50 years ago you’d listen to Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven‘ with your buddies sipping a beer down by the river and you’d go, “That’s really deep man!” The song, not the river. And they’d all nod knowingly. Now in your sixties you’re going, “That didn’t age well.” But then who does? TCM was playing rock movies last night and I caught the “exit music” for ‘The Song Remains the Same‘, Led Zeppelin’s attempt at moviemaking. Before them was The Who, after them was Jimi Hendrix. All that stuff now comes across as rather melodramatic and bellicose. Robert Plant who sang it said he thought it was about a privileged young woman who got everything she wanted and didn’t appreciate it.

Other people think it’s, “The most important rock song of all time!” Good grief. I read that and what popped into my head was a little ditty from Peter Frampton called, ‘Baby I Love Your Way‘. Just a nice little melody with great guitar about love and stuff. That aged well. It wasn’t Robert Plant gyrating wildly around a stage screaming his head off, in very serious tones. When you’re under the influence of various drugs and alcohol, certain things take on a greater meaning that just isn’t there when you’re sober. When I was a kid I thought meaningful rock was Guess Who, BTO, Eagles, Foghat, Kiss (I had to type in: “rock group with painted faces” to get the name, turns out there is also a group called ‘The Painted Faces’).

The Beatles didn’t even age well for me. Chicago, Doobies, some Moody Blues, some Three Dog Night, and a few others did. As I got older I realized it was beautiful voices and beautiful music I really liked. Dan Hamilton, B.J. Thomas, Dan Fogelberg, Dennis Yost, Eric Carmen, Frankie Valli, Gilbert  O’Sullivan, Gordan Lightfoot. Singers like that. I suppose when you’re young you’re full of testosterone and have to have music with some ‘edge’. Its funny how important some things or some people were to you at one time, and years later its only some things and some people that are still important.

There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows, if the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

There’s a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure
‘Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook, there’s a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

There’s a feeling I get when I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who stand looking.

And it’s whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now,
It’s just a spring clean for the May queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it won’t go, in case you don’t know,
The piper’s calling you to join him,
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show

How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.

And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

[AZ Lyrics]

“And she’s buying a Fareway, to heaven!”