All that glitters is not gold, and the same is true of massive, globally loved, career-defining hit songs. Sure, it’s hard to think of such monumental success as inherently negative. But to any artist who has experienced these kinds of professional heights, the shadow of that one particular hit can become all-consuming, blotting out all other creative endeavors and becoming more of a curse than a blessing to the artist who released it.
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Some musicians will opt to power through this discomfort, performing their hit songs ad nauseam because they know it’s what their audience wants. Other artists, like Robert Plant, do the exact opposite. And for the former Led Zeppelin frontman, his number one “will not play” song is none other than “Stairway to Heaven”, the band’s iconic ballad from 1971.
Robert Plant Stopped Playing “Stairway to Heaven” in the 1980s
“Stairway to Heaven” was, understandably, a staple in Led Zeppelin’s live sets during the peak of their fame throughout the mid to late 1970s. It was one of the band’s biggest hits, beloved by heavy rockers and softer folkies alike, thanks to its multiple, distinct sections. But after the band broke up following John Bonham’s death in 1980, Robert Plant no longer had the shadow of, well, a lead zeppelin hanging over his head. During his early solo days, Plant distanced himself from his former band’s entire catalogue, eventually ceding some of his favorite tracks back into his performances.
However, A-side closer to Led Zeppelin IV, “Stairway to Heaven”, was not one of them. Speaking to the Los Angeles Times in 1988, Plant said, “I’d break out in hives if I had to sing that song in every show. I wrote those lyrics and found that song to be of some importance and consequence in 1971. But 17 years later, I don’t know. It’s just not for me.”
At the time of his interview with the Los Angeles Times, Plant had recently performed the song at Atlantic Records’ 40th anniversary show. That, he explained, was “because I’m an old softie, and it was a way of saying thank you to Atlantic because I’ve been with them for 20 years. But no more of ‘Stairway to Heaven’ for me.”
The Singer Even Coughed up $10,000 so Others Wouldn’t Play It
Robert Plant once felt such strong disdain for “Stairway to Heaven” that he donated $10,000 to Portland, Oregon’s KBOO radio station after a DJ said they would never play the Led Zeppelin power ballad again if they reached their fundraising target. (As a public radio employee myself, I feel obligated to point out that this was likely a tongue-in-cheek way to grab listeners’ attention during a pledge drive. In saying that, I’d like to believe Plant also wanted to help out a local cultural resource in a funny way.)
Plant’s recounting of the story during a 2002 appearance on NPR’s World Cafe, for whatever it’s worth, seems to back up my theory. “I was in Portland, Oregon…driving along in my car, heading for Lincoln City, which is out on the coast. I wanted to drive down to Eureka. And just before the [highway patrol] caught me doing 90 mph, [I was listening to] KBOO. It had this amazing music. It was kind of a mixture of sad outtakes of doo-wop and a very droll DJ, who sounded like somebody from Marin County in 1967.
Unsurprisingly, Plant’s ears perked up when the “very droll” presenter offered listeners a deal: help the radio station raise a certain amount of funds, and they’ll never play “Stairway to Heaven” again. “So, I called him up and pledged my money. I was one of the KBOO sponsors,” Plant said.
When asked why he was willing to pay so much to get “Stairway to Heaven” off the KBOO airwaves, Plant said he had heard the song before. Ain’t that the truth.
Photo by Koh Hasebe/Shinko Music/Getty Images
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