Kevin's Watch

Consistently since the middle 1980s, whenever a local AoR (Album oriented Rock) station has conducted a listener poll of 'all time favorite song', Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven has won. IMO, that's not even the best cut off the album in question. Comment and discuss.

ps. Does anyone else think Dazed and Confused another Zepplin cut is superior in almost everyway to StH?

Not sure myself, , but I liken it to everytime I go see a regular coverband at a bar, they are virtually guaranteed to play Gimme 3 Steps.....

HeeHee.... gimmee three steps.... I think Stairway is overplayed and overrated. There are plenty of other Zep songs that are way way way better than Stairway.

I think Stairway is over-dogged on.

Good call Luci. It's hip to bash Stairway.

It's not my favorite Zeppelin song, but I can understand exactly why it keeps dominating polls. From the imagery of the lyrics, the production, the building and layering to a crescendo, and the guitar solo, the song brings it really, really well.

Not to mention that Robert Plant is the only human being on the planet to be able to sing the line, "to be a rock and not to roll" without sounding like a blithering idiot.

I'm not saying it is a bad song. I love the song. I just think it's played too much and I think there are better Zep songs to chose from.

If Stairway comes on, I change the station. It's not that it's a bad song, I've just heard it a zillion times and would rather spend my next 10 minutes listening to something else.

Oh I agree, with the exception of a live version I haven't heard yet, I have a hard time sitting through it more than once or twice a year.

Cail wrote:Good call Luci. It's hip to bash Stairway.

It's not my favorite Zeppelin song, but I can understand exactly why it keeps dominating polls. From the imagery of the lyrics, the production, the building and layering to a crescendo, and the guitar solo, the song brings it really, really well.

Not to mention that Robert Plant is the only human being on the planet to be able to sing the line, "to be a rock and not to roll" without sounding like a blithering idiot.

RIGHT ON!!!

Stairway is so overplayed it's easy to forget that it's a great song. Is it my favorite zep song? No (ACHILES!!!) But it might be their best.

Stairway has it's place. That place is on my car radio at night, during a hot spell with a full moon and the top down.

I think Stairway is more well-known to general pop - you gotta be somewhat of a zep head to know all their other tunes. How often do they play Since I've Been Loving You (or pick another) on the radio?

It's the same reason people think Freebird is LS's best work.

It's an epic song, just like "Freebird" or "Don't Fear the Reaper".

Cail wrote:It's an epic song, just like "Freebird" or "Don't Fear the Reaper".

Freebird needs some cowbell though.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVbAuMr5eac

i was lucky enough to see LS live and Freebird is awesome. wish I could see Stairway live.

guns: cowbell is awesome.

Not a huge Zep fan, but I do have a double album in my collection.

I've got to say that Stairway is overplayed on the radio, but I always listen to it in its entirety and think it is an awsome piece of music.

Whether it's their best tune, well that's a personal opinion.

Why is Stairway always voted best RnR song ever? Because more people vote for it than any other RnR song, apparently. Bohemian Rapshody is #2 all-time (at least that's what I heard on the local station). Wanna whine about that great tune, too? Go ahead; I might even let you for a while before I pull the plug on your pointless ravings.....

dANdeLION wrote:Why is Stairway always voted best RnR song ever? Because more people vote for it than any other RnR song, apparently.

There's no arguing with that logic.

dAN is the master of the scathingly obvious.

A little embarrassed to say it, but Stairway is my favorite from the ol' Zep boys. I think because I was listening the hell out of it when I went down to visit my friend, fell in love with his cousin (the first time I fell in love), and first started reading Covenant. It's tied to a memory. Like Covenant.