The Greatest Led Zeppelin Cover Ever Performed: “I’ve Seen My Dad Cry Twice—Once Was My Sister’s Wedding, and the Other Time Was Watching This”

Much like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin’s legacy ended early as the band decided to break up following the sudden death of John Bonham. But again, like the Beatles, Led Zeppelin’s influence carried on well past their final performance. Throughout the decades, the group was often considered one of the biggest bands of the 1970s. In 1995, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame celebrated their history with an induction. While the years that followed Bonham’s passing brought fame and accolades, nothing compared to when Heart honored them with a cover of “Stairway to Heaven.” 

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When compiling a list of the greatest rock songs of all time, “Stairway to Heaven” might not be first on the list, but it will easily be in the Top 5. Released in the early 1970s, “Stairway to Heaven” struggled to gain its footing on the charts, peaking at No. 16 on the US Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents chart. But no matter what the charts said, it became one of the most-requested songs on the radio at that time.

 Gaining a legacy of its own, Heart joined forces with the son of Bonham, Jason Bonham, to cover “Stairway to Heaven.” If that wasn’t enough pressure, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page, and Robert Plant were only a few feet away. But no matter the history, Ann and Nancy Wilson rose to the moment, delivering a performance that felt both powerful and deeply personal.

There may be no better way to describe how touching this cover is than this fan detailing his father’s emotions while watching the performance. “I’ve seen my dad cry twice ever. Once was my sister’s wedding, and the other time was watching this video,” the fan commented.

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Ann Wilson Considered “Stairway To Heaven” Performance “Orgasmic”

Although crushing the performance, Ann discussed the moment leading up to her going on stage. She told Vulture, “There was a possibility that both [Nancy and I] could’ve dissolved into nerves, so we turned and looked at each other right before we walked out and said, ‘We’re not going to think about this right now and we’re going to keep our eyes on the ball.’”   

Not wanting the weight of the moment to cripple their performance, Ann and Nancy agreed to “freak out” after they were finished. And according to Ann, “We did.” 

As for what she felt during the performance, Ann had a rather colorful way of describing it. “I actually felt every second of it as a real, not to overstate it, but pretty damn close to orgasmic in terms of bliss. I felt wide awake and alive, and I felt the emotional content of the song all the way down to the ground. It was really authentic.”   

Moments like that don’t come around often. But when they do, Ann would call it a form of bliss. And for Heart, it wasn’t just about Led Zeppelin; it was about capturing the spirit of a song that felt almost untouchable yet familiar.

(Photo by Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage)