening to ANY of their songs when i am in that Trance i feel No Pain it is Bliss & like you i had a very horrid time in school & with that & with everything in my Life they have also Saved me many many times it is amazing that a band can do that well NOT any band THIS Band is the ONLY one who makes me feel lots of dif feelings & also takes me out of body to me it IS **Magic** Thank you for this post **PixieHugz&Luvz**
I'm 74 years old. I am a writer in my retirement. I was a guitarist in a gospel group when this came out. It changed me. I became obsessed to play like Jimmy Page. Ha, shame on me. It was like the Stairway To Heaven, an impossible dream. I still play for my own entertainment, but, I didn't learn Stairway then, and I never will. My abilities were not and are not up to the task. I have watched many try to analyze Stairway for years. I don't believe any of them suceeded. Stairway takes each individual that hears it to a different place within themselves. We all do that. Dreams are real, but they are made for each person to be as unique as the individual that has them. Like Stairway, not all will see the same thing. I love your excitement and personality. Don't stop trying to understand. AC
In our cars, back then. Always in our cars. We'd spend hours cruising back roads at night, jamming along, topping the next hill and the next at just the right moments, new vistas opening and spreading out below to distant horizons as crescendos soared to the skies above. An intense, cosmic show. The universe was ours back then... (Edit: High 5s for allowing the song to play through w/o interruption. That's pretty rare with a lot of reaction vids. You're doing this right!)
I am 72. Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Rush, The Moody Blues, The Yardbirds, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone . . . . . so much unique talent everywhere in the air waiting for the radio to be turned on. We thought that was normal and would last forever.
Thank you for listening through the whole song before delivering your analysis. It shows that you are truly invested in the song. With Stairway to Heaven being arguably the greatest rock song ever written, it deserves no pauses, no interruptions to really appreciate. Nice job!
Most music reactors have to pause during music videos due to UA-cams copyright restrictions. Reactors can have their videos demonitized for not pausing and get a copyright strike against their channel. If they receive 3 strikes they have to shut their channel down. Some bands and their record labels are notorious for making reactors take the videos down. The Eagles and Led Zep are 2 of those bands. The issue is reactors are reposting someone elses created content , since it is not theirs the rightful owners take issue. There are intellecuall property arguements and a host of other issues. A lot of reactors post videos on their patreon channels to avoid copyright issues. I don't know the how or why its ok on the patreon channel but not on the regular youtube channel. A lot also depends on the number of subscribers the channel has. Once a channel gets over a certain number the youtube algorithm picks up and starts monitoring the channel for copyright infringements.
I agree. Most reactors don't take the psychological approach and wait till after. She takes it is 2 parta. It's hard to feel the music when people are talking:)
The sheer amount of texture, poly harmonics, counter melodies, sub riffs underneath already iconic riffs, multiple heights of dynamics. Plant’s genius vocals wrapping around the sonic banquet. This song is just astounding.
My girlfriend (now my wife of many years) and I listening to Stairway To Heaven while parked in my car in a field looking at the stars. We felt elevated into the night sky. Sensual overload! It's one of my favorites. 20 years later, when we were chaperones at high school dance where our son went to school, the DJ announced the second last song of the evening. All the kids got quiet and sat in large circles on the gymnasium floor. We adults were wondering what was going on...?? Then the first notes of Stairway To Heaven came out of the speakers. The kids were holding hands and were swaying to the music as they sat there. Needless to say, we were taken back. We found that it was tradition at every dance, the second to last song was, and still is, Stairway To Heaven. Oh, the last dance each time.....Goodnight Sweetheart by the Spaniels. 😊 That was in 1989.
The very first live concert I ever attended was Led Zeppelin. I have been a huge fan ever since. As many times as I listen to their music, to this day, I get something additional out of the music. Greatest band ever.
Ditto/ I was 15 years old. Greatest concert ever. And I have recounted over 50 live concerts from my past so far. Stones, Clapton, Prince BB king, Heart, including most of the bands who give tribute to them at Kennedy Center honors. My hats off to some excellent tribute bands..... But nothing comes close to one with a Bonham playing those drums. I've recounted over 50 live concerts from my past so far. Stones, Clapton, Prince BB king, He
I couldn't imagine expressing my feelings while watching this any better than you! I actually had tears of joy seeing each stage of the song sinking in and the smiles she couldn't control!!
same here... this was about a year after Whole Lotta Love , I bought the 45 record ... but when I heard Stairway! That sealed it for me , I forgot all about my Beatles (temporary) and I went out and bought all 4 of their albums at that time cost me about $20 which was a lot of money at that time! Led Zeppelin from that day forward would be my all-time favorite...
Here's the thing about Stairway: it's how it sneaks up on you, step by step, plinkity plink flutey flutey, now this layer now another and holy shit now we're rocking out big time how'd we get here?
I saw Robert Plant live last year and he can still sing. I first heard this song in the late 70s, sitting in a Ford Escort on a foggy mountain road in Donegal at night. I remember it like it was yesterday. One of the most magical things in my youth. Hard to describe.
I love watching people when they realize how special Zepplin really is. they are unique in that you never know what you are going to hear and no two songs sound alike
You cant find a better band anywhere! They are absolutely magnificent! Im 64 and i first heard them in 1970 at age 10 when the babysitter came over with their first album! Loved them ever since!
👏👏👏👏 *LOVE* that you listen to the *entire* song, we watch you experience it...and THEN you discuss, react, and share thoughts. Thank you - this is my first time watching your channel. I'll be back! 🤘
I am 65. Zep was my band in the 70's. Listened to them about 80% of the time in my truck. Anybody remember 8 track tapes!!! If you want to to cry review the video of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors of Zep. Ann and Nancy Wilson perform with a fantastic background band, orchestra, and choirs, yes choir(s) and John Bonham's son Jason on the drums. Jimmy, Robert and John Paul were in the audience watching. Robert who was great friends with John is working really hard to hold it together..... When its over and Jason stands and bumps his heart to Robert, Jimmy, and John you will break down. Maybe one of the best live performances ever! Also listen to The Rain Song. It is easily one of the most beautiful songs of the 70s. It shows the incredible range the boys had!!!!!
Yes, the more you listen to this song, the more it will grow on you. After hearing it hundreds of times over decades, I have come to believe, along with thousands of others of my generation (BB), that it is one of, if not the greatest rock song of all time.
"Stairway To Heaven" was the "theme" of my senior high school prom. Came out when I was 17. I feel lucky to have been in my teens during this music era. Your explanation is, by far, possibly the best thought out and explained of all the explanations of it's meaning thru all these years. You do that VERY well. So well spoken.
“The meaning of "Stairway to Heaven" When I run or hike my mind often plays songs repetitively. If I don't like the song or don't know enough of the lyrics to make it a pleasant experience the resulting monotony can get quite burdensome. But if I'm lucky, a beautiful ballad that I know and love will play and I can enjoy the experience. "Stairway to Heaven" is one such song. Written in 1971 by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, performed by the incomparable Led Zeppelin, it played endlessly on the radio when I was in high school. And every time it came on, I turned up the volume and let the spell of that song carry me away. At over 8 minutes long, with lyrics scattered sparsely throughout, it's arguable that the lyrics aren't central to the song. It's one of the greatest rock anthems of all time - who even listens to the lyrics? I certainly didn't. Not until it started playing endlessly in my head. When you are forced to listen to a song 15 times in a row, you get past the awesome guitar solos and the ethereal mood of the song and you start to wonder, "What the F--- is this song really about?" At least I do. When I first heard the song it seemed to be about some rich lady who bought her way into heaven. The line "your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know" seemed appropriate to the endless loop I was experiencing. But it took a long time for the story to come together in my mind. As I got into it, there seemed to be a lot of non-sequiturs. Consider the line "in a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven." Where did THAT come from? We were just talking about the Stairway lady. It made me wonder. In time I realized the song is not a linear story. It's a series of images altered by the later context. It's kind of like a movie that starts in the middle of the story and only later supplies the context to understand what you've seen. "There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven." The lady and her stairway represent materialism. There's also a hint that she may be misguided because all that glitters is NOT gold. "When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed, with a word she can get what she came for." Money, privilege and power. Pretty simple so far. "There's a sign on the wall, but she wants to be sure, 'cause you know sometimes words have two meanings." She doesn't trust anyone. Money has cut her off from people. Then comes the apparent non-sequitur. "In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven." So far the song has been about a lady and a stairway, or if we're already on the metaphorical bandwagon, it's about materialism and the way that cuts us off from other people. We can't understand this line except in the context of the rest of the song, but we'll soon see that a change from an old way of thinking to a new one is the real theme of this song. So eventually we'll understand that this line starts the real theme of the song and everything that came before it is a metaphor for the old way of thinking. The refrain is "Oooo, it makes me wonder." Wonder what? The singer is rethinking something. But what? The story takes a personal turn with the line, "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving." This is a lovely poetic line that boils down to "Facing death makes me think about what's important in life." Because the sun sets there, west has been a metaphor for death since at least ancient Egyptian times. "In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees and the voices of those who stand looking." Rings of smoke denote campfires, indicating that people live there, despite being hidden. Those who stand looking are people who witness evil, but say nothing. The people in his thoughts are coming out of hiding to stand up for what's right. "And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune, then the piper will lead us to reason." The vision continues.The tune and the piper are musical metaphors connoting the spread of the goodness and truth seen in the vision. "And a new day will dawn for those who stand long and the forest will echo with laughter." As the vision gathers momentum, the people are no longer hiding in the trees. But we're still not sure what this great vision really is. Does it have anything to do with the lady or the materialism she represents? In the next few lines, we the listener are brought into the song somewhat ambiguously. "Your" and "you" could refer to the lady, but as we'll see later, they don't. "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the May queen." Very poetic again, and very British. Some translation is needed. In rural England the hedgerow is the line of shrubs denoting the property line between your estate and the next, so a "bustle in your hedgerow" means something is changing in your life or your mind. The May queen was chosen by a village to represent youth, beauty, newness, and hope for a better future. So this line boils down to "if your old ideas start crumbling, don't be alarmed, you have new and better ideas forming in their place." It's also possible that the May queen is another reference to the lady, though significantly changed in her ways. "Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on." This is a major clue to the still nebulous vision. It's a vision about a change for the better, one that we the listener can make. "Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know. The piper's calling you to join him." Since the bustle, hedgerow and May queen were so mysterious, this stanza restates and clarifies the previous one. The piper, as mentioned earlier, represents the vision, now evidently an idea because it is humming in our head. It's also a popular idea because here the piper is portrayed like the Pied Piper whose pipe magically lured rats and children to follow him. "Dear lady can you hear the wind blow, and did you know, your stairway lies on the whispering wind." There's a lot going on here. Blowing wind is a metaphor for popular opinion, just as it was in many other songs from this era. Now we see the flaw in materialism, represented by the lady. Her money is only good if people accept it. And her reliance on it has cut her off from those people to the point where she may not be able to hear them at all. "Dear lady" is a clue that the lady also represents the materialist part of ourselves, one of the "two paths you can go by." "And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our souls." I really love this image. This song could have been about other people's flaws, but it's not. As time goes by, we inevitably grow more materialistic. One day we realize that we haven't lived up to the idealism of youth. Our material selves are now more important to us than our spiritual selves. But why shadows? A close inspection of the entire song shows a consistent differentiation between things seen and things heard. Things seen are false and misleading. Things heard are real and from the heart. This might seem strange, but remember, we're listening to a song. The truth is coming to us aurally, not visually. "There walks a lady we all know, who shines white light and wants to show, how everything still turns to gold." The shadows of the previous line come from the shining white light of a materialistic point of view. If we cast a shadow, it's because our materialism is showing. "And if you listen very hard, the tune will come to you at last." The tune returns. Like last time, the tune is the new way of thinking, the second path, the non-materialist way of living that is more genuine, and keeps us connected to other people. "When all are one and one is all. To be a rock and not to roll." It's too bad this line is so hard to understand in the recording because it really ties everything together. If the new way of thinking is good for one person, it's even better for a group. If enough like-minded folks get together and form a community then we'll live in a real, solid and reliable paradise. "And she's buying a stairway to heaven." If not, the materialists will take advantage of the rest of us. So that's how I interpret the song. It has added immensely to my enjoyment of Stairway to Heaven. I hope it does the same for you. Brian Robinson” This is the best interpretation of “Stairway to Heaven” lyrics I encountered so far. If you/anyone knows a better one, please share. “... It's one of those songs where… if you have a moment, with either someone else or just a moment where you're watching the sun rising or something… It's one of those moments that, this piece of music, if it connects, it's going to connect fully, into every vein you've got going, and makes something inside you… Your little atoms are stirred by it. Your being… it's one of those songs that actually connects with your being.” Krusher More than a Rock band, Led Zeppelin is an experience. An emotional rollercoaster able to show you places and feelings deep within yourself, that you, yourself, never knew existed. That is the reason, I think, Led Zeppelin is the greatest Rock band of all time.
Awesome post, mate, awesome. Thank you, thank you. I’m nearly 70 & everything I’ve felt when I listen to this, from the first time to this time, has just fallen into place. Fucking cool! Thank you. Love from Annie, in Cornwall, UK🙂🌸
it was just great to see and hear Led Zeplin live. The thoughts and memories of the concerts and the woman I dated are cherished memories. In college at the time and it was a wonderful experience.
The greatest piece of rock music ever written and recorded. Hands down. 1971, art class as a sophomore in high school. This came on the radio and I heard it for the first time. I still love this song. I want it played at my memorial service when I climb my own stairway to heaven.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving. This is a direct reference to Plants almost obsession with JRR Tolkien and Loed of the Rings. It references the Elves taking ships to the western lands of Valinor, the Undying Lands where elves live forever
We still remember we who live in this far land beneath the trees. The starlight on the western Seas. 🌌🧙🏻♂️ from near where the the old man and the bundle of sticks photo was taken.. and JRR Tolkien went to school and taught.🌳🌳🌳🌳🏞️
The Term "Undying Lands" is a nickname given because it's a place for Immortal beings, it doesn't make them immortal An Elves Fëa is indestructible regardless of where they are, and Elf whos Hröa (body) is killed will be reincarnated after some time in the halls of Mandos. There is one exception to this, Fëanor, his Fëa lives, but he's not allowed a body as he was a very naughty boy.
@Tommy-he7dx There are two other exceptions. Elros and Arwen, being halfelven, chose the fate of men, denied the halls of Mandos,This was part of Elrond's resistance to the union of Arwen and Aragorn.
Am 65 years old & heard this the first time on my AM FM transistor radio. Saw them in concert in 1977, still my favorite concert experience. Individually they are all great musicians, together they are arguably the greatest Rock & Roll band of all time. Their influence will carry on for years.
... More than 30 years ago I took a walk through the park with my brother Stephan & he 'made me' listen to this song saying that it's his favorite... A few months later he died from an accidental overdose... This song is always for him... RIP mein geliebter Bruder, I hope your stairway reached heaven.. 😢
So very sorry for your loss ❤😢 I too lost my baby sister 2 years ago...she was only 54 years old...I'm 64 now...to a Fentnyl overdose when she was given what she thought was a Xanax by a family member and it wasn't. I grieve every day.
“There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold And she's buying a stairway to Heaven” I think this refers to heroin. That using (glitter) drugs helps ascend to what she thinks is heaven. So buying and using drugs helps achieve getting to heaven. In the live video Robert Plant says Sugar, Sugar.
The reason why we watch music reactors is because we want to capture as best as we can that magical feeling we had when we heard a masterpiece for the first time. We obviously still know the song and its details but seeing someone react with awe to great music for the first time is so so beautiful. Thank you for the reaction.
And don’t worry too much about the lyrical content. You may listen to it again and feel like it means something else. Mr. Plant wrote it that way. It’s up to you and you can even ‘change the colors’ if you so desire.
I was a teenager when LZ first came together as a band. But Stairway I have literally listened to thousands of times and I still appreciate the greatest of this song and Led Zeppelin in general from almost every perspective. I loved your reaction.
Rosalie every emotion & facial expression you shared listening to this I sure I felt at a young age bc I've based my playing guitar since the 1970's till present & when I need music to fit my mood a Zeppelin album will always fit even now in 2024.
This is an epic track and has been for 53 years. I bought it when it came out back then and have listened to thousands of times. But for me, this song live is an experience to behold. My favorite live version is from 1973 at Madison Square Garden used in their movie, and soundtrack album, "The Song Remains the Same".
I've been listening to "Stairway" for some 56 years now. It becomes more powerful and emotional each time played. Thank you for sharing your reactions to one the most iconic rock songs of all time. Your analysis is really awesome and thanks. Consider this.... the guitar solo starting at 6:56 is the emotional "pleading", "weeping" and "yearning" for that stairway that perhaps never comes. She wants it so badly she cries for it. at 7:30 she repeatedly asks for it and the other guitar replies over and over "no"..... To me, that has been the interpretation of the guitar solo. All the best and keep them coming please!
When this song was published the radio channels played it 5 or more times a day! It was the most requested song for years. And rightfully so; it's simply the best rock 'n roll song ever.
Your face as you were recieving the subtleties of some of the melodic themes and the driving riffs was having a great time brilliant to see you in real reactive emotions,thanks for sharing your 'first times' they are a really valuable personal share ♥️🙏.
I still remember the night I knowingly heard LZ for the first time. I was babysitting for a neighbour and nothing on T.V. (we only had 3 channels back then), I'm 13 years old in 1980. I looked through their record collection a saw a couple of rock bands that had been mentioned a school. This will be a load of s**t I thought, having only really listened to mainstream pop music, but I've nothing else to do... First I played Side 1 of Led Zeppelin II, wow this is good! And then side 1 of Black Sabbath, Paranoid, blown away. I didn't know it in that hour, but I had just heard some of the best tracks in rock history and my life's course was set.
This was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar. I learned it by myself from beginning to end. It took me over a year to learn. Once I had it down I played it at school at a parent's presentation with some other guys in my school. Drums, bass vocals and recorder section for the intro. We got a standing ovation. One of the most exhilarating feelings I had as a 16 year old.
I am 65 and I remember seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show and I was totally blown away, which is why I became a musician. I remember hearing LED Zeppelin in 69 and again I was blown away. In my opinion The Beatles are the greatest rock band. But LED Zeppelin are the greatest hard rock band ever. I feel so fortunate to grow up when I did, to be a part of such musical greatness. But I want to tell you that your facial reactions are the same as mine hearing this for the first time. You truly understand what we all feel then and now . Thank you
The hedgerow is the confusion in your mind, & it’s humming. Robert is a beautiful poet, & shows it several of their songs. All Of My Love, a tribute to his 5 year old son who passed, is poetically beautiful. The Rain Song, & Thank You are beautiful poetry too. Thank you was written for his wife, who supported him & his career, before & during Led Zeppelin.
A hedgerow in this song refers to borders changing, like in Gaza right now. Don't be alarmed the May Queen is the bride of Christ. The lady we all know is the fat lady that sings her death song when she finds out finds out the name Jesus Christ will NOT save but the truth will.
Wow! It's such a pleasure to listen to someone who actually thinks instead of those who merely regurgitate. Thank you for being both intelligent and articulate.
Iconic... That's what we must call this song. It goes above music style labels. Iconic singing, iconic solo, cunning playing with rhythms. The flute, and after that the base and the drums come in. I's all so inspired.
The brilliance behind this song cannot be overestimated. It starts off as a ballad. And gets more "rock-like" at each stage. Yet each new instrument added, was a flawless and natural seeming transition. If that's not an in-depth knowledge of both one's craft and ingenuity, I don't know what is.
I think maybe when people say today's 'music' is not music, it's because many bands or artists don't play musical instruments and are reliant on auto tuners to support their vocals.
Nice reaction. I heard you mention starting to form a connection with the music of Led Zeppelin. That connection makes it easy to see why they spoke to a generation of young people. I hope you do more of their music. Studio version of Custard Pie is a fav.
The "flute" sound in the beginning was actually John Paul Jones sampling a recorder and playing it on his mellotron. They are the GOATS but they are much better LIVE. I've seen them several times in the 70's and were always great. Please check out "Going to California" Live from Earls Court 1975. It is Page on acoustic guitars, Jones on mandolin and Plant on vocals. Joni Mitchell inspired the song.
I agree. Live is always better. I saw them in 1976 . Still get goosebumps thinking about walking back to my hotel through the streets of London with thousands of other fans. We were all silent. Paying homage to what we had heard and seen 💜
Stairway to heaven is one of the all time greatest hits wirld wide .I was a big led Zeppelin fan for years until they broke up in 1980 .when I first heard this song back in1978 I fell in love with it . Thanks for playing it again it's been years since I heard it . Your amazing .keep up the classic songs. It brings back so many memories . .
This might the Rock&Roll anthem of my genration LZ IV was played in every muscle car 8 track when I was a senior in high school. You should do the Kennedy Honors version by Heart and full orchestra and choir they knocked out of the park!
I love that you listened without interruption, well done. Stairway To Heaven is epic, it just gets better and I have listened to this since it was new.
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Yes, Sabbath, Bowie, Genesis....these are the bands I listened to as a teenager, and each new album blew away the previous one. Gotta admit, it was a great time to grow up.
There's a few references. The woman is materialism. The songbird that sings line is a direct reference to The Star, which is a Tarot card, particularly the art on the Rider-Waitte cards. The Star is a card of hope, if not reversed. Rings of smoke through the trees is a Tolkein reference. The May Queen is likely based out of Edmund Spencer's The Faerie Queene. All of which the members had interest in. So it makes me wonder...there's many different belief systems. Myths, legends, stories...it makes him wonder. The Piper a lot of folks say is the Devil, but I think that has roots in the Satanic Panic that happened in that era. I think it's a prophet. But there's two roads, but you can always change the road you're on. So.....how close are these roads? How narrow? If you, in the US, take Route 66 west towards the west coast, how long before it's rather difficult to go to Maine or Florida? So...how far apart are these roads....he wonders. Your stairway lies on the whispering wind. It's where you think it is. As we wind on down the road, our shadows longer than our soul. We all face materialism, spirituality, and darkness in our lives. When all is one and one is all, then we can just be, and not have to move. How that happens might depend on which piper calls the tune. Many folks have taken stabs at this, but that's my thoughts...and I first heard this from a thrown away tape when I ws in about eighth grade...and it blew my mind. Just absolutely floored me, all the way through. I played that tape until it snapped, and bought another.
I must say, yours has been the most insightful and in depth analysis of the lyrics to this masterpiece of anyone I've watched on UA-cam. Great job! I'm 67 years old and have been listening to Stairway since I was in 10th grade. I believe Robert Plant has acknowledged that the lyrics were indeed ambiguous and can mean whatever one wants them to mean. He also apparently paid a radio station a rather large sum of money to NOT play the song on their airwaves, as it absolutely had the shit played out of it back in the day on FM radio. No doubt, this song is probably the most popular classic rock song of all time in the sense that all one needs to say is, "Stairway" and everyone knows to what song one is referring. An amazing composition from four amazing young guys in 1971. Truly incredible talent. A few years later...Kashmir! It's as if they said, "Hold my beer!"
Best rock song ever recorded. Stunning. I recommend the studio versions of Ramble On, The Rain Song, Kashmir, Over The Hills And Far Away, All My Love, and What Is And What Should Never Be. They all have a similar whimsical/mystical/magical element, if you like that side to Zeppelin. It's my favorite style from this very talented and diverse band.
Loved watching how stairway had you captivated from first note tit the end! Zeppelin has captivated me for 50 years! No matter how many times I've ever heard these songs I never tire of hearing them!! Stairway to Heaven is my favorite!
Please please react to Kashmir live from the O2 in London 2007, you’ll be blown away by LED Zeppelin in there 60s with Jason Bonham (John Bonham the original drummers son) on drums, truly one of the best performances of LED Zeppelin you’ll ever see, love this reaction 👏👏❤️❤️
In my ideal world we could wave a magic wand and have 1970s LZ but playing with the same technology and better sound quality and mixing of the Celebration Day version of Kashmir.
Now with the original under your belt, you definitely need to check out the honorary cover that Heart did (for the remaining band members of Led Zeppelin) at the Kennedy Center. So good!!!
Got tears in my eyes, thinking of all the times in my life that I wish I could go back to, but yet still feel privileged that I got to live and then to watch someone else experience it and begin to think about what it felt like it’s pretty special thank you
I love that you listened and the reacted. I was a teenager when this song was released. It's great to hear the complete, uninterrupted song and then hear your reaction
@@richardlovell4713 "...a composition whereby it would just keep unfolding into more, more layers and more moods..." Jimmy Page BBC interview discussing how the song was composed.
@@ravenwind1062 That may be true, but the composition is - unintentionally or intentionally - structured as a series of steps going upwards, just like a … erm… staircase.
1975, I started dating a girl. We were both 16. She introduced me to bell bottoms, cool cigarettes, and Led Zeppelin. She changed me from a red neck into a rock and roll fan. I'm sitting here listening to Stairway to Heaven and she's in the other room watching reruns on Breaking Bad. Lifes been good.
its like yesterday...😚
Love from Australia 🇦🇺
❤️
Nice
That's really cool that you're still together.
Girl, you took that ride!!! No pause, no comment!! Just feeling it and rolling with it. That's what that music was all about. Thank you for what you do!!❤
Thanks, you got me to stay 👍
Such a great and positive comment - thx so much!
NAILED IT! 😘
I become a little anthropic every time I see some of these reaction videos to songs like these, and they miss the ride!!!
SMH.
I don’t care how many cynics cry about this song being overplayed, it deserves every drop of its reputation. It’s just that good. A composition for the ages!
Just an absolute brilliant journey, that not many songs can match.
Truth !
Every single time I hear this song goosebumps one of my favorite ever songs
Did you know it was written as 3 songs and then put together as one song.
😂😂😂 ...this is my second review of this song today! It is a moot point!😅
I am 79 years old and I have tears running down my face :) I was 27 when this came out, I was a Vietnam Veteran who had just returned home after 8 years of war and it so magnified the emotions that PTSD haunted my older than my years desperation! This song began as one of Welshman Robert Plants poems written about the hedonism that was rising in the 1970s & 80s and became an anthem to those of us who shunned materialism & sought the nearness of and clarity of inner dwelling Truth in our lives? Rosalie I really like the analysis of my music:
Robert Plant is English.
Plant is English, as are the other three members of Led Zeppelin.
🤨 Dude your math is off! I am 72, I was 18 when it was released!
There is no wrong and right…it’s about materialism!
From one military veteran to another, God bless you brother. I grew up during that period and I saw the hell vets went through because of older friends and family members who served. Music is a universal language that we all speak and is a refuge and shelter when we need to tune out the world and turn inwards to ourselves where the inner world of ourselves that is real.
Led Zeppelin, the group the critics hated, and the audience loved. All those critics are long gone, and forgotten, while Led Zeppelin will be remembered forever.
What are you talking about? What critics didn't like them? This song was an immediate sensation. It was on the radio rotation for over 20 years. I had some issues with their appropriation of the blues greats in their first 3 albums, but IV was VERY original with their arrangements and pacing. I admit I got sick of hearing it after 10 years or so, but nowadays it sounds as fresh as when I was 16.
The Rolling Stone album reviews of LZ are entertaining/infuriating to read.
The Rolling Stone are posers.
The BRITISH critics were TERRIBLE to the band. Thats why they immediatly toured America as they felt they would be accepted there. They were right and upon their return tne British public was ready for them. The critics were STILL negative. Check it out...@@markmurphy558
The critics loved Led Zeppelin IV. The Rolling Stone review was 5 stars, Robert Christgau' gave it an A grade.
"There's still time to change the road you're on."
Beautifully simple and powerful.
I hope so
He is telling the audience to live your life however you want... even if it goes against God's will... you will have time to change your life and make it to Heaven. Such a deceitful song! No one knows when they are going to die and you could be lost for eternity!!!!
You go ahead and believe in your mythological being if that's what makes you happy. Not everyone agrees with your view...@@atomicwedgie8176
At 13 and alone in my bedroom with this on my am/fm clock radio was my first listen. Junior High School was not kind to me. Led Zeppelin was and is always kind to me. Thank God for them. They helped save a young girl's life more than once.
Oh wow...that is profound! I am 64 and first heard the first album at 10 years old in 1970. I have loved them ever since!
Aww WoW This is Beautiful & OMG it is how i feel about them especially my Jimmy Page Magical Genius Wizard Babe ive been in Mad Luv with him & Led Zeppelin since i was 8 yrs old listening to them in the dark in my older sisters room they grabbed me by my Soul & NEVER let GO everytime i listen to them they put me in a Trance like an out of body experience which is an utter Gift to me now since i have severe chronic pain now & when i am listening to ANY of their songs when i am in that Trance i feel No Pain it is Bliss & like you i had a very horrid time in school & with that & with everything in my Life they have also Saved me many many times it is amazing that a band can do that well NOT any band THIS Band is the ONLY one who makes me feel lots of dif feelings & also takes me out of body to me it IS **Magic** Thank you for this post **PixieHugz&Luvz**
❤
💜
Thanks for sharing ❤
Thanks so much for not pausing and commenting. Total respect for the artist.
This song is a perfect example of why Led Zeppelin is the greatest rock and roll band of all time.
One of the greatest. No singular band holds that distinction.
Cough, Cough, Pink Floyd, Cough....
😉
I only like a few of LZ songs, but yes, this one is one of Rock and Roll's greatest tunes.
until TOOL
@@chrisoakley5830 another one of LZ is Thank you
I'm 74 years old. I am a writer in my retirement. I was a guitarist in a gospel group when this came out. It changed me. I became obsessed to play like Jimmy Page. Ha, shame on me. It was like the Stairway To Heaven, an impossible dream. I still play for my own entertainment, but, I didn't learn Stairway then, and I never will. My abilities were not and are not up to the task. I have watched many try to analyze Stairway for years. I don't believe any of them suceeded. Stairway takes each individual that hears it to a different place within themselves. We all do that. Dreams are real, but they are made for each person to be as unique as the individual that has them. Like Stairway, not all will see the same thing. I love your excitement and personality. Don't stop trying to understand. AC
"Don't stop trying to understand"
- such a wise advise! ❤
Led Zeppelin is unique in the rock and roll genre. One of a kind. Never to be duplicated.
Same as Queen.
Thank gawd
In our cars, back then. Always in our cars. We'd spend hours cruising back roads at night, jamming along, topping the next hill and the next at just the right moments, new vistas opening and spreading out below to distant horizons as crescendos soared to the skies above. An intense, cosmic show. The universe was ours back then...
(Edit: High 5s for allowing the song to play through w/o interruption. That's pretty rare with a lot of reaction vids. You're doing this right!)
I'm 62 this year. This song can still catch me out and bring tears to my eyes.
63 here I get the same feeling
I'll be 60 in August. This still brings tears.
61 and the same
75, &'they did it again...have mercy LZ.... simply the best
62 is here 😁✋
I am 72. Led Zeppelin, The Allman Brothers, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Rush, The Moody Blues, The Yardbirds, Cream, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Sly & the Family Stone . . . . . so much unique talent everywhere in the air waiting for the radio to be turned on. We thought that was normal and would last forever.
At least people are doing this, re introducing this music. I hope it inspires others to write real rock again.
It is ALWAYS time for more Led Zeppelin!!
You are very good at this and are very respectful….good luck. Being 70 growing up with this, I still get chills.
Thank you for listening through the whole song before delivering your analysis. It shows that you are truly invested in the song. With Stairway to Heaven being arguably the greatest rock song ever written, it deserves no pauses, no interruptions to really appreciate. Nice job!
Most music reactors have to pause during music videos due to UA-cams copyright restrictions. Reactors can have their videos demonitized for not pausing and get a copyright strike against their channel. If they receive 3 strikes they have to shut their channel down. Some bands and their record labels are notorious for making reactors take the videos down. The Eagles and Led Zep are 2 of those bands. The issue is reactors are reposting someone elses created content , since it is not theirs the rightful owners take issue. There are intellecuall property arguements and a host of other issues. A lot of reactors post videos on their patreon channels to avoid copyright issues. I don't know the how or why its ok on the patreon channel but not on the regular youtube channel. A lot also depends on the number of subscribers the channel has. Once a channel gets over a certain number the youtube algorithm picks up and starts monitoring the channel for copyright infringements.
Got to be the most intellectual reaction to Led Zep and still have passion
All of these years later and its still one of the greatest rock songs of all time. it is perfect.
Thank you so much for NOT stopping the song to comment. I was much more interested in your comments that way. GOOD JOB!
I agree. Most reactors don't take the psychological approach and wait till after. She takes it is 2 parta. It's hard to feel the music when people are talking:)
One of the greatest songs ever.
THE greatest David
The sheer amount of texture, poly harmonics, counter melodies, sub riffs underneath already iconic riffs, multiple heights of dynamics. Plant’s genius vocals wrapping around the sonic banquet. This song is just astounding.
My girlfriend (now my wife of many years) and I listening to Stairway To Heaven while parked in my car in a field looking at the stars. We felt elevated into the night sky.
Sensual overload! It's one of my favorites.
20 years later, when we were chaperones at high school dance where our son went to school, the DJ announced the second last song of the evening. All the kids got quiet and sat in large circles on the gymnasium floor.
We adults were wondering what was going on...??
Then the first notes of Stairway To Heaven came out of the speakers.
The kids were holding hands and were swaying to the music as they sat there.
Needless to say, we were taken back. We found that it was tradition at every dance, the second to last song was, and still is, Stairway To Heaven.
Oh, the last dance each time.....Goodnight Sweetheart by the Spaniels. 😊
That was in 1989.
That’s a beautiful story, man. ❤️
Thanks for sharing this story. Brought vivid pictures to my mind.
The very first live concert I ever attended was Led Zeppelin. I have been a huge fan ever since. As many times as I listen to their music, to this day, I get something additional out of the music. Greatest band ever.
Ditto/ I was 15 years old. Greatest concert ever. And I have recounted over 50 live concerts from my past so far. Stones, Clapton, Prince BB king, Heart, including most of the bands who give tribute to them at Kennedy Center honors. My hats off to some excellent tribute bands..... But nothing comes close to one with a Bonham playing those drums. I've recounted over 50 live concerts from my past so far. Stones, Clapton, Prince BB king, He
Led Zepplin are possibly one of the only bands that can make an album with no bad songs
And they have like 8 albums like that.
I'd add Pink Floyd. Both in a class of their own.
Add Rush.
The Who.
Add Lynyrd Skynyrd BC (before crash). No bad albums. No bad songs on any album. Plenty of badass songs though.
Simply the greatest song ever written by the only band who could have written it.
Try Mozart's K361 3rd Movement.
One of the greatest songs ever written.
Watching the emotion on your face makes my 70 year old heart sing. You guys are discovering the music we've always loved and been inspired by.
I couldn't imagine expressing my feelings while watching this any better than you! I actually had tears of joy seeing each stage of the song sinking in and the smiles she couldn't control!!
Excellent analysis and follow through. Heard this in college in mid 70's. I am now 72 and still cry when I hear it. It makes me wonder!
same here... this was about a year after Whole Lotta Love , I bought the 45 record ... but when I heard Stairway! That sealed it for me , I forgot all about my Beatles (temporary) and I went out and bought all 4 of their albums at that time cost me about $20 which was a lot of money at that time! Led Zeppelin from that day forward would be my all-time favorite...
Its such a shame that this younger generation doesn't know good music like we did. I love watching their reactions when hearing it for the first time.
That's on us!
Here's the thing about Stairway: it's how it sneaks up on you, step by step, plinkity plink flutey flutey, now this layer now another and holy shit now we're rocking out big time how'd we get here?
Exactly! How did we get there? After the plinky plink and the flute? That is the Stairway to Heaven!
@@paulkroon4931 Nice insight, Friend! Thanks!
I saw Robert Plant live last year and he can still sing.
I first heard this song in the late 70s, sitting in a Ford Escort on a foggy mountain road in Donegal at night. I remember it like it was yesterday. One of the most magical things in my youth. Hard to describe.
Gives me shivers all these years
I love watching people when they realize how special Zepplin really is. they are unique in that you never know what you are going to hear and no two songs sound alike
You cant find a better band anywhere! They are absolutely magnificent! Im 64 and i first heard them in 1970 at age 10 when the babysitter came over with their first album! Loved them ever since!
👏👏👏👏 *LOVE* that you listen to the *entire* song, we watch you experience it...and THEN you discuss, react, and share thoughts. Thank you - this is my first time watching your channel. I'll be back! 🤘
I am 65. Zep was my band in the 70's. Listened to them about 80% of the time in my truck. Anybody remember 8 track tapes!!! If you want to to cry review the video of the 2012 Kennedy Center Honors of Zep. Ann and Nancy Wilson perform with a fantastic background band, orchestra, and choirs, yes choir(s) and John Bonham's son Jason on the drums. Jimmy, Robert and John Paul were in the audience watching. Robert who was great friends with John is working really hard to hold it together..... When its over and Jason stands and bumps his heart to Robert, Jimmy, and John you will break down. Maybe one of the best live performances ever! Also listen to The Rain Song. It is easily one of the most beautiful songs of the 70s. It shows the incredible range the boys had!!!!!
May I add my love of Bonzo's beautiful, delicate cymbal work on the breaks. Just gorgeous.
That's one of the most perceptive reactions to Stairway To Heaven I've ever seen. In particular your understanding of the lyric. Well done.
the 12 minute live version will floor you. Awesome reaction.
Now… Watch it live! Madison Square Garden 1973. Guitar solo will blow your mind and you will be hooked on Led Zeppelin! 😊
Yes, the more you listen to this song, the more it will grow on you. After hearing it hundreds of times over decades, I have come to believe, along with thousands of others of my generation (BB), that it is one of, if not the greatest rock song of all time.
"Stairway To Heaven" was the "theme" of my senior high school prom. Came out when I was 17. I feel lucky to have been in my teens during this music era. Your explanation is, by far, possibly the best thought out and explained of all the explanations of it's meaning thru all these years. You do that VERY well. So well spoken.
From 1971. Probably the best rock song of all time. It sounded nothing like what had come before.
“The meaning of "Stairway to Heaven"
When I run or hike my mind often plays songs repetitively. If I don't like the song or don't know enough of the lyrics to make it a pleasant experience the resulting monotony can get quite burdensome. But if I'm lucky, a beautiful ballad that I know and love will play and I can enjoy the experience. "Stairway to Heaven" is one such song. Written in 1971 by Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, performed by the incomparable Led Zeppelin, it played endlessly on the radio when I was in high school. And every time it came on, I turned up the volume and let the spell of that song carry me away. At over 8 minutes long, with lyrics scattered sparsely throughout, it's arguable that the lyrics aren't central to the song. It's one of the greatest rock anthems of all time - who even listens to the lyrics? I certainly didn't. Not until it started playing endlessly in my head. When you are forced to listen to a song 15 times in a row, you get past the awesome guitar solos and the ethereal mood of the song and you start to wonder, "What the F--- is this song really about?" At least I do.
When I first heard the song it seemed to be about some rich lady who bought her way into heaven. The line "your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know" seemed appropriate to the endless loop I was experiencing. But it took a long time for the story to come together in my mind.
As I got into it, there seemed to be a lot of non-sequiturs. Consider the line "in a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven." Where did THAT come from? We were just talking about the Stairway lady. It made me wonder.
In time I realized the song is not a linear story. It's a series of images altered by the later context. It's kind of like a movie that starts in the middle of the story and only later supplies the context to understand what you've seen.
"There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold, and she's buying a stairway to heaven." The lady and her stairway represent materialism. There's also a hint that she may be misguided because all that glitters is NOT gold. "When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed, with a word she can get what she came for." Money, privilege and power. Pretty simple so far. "There's a sign on the wall, but she wants to be sure, 'cause you know sometimes words have two meanings." She doesn't trust anyone. Money has cut her off from people.
Then comes the apparent non-sequitur. "In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings, sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven." So far the song has been about a lady and a stairway, or if we're already on the metaphorical bandwagon, it's about materialism and the way that cuts us off from other people. We can't understand this line except in the context of the rest of the song, but we'll soon see that a change from an old way of thinking to a new one is the real theme of this song. So eventually we'll understand that this line starts the real theme of the song and everything that came before it is a metaphor for the old way of thinking.
The refrain is "Oooo, it makes me wonder." Wonder what? The singer is rethinking something. But what?
The story takes a personal turn with the line, "There's a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving." This is a lovely poetic line that boils down to "Facing death makes me think about what's important in life." Because the sun sets there, west has been a metaphor for death since at least ancient Egyptian times.
"In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees and the voices of those who stand looking." Rings of smoke denote campfires, indicating that people live there, despite being hidden. Those who stand looking are people who witness evil, but say nothing. The people in his thoughts are coming out of hiding to stand up for what's right.
"And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune, then the piper will lead us to reason." The vision continues.The tune and the piper are musical metaphors connoting the spread of the goodness and truth seen in the vision. "And a new day will dawn for those who stand long and the forest will echo with laughter." As the vision gathers momentum, the people are no longer hiding in the trees.
But we're still not sure what this great vision really is. Does it have anything to do with the lady or the materialism she represents?
In the next few lines, we the listener are brought into the song somewhat ambiguously. "Your" and "you" could refer to the lady, but as we'll see later, they don't. "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the May queen." Very poetic again, and very British. Some translation is needed. In rural England the hedgerow is the line of shrubs denoting the property line between your estate and the next, so a "bustle in your hedgerow" means something is changing in your life or your mind. The May queen was chosen by a village to represent youth, beauty, newness, and hope for a better future. So this line boils down to "if your old ideas start crumbling, don't be alarmed, you have new and better ideas forming in their place." It's also possible that the May queen is another reference to the lady, though significantly changed in her ways.
"Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there's still time to change the road you're on." This is a major clue to the still nebulous vision. It's a vision about a change for the better, one that we the listener can make.
"Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know. The piper's calling you to join him." Since the bustle, hedgerow and May queen were so mysterious, this stanza restates and clarifies the previous one. The piper, as mentioned earlier, represents the vision, now evidently an idea because it is humming in our head. It's also a popular idea because here the piper is portrayed like the Pied Piper whose pipe magically lured rats and children to follow him.
"Dear lady can you hear the wind blow, and did you know, your stairway lies on the whispering wind." There's a lot going on here. Blowing wind is a metaphor for popular opinion, just as it was in many other songs from this era. Now we see the flaw in materialism, represented by the lady. Her money is only good if people accept it. And her reliance on it has cut her off from those people to the point where she may not be able to hear them at all. "Dear lady" is a clue that the lady also represents the materialist part of ourselves, one of the "two paths you can go by."
"And as we wind on down the road, our shadows taller than our souls." I really love this image. This song could have been about other people's flaws, but it's not. As time goes by, we inevitably grow more materialistic. One day we realize that we haven't lived up to the idealism of youth. Our material selves are now more important to us than our spiritual selves.
But why shadows? A close inspection of the entire song shows a consistent differentiation between things seen and things heard. Things seen are false and misleading. Things heard are real and from the heart. This might seem strange, but remember, we're listening to a song. The truth is coming to us aurally, not visually.
"There walks a lady we all know, who shines white light and wants to show, how everything still turns to gold." The shadows of the previous line come from the shining white light of a materialistic point of view. If we cast a shadow, it's because our materialism is showing.
"And if you listen very hard, the tune will come to you at last." The tune returns. Like last time, the tune is the new way of thinking, the second path, the non-materialist way of living that is more genuine, and keeps us connected to other people.
"When all are one and one is all. To be a rock and not to roll." It's too bad this line is so hard to understand in the recording because it really ties everything together. If the new way of thinking is good for one person, it's even better for a group. If enough like-minded folks get together and form a community then we'll live in a real, solid and reliable paradise.
"And she's buying a stairway to heaven." If not, the materialists will take advantage of the rest of us.
So that's how I interpret the song. It has added immensely to my enjoyment of Stairway to Heaven. I hope it does the same for you.
Brian Robinson”
This is the best interpretation of “Stairway to Heaven” lyrics I encountered so far. If you/anyone knows a better one, please share.
“... It's one of those songs where… if you have a moment, with either someone else or just a moment where you're watching the sun rising or something… It's one of those moments that, this piece of music, if it connects, it's going to connect fully, into every vein you've got going, and makes something inside you… Your little atoms are stirred by it. Your being… it's one of those songs that actually connects with your being.”
Krusher
More than a Rock band, Led Zeppelin is an experience. An emotional rollercoaster able to show you places and feelings deep within yourself, that you, yourself, never knew existed.
That is the reason, I think, Led Zeppelin is the greatest Rock band of all time.
Awesome post, mate, awesome. Thank you, thank you. I’m nearly 70 & everything I’ve felt when I listen to this, from the first time to this time, has just fallen into place. Fucking cool! Thank you. Love from Annie, in Cornwall, UK🙂🌸
👍😎
Thanks for this post.
Yes, Stairway has been a favourite for a long time. This reaction helps giving it a better place and enjoy it even more.
it was just great to see and hear Led Zeplin live. The thoughts and memories of the concerts and the woman I dated are cherished memories. In college at the time and it was a wonderful experience.
Love how the tempo speeds up into the guitar solo. Love how the drums follow the guitar. Brilliant❤
The greatest piece of rock music ever written and recorded. Hands down. 1971, art class as a sophomore in high school. This came on the radio and I heard it for the first time. I still love this song. I want it played at my memorial service when I climb my own stairway to heaven.
There's a feeling I get when I look to the west and my spirit is crying for leaving. This is a direct reference to Plants almost obsession with JRR Tolkien and Loed of the Rings. It references the Elves taking ships to the western lands of Valinor, the Undying Lands where elves live forever
We still remember
we who live in this far land beneath the trees.
The starlight on the western Seas.
🌌🧙🏻♂️ from near where the the old man and the bundle of sticks photo was taken.. and JRR Tolkien went to school and taught.🌳🌳🌳🌳🏞️
The Term "Undying Lands" is a nickname given because it's a place for Immortal beings, it doesn't make them immortal
An Elves Fëa is indestructible regardless of where they are, and Elf whos Hröa (body) is killed will be reincarnated after some time in the halls of Mandos. There is one exception to this, Fëanor, his Fëa lives, but he's not allowed a body as he was a very naughty boy.
@Tommy-he7dx my apologies for not being a Lord of the Rings nerd.
@@kenkonwick6660 it’s ok! But it’s not too late
@Tommy-he7dx There are two other exceptions. Elros and Arwen, being halfelven, chose the fate of men, denied the halls of Mandos,This was part of Elrond's resistance to the union of Arwen and Aragorn.
Am 65 years old & heard this the first time on my AM FM transistor radio. Saw them in concert in 1977, still my favorite concert experience. Individually they are all great musicians, together they are arguably the greatest Rock & Roll band of all time. Their influence will carry on for years.
... More than 30 years ago I took a walk through the park with my brother Stephan & he 'made me' listen to this song saying that it's his favorite... A few months later he died from an accidental overdose... This song is always for him... RIP mein geliebter Bruder, I hope your stairway reached heaven.. 😢
So very sorry for your loss ❤😢 I too lost my baby sister 2 years ago...she was only 54 years old...I'm 64 now...to a Fentnyl overdose when she was given what she thought was a Xanax by a family member and it wasn't. I grieve every day.
... ❤️ I feel for your loss, too 🤗... I'm also 65 & miss my brother very much... My best wishes for you, regards from Crete/Greece... 🙋♀️💞🤗💪
That choked me up brother. RIP.
I wish you Peace!
“There's a lady who's sure all that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to Heaven”
I think this refers to heroin. That using (glitter) drugs helps ascend to what she thinks is heaven.
So buying and using drugs helps achieve getting to heaven.
In the live video Robert Plant says
Sugar, Sugar.
The reason why we watch music reactors is because we want to capture as best as we can that magical feeling we had when we heard a masterpiece for the first time. We obviously still know the song and its details but seeing someone react with awe to great music for the first time is so so beautiful. Thank you for the reaction.
And don’t worry too much about the lyrical content. You may listen to it again and feel like it means something else. Mr. Plant wrote it that way. It’s up to you and you can even ‘change the colors’ if you so desire.
I was a teenager when LZ first came together as a band. But Stairway I have literally listened to thousands of times and I still appreciate the greatest of this song and Led Zeppelin in general from almost every perspective.
I loved your reaction.
Rosalie every emotion & facial expression you shared listening to this I sure I felt at a young age bc I've based my playing guitar since the 1970's till present & when I need music to fit my mood a Zeppelin album will always fit even now in 2024.
This is an epic track and has been for 53 years. I bought it when it came out back then and have listened to thousands of times. But for me, this song live is an experience to behold. My favorite live version is from 1973 at Madison Square Garden used in their movie, and soundtrack album, "The Song Remains the Same".
I've been listening to "Stairway" for some 56 years now. It becomes more powerful and emotional each time played. Thank you for sharing your reactions to one the most iconic rock songs of all time. Your analysis is really awesome and thanks. Consider this.... the guitar solo starting at 6:56 is the emotional "pleading", "weeping" and "yearning" for that stairway that perhaps never comes. She wants it so badly she cries for it. at 7:30 she repeatedly asks for it and the other guitar replies over and over "no"..... To me, that has been the interpretation of the guitar solo. All the best and keep them coming please!
When this song was published the radio channels played it 5 or more times a day! It was the most requested song for years. And rightfully so; it's simply the best rock 'n roll song ever.
Your face as you were recieving the subtleties of some of the melodic themes and the driving riffs was having a great time brilliant to see you in real reactive emotions,thanks for sharing your 'first times' they are a really valuable personal share ♥️🙏.
Watching her facial expressions and body language was a Xerox image of mine when I first heard it.
I still remember the night I knowingly heard LZ for the first time. I was babysitting for a neighbour and nothing on T.V. (we only had 3 channels back then), I'm 13 years old in 1980. I looked through their record collection a saw a couple of rock bands that had been mentioned a school. This will be a load of s**t I thought, having only really listened to mainstream pop music, but I've nothing else to do...
First I played Side 1 of Led Zeppelin II, wow this is good! And then side 1 of Black Sabbath, Paranoid, blown away. I didn't know it in that hour, but I had just heard some of the best tracks in rock history and my life's course was set.
This was one of the first songs I learned to play on guitar. I learned it by myself from beginning to end. It took me over a year to learn. Once I had it down I played it at school at a parent's presentation with some other guys in my school. Drums, bass vocals and recorder section for the intro. We got a standing ovation. One of the most exhilarating feelings I had as a 16 year old.
This rock-anthem - mighty as it is - just grew another inch. Thanks!
thank you! :)
It is a mighty tree in the forests of our minds . . . . :-)
I am 65 and I remember seeing the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show and I was totally blown away, which is why I became a musician. I remember hearing LED Zeppelin in 69 and again I was blown away. In my opinion The Beatles are the greatest rock band. But LED Zeppelin are the greatest hard rock band ever. I feel so fortunate to grow up when I did, to be a part of such musical greatness. But I want to tell you that your facial reactions are the same as mine hearing this for the first time. You truly understand what we all feel then and now . Thank you
The hedgerow is the confusion in your mind, & it’s humming. Robert is a beautiful poet, & shows it several of their songs. All Of My Love, a tribute to his 5 year old son who passed, is poetically beautiful. The Rain Song, & Thank You are beautiful poetry too. Thank you was written for his wife, who supported him & his career, before & during Led Zeppelin.
A hedgerow in this song refers to borders changing, like in Gaza right now. Don't be alarmed the May Queen is the bride of Christ. The lady we all know is the fat lady that sings her death song when she finds out finds out the name Jesus Christ will NOT save but the truth will.
Powerful Great Rock Band!!!!!!!! My ERA!!!!!!!!!!!! Im 71 Still Rock n Roll!!!!!!!!! Till ☠️💀☠️
Of the probably thousands of times I've heard this song in my 41 years it still brings my mind back to my childhood everytime.
Wow! It's such a pleasure to listen to someone who actually thinks instead of those who merely regurgitate. Thank you for being both intelligent and articulate.
Iconic... That's what we must call this song. It goes above music style labels. Iconic singing, iconic solo, cunning playing with rhythms. The flute, and after that the base and the drums come in. I's all so inspired.
The brilliance behind this song cannot be overestimated. It starts off as a ballad. And gets more "rock-like" at each stage. Yet each new instrument added, was a flawless and natural seeming transition. If that's not an in-depth knowledge of both one's craft and ingenuity, I don't know what is.
If we're feeling down we focus on the lyrics 📖. If we're happy we focus on the music 🎶
You hit the nail on the head right at the beginning. It's always time for more Led Zeppelin! Welcome to the journey.
What we like is sharing this music with you and seeing how it reaches you in the same way that it reaches us. Thanks for taking us along on the ride!
When I graduated in 1974, this was our class song. They were very popular back then!
@@hurzak ...popular 😂😂😂 you think...
I think maybe when people say today's 'music' is not music, it's because many bands or artists don't play musical instruments and are reliant on auto tuners to support their vocals.
Most don't write their own material .
Saw them live 5 times. I've been blessed.😊😊
Nice reaction. I heard you mention starting to form a connection with the music of Led Zeppelin. That connection makes it easy to see why they spoke to a generation of young people. I hope you do more of their music. Studio version of Custard Pie is a fav.
youre very authentic and always do a great job. its nice to have someone who is invested in all of it. fun to see what we have known for decades.
The "flute" sound in the beginning was actually John Paul Jones sampling a recorder and playing it on his mellotron. They are the GOATS but they are much better LIVE. I've seen them several times in the 70's and were always great. Please check out "Going to California" Live from Earls Court 1975. It is Page on acoustic guitars, Jones on mandolin and Plant on vocals. Joni Mitchell inspired the song.
I agree. Live is always better. I saw them in 1976 . Still get goosebumps thinking about walking back to my hotel through the streets of London with thousands of other fans. We were all silent. Paying homage to what we had heard and seen 💜
John Paul Jones was actually playing a real recorder in the studio. The simulation on the keyboards was only for live.
There was no sampling back then. The mellotron was tape recorded loops for each key you played.
@@DTH3000 I don't think he means sampling in the modern sense
Stairway to heaven is one of the all time greatest hits wirld wide .I was a big led Zeppelin fan for years until they broke up in 1980 .when I first heard this song back in1978 I fell in love with it . Thanks for playing it again it's been years since I heard it . Your amazing .keep up the classic songs. It brings back so many memories . .
"All that glisters is not gold" from The Merchant of Venice. I love how they start off with a (near) Shakespeare quote. It sets the tone.
.... ish. I'm pretty sure they yanked the Tolkien version, given how many other Lord of the Rings references they have.
This might the Rock&Roll anthem of my genration LZ IV was played in every muscle car 8 track when I was a senior in high school. You should do the Kennedy Honors version by Heart and full orchestra and choir they knocked out of the park!
Just might be the PERFECT rock song. Vocals, lyrics, drumming and that guitar solo! Not a wasted note in it.
I love that you listened without interruption, well done. Stairway To Heaven is epic, it just gets better and I have listened to this since it was new.
Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, Yes, Sabbath, Bowie, Genesis....these are the bands I listened to as a teenager, and each new album blew away the previous one. Gotta admit, it was a great time to grow up.
Being old now is a fair price to pay for being young then.
Led Zeppelin. Broke the mold as to what conceived for Rock. Rock, Soul, Blues, Jazz, even Classical and Baroque. Thank you Zeppelin.
There's a few references. The woman is materialism. The songbird that sings line is a direct reference to The Star, which is a Tarot card, particularly the art on the Rider-Waitte cards. The Star is a card of hope, if not reversed. Rings of smoke through the trees is a Tolkein reference. The May Queen is likely based out of Edmund Spencer's The Faerie Queene. All of which the members had interest in. So it makes me wonder...there's many different belief systems. Myths, legends, stories...it makes him wonder. The Piper a lot of folks say is the Devil, but I think that has roots in the Satanic Panic that happened in that era. I think it's a prophet. But there's two roads, but you can always change the road you're on. So.....how close are these roads? How narrow? If you, in the US, take Route 66 west towards the west coast, how long before it's rather difficult to go to Maine or Florida? So...how far apart are these roads....he wonders. Your stairway lies on the whispering wind. It's where you think it is. As we wind on down the road, our shadows longer than our soul. We all face materialism, spirituality, and darkness in our lives. When all is one and one is all, then we can just be, and not have to move. How that happens might depend on which piper calls the tune.
Many folks have taken stabs at this, but that's my thoughts...and I first heard this from a thrown away tape when I ws in about eighth grade...and it blew my mind. Just absolutely floored me, all the way through. I played that tape until it snapped, and bought another.
Your comments on references give me something to ponder. I never made too much of the lyrics; more just the eerie mood.
I must say, yours has been the most insightful and in depth analysis of the lyrics to this masterpiece of anyone I've watched on UA-cam. Great job! I'm 67 years old and have been listening to Stairway since I was in 10th grade. I believe Robert Plant has acknowledged that the lyrics were indeed ambiguous and can mean whatever one wants them to mean. He also apparently paid a radio station a rather large sum of money to NOT play the song on their airwaves, as it absolutely had the shit played out of it back in the day on FM radio. No doubt, this song is probably the most popular classic rock song of all time in the sense that all one needs to say is, "Stairway" and everyone knows to what song one is referring. An amazing composition from four amazing young guys in 1971. Truly incredible talent. A few years later...Kashmir! It's as if they said, "Hold my beer!"
One of the best songs ever. Brings tears to my 68yr old eyes.
Best rock song ever recorded. Stunning. I recommend the studio versions of Ramble On, The Rain Song, Kashmir, Over The Hills And Far Away, All My Love, and What Is And What Should Never Be. They all have a similar whimsical/mystical/magical element, if you like that side to Zeppelin. It's my favorite style from this very talented and diverse band.
Definitely Ramble On, my favorite.
Loved watching how stairway had you captivated from first note tit the end! Zeppelin has captivated me for 50 years! No matter how many times I've ever heard these songs I never tire of hearing them!! Stairway to Heaven is my favorite!
My wife took her Stairway to Heaven two years ago when she passed due to Alzheimer's. She loved Led Zeppelin ♥️ I miss her so much.
Loved your analysis. So nice to see someone new to this music.
Please please react to Kashmir live from the O2 in London 2007, you’ll be blown away by LED Zeppelin in there 60s with Jason Bonham (John Bonham the original drummers son) on drums, truly one of the best performances of LED Zeppelin you’ll ever see, love this reaction 👏👏❤️❤️
I like 1979 at knebworth
@@juliemanarin4127 great performance but don’t think it’s a patch on the O2 performance, just my opinion tho 👍
In my ideal world we could wave a magic wand and have 1970s LZ but playing with the same technology and better sound quality and mixing of the Celebration Day version of Kashmir.
1972 for me. I was 14 and looking for something. LZ filled my empty heart and soul for many years. I’m 66 listening to your analysis. Thank you….
Now with the original under your belt, you definitely need to check out the honorary cover that Heart did (for the remaining band members of Led Zeppelin) at the Kennedy Center. So good!!!
Nah
It's slightly different, but just as good as the original ! ❤
The greatest tribute to any band ever, & rightly so.
Make sure you choose THE FULL VERSION!!!
FULL VERSION!!! Best cover of it ever!!!
Got tears in my eyes, thinking of all the times in my life that I wish I could go back to, but yet still feel privileged that I got to live and then to watch someone else experience it and begin to think about what it felt like it’s pretty special thank you
I was 11 yo in 1969 when I listened to their 1st album and man I was hooked been my favorite band of all time!
Same as you my friend 11 yrs old too in 69 and got hooked too
I love that you listened and the reacted. I was a teenager when this song was released. It's great to hear the complete, uninterrupted song and then hear your reaction
Layers. With each pass they add a new layer moving from an almost medieval folk song into an iconic LZ Rock song. Masterpiece.
Steps, not layers. The song steps up in loudness, intensity and speed. It’s structured to be like a stairway. Why do so few people grasp this ?
@@richardlovell4713 "...a composition whereby it would just keep unfolding into more, more layers and more moods..." Jimmy Page BBC interview discussing how the song was composed.
@@ravenwind1062 That may be true, but the composition is - unintentionally or intentionally - structured as a series of steps going upwards, just like a … erm… staircase.
That brought back a lot of fond memories. Thank you!
What else can one say?🤷🏻♂️ THE GOATS!😎🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥