Let me start by saying that I believe, there never has been, or never will be a song with such deep meaning, beautiful tuning and perfect guitar rifts as the one that is Stairway to Heaven by the Kings Of Guitar themselves, Led Zepplin.
The song begins as a slow acoustic-based folk song accompanied magnificently by recorders, before the electric instrumentation is introduced. And when it is introduced, there's only one phrase to sum it up; out of this world. The final section is a high-tempo hard rock section highlighted by an intricate guitar solo by Page. And what a solo it is! It's dramatic, pure and above all, utter perfection. Then again, we wouldn't expect any less than perfection of from Page.
The song was released as part of the album Led Zepplin IV in 1972 and was voted number 3 in 2000 by VH1 on its list of the 100 Greatest Rock Songs. It was the most requested song on FM radio stations in the United States in the 1970s, despite never having been released as a single there. I suppose that says it all; the song was adored. And rightly so: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9TGj2jrJk8
Then, along came Miss Parton and her choir with yet another ballsy, unorthodox cover of one of rock's most treasured songs and turned a classic into a crank. Oh Dolly!
When being interviewed by church pastor and news editor Rick Clark about her choice to cover the classic, Dolly said: "I'm sure some of them will think it's a big joke. I'm sure some of them are going to want to crucify me, and maybe they will. But in all sincerity, I did it because I love the song."
Take a look here to see the full interview: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/CCM/dolly_parton-exposed.htm
Well Dolly, needless to say, a lot of us also "love the song", the only difference is, you don't see us turning gold into muck.
