Stairway to Heaven facts for kids
Quick facts for kids "Stairway to Heaven" |
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American radio promotional sleeve
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| Song by Led Zeppelin | |
| from the album Led Zeppelin IV | |
| Released | 8 November 1971 |
| Recorded | December 1970 – 1971 |
| Studio | Island Studios, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 7:55 |
| Label | Atlantic |
| Songwriter(s) | |
| Producer(s) | Jimmy Page |
"Stairway to Heaven" is a song by English rock band Led Zeppelin, released in late 1971. It was composed by the band's guitarist Jimmy Page and lead singer Robert Plant for their untitled fourth studio album (often titled Led Zeppelin IV). The song is widely regarded as one of the greatest rock songs of all time.
The song has three sections, each one progressively increasing in tempo and volume. The song begins in a slow tempo with acoustic instruments (guitar and recorders) before introducing electric instruments. The final section is an uptempo hard rock arrangement, highlighted by Page's guitar solo and Plant's vocals, which ends with the plaintive a cappella line: "And she's buying a stairway to heaven".
"Stairway to Heaven" was voted number three in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs, in 2004 Rolling Stone magazine ranked "Stairway to Heaven" number 31 on its list of "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States at the time, despite never having been commercially released as a single in the US. In November 2007, through download sales promoting Led Zeppelin's Mothership release, "Stairway to Heaven" reached number 37 on the UK Singles Chart.
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Year | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rock and Roll Hall of Fame | US | "The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" | 1994 | * |
| Classic Rock | UK | "Ten of the Best Songs Ever!" | 1999 | 1 |
| VH1 | US | "The 100 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time" | 2000 | 3 |
| RIAA | US | "Songs of the Century" | 2001 | 53 |
| Grammy Awards | US | "Grammy Hall of Fame Award" | 2003 | * |
| Rolling Stone | US | "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" | 2004 | 31 |
| Rolling Stone | US | "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" | 2021 | 61 |
| Q | UK | "100 Songs That Changed the World" | 2003 | 47 |
| Toby Creswell | Australia | "1001 Songs: the Great Songs of All Time" | 2005 | * |
| Q | UK | "100 Greatest Songs of All Time" | 2006 | 8 |
| Guitar World | US | "100 Greatest Guitar Solos" | 2006 | 1 |
| Rolling Stone | US | "100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time" | 2008 | 8 |
(*) designates unordered lists.
Charts
Digital download
| Chart (2007–10) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Billboard Hot Digital Singles Chart | 17 |
| EU Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart | 79 |
| Germany (Official German Charts) | 15 |
| Irish Singles Chart | 24 |
| New Zealand RIANZ Singles Chart | 13 |
| Norwegian Singles Chart | 5 |
| Portuguese Singles Chart | 8 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 57 |
| Swiss Singles Chart | 17 |
| UK Singles Chart | 37 |
| US Billboard Hot Digital Songs Chart | 30 |
| US Billboard Hot Singles Recurrents Chart | 16 |
Note: The official UK Singles Chart incorporated legal downloads as of 17 April 2005.
Certifications and sales
| Region | Certification | Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Denmark (IFPI Denmark) | Platinum | 0^ |
| Italy (FIMI) sales since 2009 |
2× Platinum | 60,000* |
| United Kingdom (BPI) 2000 release |
Platinum | 600,000^ |
| United States digital sales |
1,700,000^ | |
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xunspecified figures based on certification alone |
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Personnel
- Robert Plant – vocals
- Jimmy Page – electric and acoustic guitars, production, mastering, digital remastering
- John Paul Jones – bass, electric piano, recorders
- John Bonham – drums
See also
In Spanish: Stairway to Heaven para niños
