If a lot of classic rock ‘n’ roll fans were given three wishes, chances are, a lot of them would ask to be able to listen to ‘Stairway To Heaven’ by Led Zeppelin for the first time again. The song transcends all music, acting as a representation of instrumental, lyrical and performative excellence. The different parts that make up the track mean it is operatic in its structure and has truly earned its place as one of the greatest songs of all time. There are sad undertones to the anthem, though.
It’s often hard for us to imagine rock musicians as of this world, given that so much of what they do is otherworldly. The idea that Robert Plant gets nosebleeds, washes his socks, and burps just like us seems silly, yet he does. He’s just as human as the rest of us. He does what we do and feels in the same way that we do. This means he is susceptible to loss in the same way that all humans are.
While Robert Plant has had an excellent career that is undoubtedly filled with beautiful memories to look back on, he has also had a difficult life. It has come with an array of challenges that started following a car crash on the Greek Islands in 1975. Plant was taking a mini break with his wife and kids when he lost control of his car and crashed. His kids got out okay, but he and his wife were injured.
The accident meant some tour dates had to be cancelled, and it delayed the recording of the Led Zeppelin album Presence, and when they were recording the album, Plant couldn’t bring himself to perform at his best. He said, “It was really like a cry of survival. There won’t be another album like it, put it like that. It was a cry from the depths, the only thing that we could do.”
Two years later, tragedy struck the Plant family as his five-year-old son Karac died of a stomach infection while Zeppelin was on tour in America. Plant struggled massively with the news, having to go into privacy to mourn with his family. It nearly saw the end of Led Zeppelin, but he managed to come back from it.
So, what does any of this have to do with ‘Stairway To Heaven’? The song was released in 1971, four years before the car crash and six years before Plant’s child’s passing. While entrenched in folklore and metaphor, the lyrics are laced with optimism.
Led Zeppelin eventually stopped playing ‘Stairway To Heaven’. While many people believe this is because the song became too popular and the band got sick of it, it’s actually because Robert Plant could no longer connect with the lyrics. When he looked back at them, Plant referred to the lyrics as naïve and could not relate with the optimism that lay at the song’s heart.
‘Stairway To Heaven’ is a sad song to listen to when you know all this, as it acts as a prequel towards some of the hardest times in Robert Plant’s life. It’s deeply sad to know that a song which has touched so many is distant from Plant because of the horrible circumstances that plagued his life during the ‘70s. It’s hard to shake that sadness now when listening, and it’s a beautiful song that will forever have harrowing undertones.
