What If Stairway To Heaven Came Out Today? 

An old girlfriend of mine, before we dated, dated Peter Grant, Zeppelin's manager. They were hanging out backstage at LiveAid in 1985, the heralded Led Zeppelin reunion, and they couldn't find Jimmy anywhere and Plant wanted to go over Stairway to Heaven, he was nervous he might forget the words. My girlfriend, who got her degree in classical guitar at Ball State, informed the room "I can play it." And so she played S2H backstage with Robert Plant at LiveAid. In my 45 year career as a guitarist I've never done anything even remotely that cool. Haha.

It kind of sucks that people these days don't have the attention span to appreciate this song. It's a journey. It's full of different emotions. Makes you feel like a story is being told..... we need more rock in this style

I was diagnosed in recent times, with dementia. But there is one thing that will never go away, and that’s my love and understanding of music!

The recorder part is always underrated. That medieval folk sound sets the stage, and transports you. Totally a swords and sorceries fantasy vibe going on. I always loved that.

The mere fact that we’re still talking about a song that came out 51 years ago shows us how amazing this song really is and how great Zeppelin is. Truly amazing

The recorder was the bomb, I love that midevial British or Celtic sound/vibe. It, at least for me, takes me to another realm. Not many songs can do that.

Stairway To Heaven is one of the most beautiful and intensely interesting songs I’ve ever heard. It’s interest is so well rooted that it never fades. I consider myself lucky to have grown up in this musical time period.

I really enjoyed that thank you. I played Zepplin for my daughter when she was about Laylas age. I asked her what she thought about Zepplin? She said they sound like pirates. God how precious!

Hours of deep thought and analysis by Rick, and his wife absolutely nails it with four words: “People like crappy music”. Priceless.

I remember the first time I heard "Stairways to Heaven", I was probably 8 years old, in 1977, the song had an incredible impact on my consciousness, I stood paralysed in a kind of ecstasy listening to it... the only other two songs that had such an effect on me were "Sound of Silence" and "Hey Joe".

The 2012 Kennedy Center honors to led zep with Nancy Wilson, Jason Bonham drums, all star band, symphony and choir had anyone watching it in tears. If done right, it is more powerful and meaningful today, as many kids are discovering.

There's something about that medieval sounding intro that somehow I find soothing and I always feel like I'm hearing this song for the first time.

Stairway To Heaven had just been released when I bought a new Z28 Camaro on a Friday. I spent my college money on that car and spent the entire weekend cruising with my friends in my car. I remember Stairway To Heaven playing on the radio, over and over again. That made Stairway a very special song in my life. I"ll never forget that weekend. Still have that Z28.

Rick: You are leaving a dynasty and wealth of knowledge for millions of people, whether they are musicians or just love music. In watching your channel over the last few years, I have noticed your Family names of kids grandkids , nieces or nephews are names of musicians, or songs. I think that's beautiful. They are Blessed. We, your viewers are Blessed. You are Blessed. Thank you for the knowledge and inspiration. We are all lucky to have you in our musical lives! ✌♥️

The medieval sounds are what I think really attracted me so many years ago when this song first came out It’s totally unique No other song even comes close!

This song was the anthem of every high school prom in the country in 1977-78 when I was in high school, that's why we relate this song with the best times of our lives and has more meaning than any other song and still gives me chills when I hear it

I was a farmer in a past life and one day as I was in my tractor there was a strike at the ABC in Australia, and they decided to play different covers of Stairway to Heaven, and for 16 hours that day ( a normal day on the tractor), I listened to dozens and dozens of different versions of S to H. It was amazing. Great way to spend a day on the tractor!

That's what I love about Rick, he makes you reconsider songs that you take for granted. You should never take great music for granted and Layla is a smart kid!

Rick… you work so hard producing these amazing videos, I really appreciate it.🤙😘

I played the 73 MSG video for my 7 yr old granddaughter who mostly listens to hip hop/rap (and who btw is a great little rapper herself). She didn't take her eyes off the screen one time, and was bopping her head and smiling the whole time. She was literally mesmerized!! She now calls Robert the Golden God, as everyone should lol. I played more Zep songs for her after that and she loved them too, but S2H was her favorite. People wouldn't know what hit them if S2H was new today. I think it would still be a massive hit!

When I first listened to it , I was in my room in the dark and had it turned up. It took me on a journey and it changed me. I wish I could hear it again for the first time

I fell in love for the first time in my life listening to Stairway. She’s long gone now but every time I hear this song it brings me back to that night and the most beautiful Woman I ever knew.

Remember the times. Tolkien (Lord of the Rings) was huge. Zeppelin's music transported you into the whole fantasy! Just awesome classic rock

Stairway to Heaven is a mind journey in music. An intimate process reflecting an unfiltered contemplation of the world inside and out. Plant brilliantly captured an essence and documented it for posterity.

As my guitar teacher said when I was in college back in the late 1970's, "The masses are asses!" This still holds true today!

There's an unspoken beauty to this song as it speeds up slowly and gets louder and angrier towards the end. A masterpiece.

Zeppelin influenced just about everyone that has held a guitar or played drums. This song shows their talent. I honestly can’t think of a single song made in 2023 so far that I like.

I was so lucky, my first concert was Led Zep in 1975 in Auckland, NZ and it changed my life 😁👊

I only know that I remember as a young person listening to Stairway on the album . All I could think was I never heard such a beautiful guitar in my life. But I am part of the generation that sat and listened to an album when you purchased it. You couldn’t wait to get home and settle down with it and play it and listen, oh yes, and study the album cover.

The end section as performed by Heart and Jason Bomham in front of Page, Plant and Jones with the choir was an amazing addition to the song. Brought a tear to Plants eyes.

Stairway to Heaven is art. Nuff said. The world today doesn't really appreciate art the same way it was done. It's all about something shiny. It's a beautiful song that breaks the mould and creates its own mystique You summed it up in 5 words Rick.

I feel that great music is great music, no matter when it's released. That's why the great songs stand the test of time.

The late 60s and into the mid 80s was a really wonderful time for musical "art." You had bands like Led Zeppelin, Yes, Pink Floyd, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, Gentle Giant, Rush, and some of the greatest artistic rock songs were written by bands who did experiment. What's incredible is just how many young kids today are just now discovering it.

I am 75 and I am sure this song which I found so special gives me goose bumps even today; it would never sell today.The first time I heard it I was one toke over the line and it took me on a journey that I will never experience again. When I heard Heart perform their version with a full orchestra along with a choir I began to tear up and the expression of the members of Zeppelin kind of sums it up for me. The music today does nothing for me. Just remembering American Pie which I also liked sort of incapsulates it . The music died I miss the tune Time in a bottle, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Sunshine on my shoulders, and Here comes the sun to name a few. My play list goes all the way back to Lollipop by the Cordetts, Hello Marylou by Ricky Nelson, and Peggy Sue. Sad to say my hearing took a beating and I need hearing aids now but I sure enjoyed Pink Floyd, and Jethro Tull at full volume. ROCK ON!!!!

In 1982 I played with my first band, we were hired to play a senior prom and STH was their theme song. I was a newbie, the bandleader said *Sheila, get a recorder and learn the intro, you’ll be playing with a flutist.” I’m a keyboardist/acoustic guitarist, but I bought a cheap plastic recorder and learned the lower part. She and I sat on the bathroom floor at the venue before the prom started, going over and over our parts. Took the stage a half hour later and nailed it. What a GREAT song

This whole album is artistic. Battle of Evermore, Misty Mountain Hop...true artists.

I saw them in early 1977. In Stairway to Heaven, when Page played that thundering transition riff, I was absolutely mesmerized. I looked over at Robert Plant, and he was staring at me with a smile on his face. I bet he did that every time Page played that riff-looked out in the crowd for people's reaction to Page's classic riff.

The greatest song, period. It still brings tears to my eyes, though not every time I listen to it. I was born in 65, it was released in 71, been listening to it most of my life.

It really was a song of the time, echoing a medieval revival fused with English folk & rock music, Jethro Tull was another example.

Just hearing you speak the lyrics helped me understand them in a whole new level. I'm about your age and heard it probably hundreds of times but never really took time to grasp the meaning. (which I now believe is about Divine Love) Thank you for sharing this and by the way yours and the drummer's playing was amazing!

Love ya, Rick. Your videos are such a breath of fresh air in this crazy, baffling world. Your channel always feels like home to me.

"People like crappy music!" Priceless!! Your wife nailed it with her simple but brilliant summation!

It could come out anyday, and it would still be a legendary piece of work that would live on forever.

I got a lot of respect for you Rick. I’am really thankful for who you are, and all your content. Thank you!!!!

Rick’s interpretation of the solo was fantastic! Very impressive…Bravo!

Watching this video caused me to remember what one of the music professors told me in college in the late 1960's. He said that rock music will be the classical music of tomorrow. Although I was not entirely sure what he was trying to tell me, from that time on I always noted when I heard classical influence in contemporary music. I also enjoyed jazz, classical, rock, and other contemporary music even more, like the limits of musical categories had been removed.

Your wife hit the proverbial nail on the head but then again our parents said the same thing about the music we listened to. But then again back in the day they actually knew how to play an instrument, had artistic ability, & actually recorded without a computer or autotune.

John Paul Jones could arrange orchestration like no one else. I'm still amazed by some of his work. The Rain Song was really good too.

I saw Zep do it live before it was released. It was like a bomb went off. The crowd was blown away. You knew something big had happened.

I'm proud of my aspiring musician 17 yo son that listens to all kinds of music but some of his favorites are the good ol' 70s rock. Good music is good music.

I'm 26, I knew about this song all my life but never had the patience to listen to the 8 minutes, I didn't get the lyrics so I never paid attention either. This year someone told me what the song was about, and how every part of the instrumental represents a hero's journey, after that explanation I listened to the song with so much attention, I found it very addicting once I understood the whole flow of melodies. Now I've listen to it so many times, It's probably my favorite song of all time. That's my experience, I don't think this song would be popular today but if people know how to sell the story behind it, it would easily be a hit

Graduated high school in 1976. For our senior dinner, I, along with a couple of other dudes, arrange this for drums, elec, piano, tenor sax, bass, and trumpet. One of my happiest moments of high school.

I had always thought of the song as a medieval / renaissance mystical / ethereal journey that continually built the tension of expectation to a crescendo like a grand finale at a fireworks show. The audiance is guided through an experience, rather than just a folk song or ballad. Do you hear it as well?

The Stairway to Heaven solo should be in the Louvre.

I never thought the solo was very long because it's so melodic.

As much as I like Bohemian Rhapsody and Hotel California, I find Stairway to Heaven has something else that they do not have.

Man I love your Frampton solo. Just incredible choices throughout.

Rick, the song rises all along, appropriate for a song about a stairway. And when it gets to the break, @13:49 in your video, which you call the fanfare, it paints the picture of being at the gates of heaven. The drums evoke knocking on heaven's door. Page did a lot of painting in the music. You can see the men in the Viking flatboat getting their rhythm from the coxswain in "Immigant;s Song', you can hear the horses in Battle of Evermore and Gallows Pole, you can see the rivulet of rain on a window pane in The Rain Song...and several other songs evoke visual images. You regularly detail the elements of current pop, and those elements tell you why STH wouldn't happen today. Most of the performers are not accomplished musicians, and the attention span of the audience is short. For instance, you have shown that many current pop songs are based on few chords and few or no chord changes. Chord changes require deeper attention/retention on the listener's part, and today's audience cannot concentrate, for whatever reason.

The record company tried to persuade them to make it a single after it got that much radio coverage, yet they wouldn't.. they said, thinking commercially, if they're wanna have, let them buy the whole record.. actually pretty smart thinking.. by the way, I saw them playing it live, I emotionally broke down then.. in a good way, but still.. good thing they played it at rhe end, or otherwise I wouldn't have noticed anything anymore afterwards.. man, even when I think back of it, it shivers down my spine.. best song ever..

I am so thankful I came to the earth at a time that I could appreciate Stairway to Heaven and all the other genius music of the 70's and, may I add, how thankful I am for a smart phone and TV so I can listen to all this fabulous music and in many cases watch the artists perform. It's great.

I have always said there are three ways of listening to music. 1. Hearing music - which is music in the background like piped music which is just there. 2. listening to music - this is when you intentionally put a song on to listen to, and 3. is when you feel the music - this is when the music moves you to tears or takes you to the highest high. Unfortunately this third way seems to be a disappearing art of musicians these days.

It would probably go unnoticed today with little playtime, yet new generations continue to be enthralled by it. That leads me to believe it has more to do with access to good music and not younger people's taste in music. They consume what's put in front of them and it's not very good.

Indeed a great song and arrangement from a long time ago. I first bought it at Platterpuss records in Long Beach ,CA (they had a great stereo and I bought many albums I heard in store. Later I dropped acid with my girlfriend on a foggy night at the Seattle Center , we lost each other for a while but reconnected as a small choir was singing the song accra-pella in the fog. a most magical experience ...

It's interesting how, even if they're not really fans of folk music, people like to hear medieval type music. The use of an acoustic guitar along with a recorder gives the song an instant appeal. When I was younger I was captivated by 2 other songs with a medieval lilt, namely Lindisfarne's 1971 "Lady Eleanor" with Ray Jackson on mandolin, and the the Stones 1966 "Lady Jane" with Brian using a dulcimer. The lyrics of both songs have a similar mystical, esoteric, magical flavour that Stairway possesses. For similar reasons I also loved Steeleye Span's "Gaudete" and "After the Goldrush" sung by Prelude.

When Stairway came out in 1971, the recorders didn't seem weird at all. There was a lot of Medieval influences and recorder music in pop and rock in the late 60's and early 70's. Beatles - Fool On the Hill, Manfred Mann - My Name Is Jack, Rolling Stones - Ruby Tuesday, Gentle Giant - Why Not, David Bowie - All the Madmen, Jethro Tull - Mother Goose, The Association - Along Comes Mary, Jimi Hendrix - If 6 Was 9, Yes' - I've Seen All Good People. The Move - Curly, Focus - Delitiae Musicae, Mike Oldfield - Ommadawn to name but a few. ....Oh, and The Troggs - Wild Thing (although that was technically an Ocarina)

To me the intro never sounded strange, i'm italian, it just sounded medieval, in elementary school (i'm 30) we played traditional songs on the flute which are very very old, this song felt like home but both ancient and modern. If you have an interest in music and come from an old European country and are born up until the 90, been moved by medieval music was written in our DNA basically. I always thought that this song is so magical and there is nothing else like it. It keeps giving more and more forever.

To me all the items you mentioned at the beginning; guitar, recorder, plants voice make this a masterpiece. Love this song and always will.

The big, maybe biggest, difference between then & now is back then there was a fascination with all things medieval that kids today just don't care about or even think about. Things like "Renaissance Fairs", the band Renaissance, along many similar bands like Gentle Giant & the original music of Genesis, are all gone. You were talking about the lyric & I can remember, as I'm sure you can as well, that it actually became a big deal to try & figure out esoteric lyrics or looking at LP i.e. album cover (also gone) to figure out lyrics in songs that weren't quite so clear. In our fast paced world of short attention spans there just isn't any patients or depth of understanding to listen anything more then very short superficial music.

Music is only new once... whether it's lute music, Mozart, or Zeppelin. I remember when Stairway To Heaven was new and it felt like I'd just discovered precious treasure. Just me, alone. Before long, however, people all over the world were beating a path to that door, ...er... stairway! But I have always felt grateful for that moment in time, when it was just mine for a little while.

I love this- it's like musical archaeology, and Rick is examining the bones of some amazing prehistoric titan.

Always good to hear a New perspective on this classic song!!! thank you Rick Beato and Layla. 😁😁

The response your wife said made me almost roll over laughing, Unfortunately she is right about ppl liking crap music. Makes me glad I was born in 1950 and truly enjoyed so many 60's/70's music at the time of their release. Truly so many are timeless.

I don’t even want to imagine my teen years without this song. Recently I was asked, “You’re on a desert island and can only have the music of one band. Which band?”. Without hesitation, I said, “Led Zeppelin”. There is always something new to discover, that you didn’t hear before or pay much attention to and you get that “Wow!”, moment. Zep weren’t my favourite band in the 70s, but this song was part of the very fabric of my world. It is much to the detriment of young people today that the music industry does not embrace artistry like this anymore.

I hate to say it, but we would probably have to search the internet to find this song today sadly. I feel really lucky to have grown up with this music.

While not singular, this song was pretty unique even in it's time. I think the same qualities that people fell in love with back then would still have the same effect now. In fact it DOES still have the same effect, which is why it's still seen as such a great song. Obviously it would never be considered as a single, but even modern bands still put together albums. The real challenge is the modern distribution dilemma. Because many people rely on digital services to present them their musical selection I think the most likely way this song would gain initial traction would be inclusion in a movie. I could easily see a director coming across this song and melding it into their movie whereby a large audience would be subjected to this epic. Once it's achieved exposure it's natural charm and beauty would take over and carry it just as it has for all these years.

My music will forever be ingrained in my memory. I lost my close cousin Greg, seven months ago to an ayortic aneurysm. I’ll never ever get past his death. You give me a lot of great musical convo. I’am a musician, I always will be. Love your stuff. I really do. This stuff that you do fills who I am. Wish I could have an actual conversation with you. That would be really cool.

I believe this was a brilliant and amazing song. I am 70 now and I have traveled down the road and back listening to how music has changed in over a half-century. Actually hearing the songs released for the very first time. Boy, what a time to be alive! Through the 60s, 70s, and the beginning of the 80s, it was a great time to be alive with just one super song coming out after another. I really feel sorry for those who didn't experience those times in music history. Since the 90s I really couldn't tell you a song that I enjoyed as much as that period in the time previously mentioned. I couldn't tell you what's on the charts now nor over the last couple of decades. I am not a musician so take what I write today with a grain of salt. However, as Don McLean sang that memorable song about the February 3, 1959 airline crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and J. P. Richardson in that super smash American Pie, I believe the soul-moving songs, the music that was music has died. My only hope is that one day, for the sake of our children and their children it will be brought back and the heart will dance once again. Thank you for this trip down memory lane.

There is a great BBC studio session done before Led Zep IV was released and when they play Stairway the audience were hearing it for the first time. No cheering or whoops of recognition; just an attentive audience. Check it out.

I'm way over 70 now, yet I'm mesmerized by your incredibly deep, thoughtful, and (most importantly) respectful analysis of the best song ever written. Given, that Stairway to Heaven was first played on March 5, 1971, I find it incredible that it can still evoke such warm memories in me this many years later. Fond memories of my youth flood back when I hear this song. Your analysis brings an even deeper appreciation of this timeless classic. I look forward to watching and listening to more of your RU-vid videos.

What a great video! You made me remember why this song, that’s so ubiquitous is also so unique. Your appreciation is contagious!

I’m so proud to be a loyal audience of this channel. Great episode, Rick.

Rick, your wife is right!! nowadays people just want to hear music to fill some time happy or dancing. They consume it's time instead of listen or feel the music. Great song , great and original episode. Thank you!!

Thank you for making this video. Beyond just the brilliance of the deconstruction, this breakdown helped me to get past "what I like," and consider "why i like" it. I'm in my 60s and rarely have had the time for serious introspection; your breakdowns help me to learn about myself while I'm learning about the music. Oh, and you totally ROCK!

Used to listen to this every evening - my favorite DJ played it at the end of his show.

Love that Frampton solo!!! Damn… my soul got torn in half there Rick.

I'm guessing Layla is your daughter? (named after the Clapton song, of course!). I think it's great that you include her thoughts on your clip. It's great to see a parent valuing their child's thoughts and opinions enough to incorporate them into their work. Listening to their kids not just for their sake, but to actually learn a thing or two from them.

My daughter is a 19 yo casual bass player, and it occurs to me that there's all kinds of great music that *she* hasn't gotten sick of through overplaying by top 40 radio. I'll sit her down to listen to this and a bunch of other songs that got overplayed in the '70s and '80s.

This is a brilliant review, as so much of your work is, Rick. I grew up to many of these songs, and I never appreciated the details until I saw your videos. One thing, it’s one thing to play such beautiful music and highlight the qualities involved. It’s another thing entirely to try and conceive writing it - creating something like Stairway from the raw sounds the guitar, drum, and bass can produce. That’s amazing.

It really is art, Rick. Absolutely great analysis!

Rick, your daughter and wife nailed it. Wife, "People like crappy music" Really enjoyed your breakdown of Stairway to Heaven. 🥁😉👍 As far as flute player's, got to say Jethro Tull's music was awesome. I don't think I would ever get tired of that song. Been listening to it for over 40 yrs.

The older i get and the more i hear the song. The more i appreciate how all aspects came together and made that mega hit.

Every time I say I'll skip this song in my group of songs on my phone and I end up getting distracted I'm so thankful I did because that song still kicks ass.

I did a radio show for a very short while in Japan. One day we played Stairway and the day we did it, we had some young guys there as guests. It blew them away. They had never heard it before. It's a great song and pretty timeless. I still don't know exactly what the song is about, but musically, it doesn't get better.

My 13 year old nephew loves Zeppelin, The Beatles, as well as all the 90's era music. His best friend's (also 13) favorite band is King Crimson. There will always be a place for this type of music. It wasn't AM top 40 music when it came out, just as it wouldn't be today, but that's okay. Great video.

This was great ;) And I really like Rick's version of the solo, well done

Love how you take song's apart. Plus history to go with it

I was born in 1960 and at Leilei's age there's no way I would have appreciated Stairway to Heaven (or Led Zeppelin overall). I didn't really appreciate them until I was in my late 20s. I enjoy watching all the 20-somethings doing reaction videos today to 70s-era bands, being blown away by the creativity and musicianship. There's hope.

Led Zeppelin songs never stop playing on the radio and Stairway plays constantly!

Rick, the intro is almost like a beginning of a dream sequence, which puts you into a trancelike state, and transports your mind to a new dimension. Very effective.

This song is so timeless that I truly believe it would still do very well if it came out today.