Logo

THR, YouTube

Did Led Zeppelin Steal Part of a Song by Spirit for Its Classic ‘Stairway to Heaven’? The Hollywood Reporter Analyzes the Latest Strategies From the Lawsuit — Listen and Decide for Yourself

Feb 29, 2016  •  Post A Comment

A lawsuit over the classic rock staple “Stairway to Heaven” has two rock bands on opposite sides of a court case, with Led Zeppelin accused of stealing the song from Spirit.

“On Thursday, Led Zeppelin guitarist and songwriter Jimmy Page gave a remarkable declaration in court where he admits to discovering a copy of Spirit’s first album in his record collection. He’s currently fending off a lawsuit brought by the heirs of Spirit’s own guitarist, Randy Craig Wolfe, who contend that the famous song ‘Stairway to Heaven’ derived from a 2-minute, 37-second instrumental titled ‘Taurus’  from Spirit’s 1968 album,” The Hollywood Reporter notes in its analysis of the case.

Page says in the declaration: “I had not previously seen it in my collection and do not know how or when it got there. It may well have been left by a guest. I doubt it was there for long, since I never noticed it before. But, again, I know I did not hear ‘Taurus’ until 2014.”

Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant also made a declaration in the case, which, THR reports “alleges a ‘falsification of Rock N’ Roll history,’ specifically that ‘any reasonable observer, when comparing “Taurus” and “Stairway to Heaven,” must conclude that — at the very least — significant portions of the songs are nearly identical.'”

Please click on the link near the top of this story to read THR’s analysis.

Below is an audio version of “Taurus” …

2 Comments

  1. Why did the original members of Spirit never raise this issue? After 45 years their heirs are now claiming this?

  2. I’ll admit, there is “SOME” similarity. But this is a stretch no matter what. Guilty Cleric: Maybe the original members of “Spirit” did raise the issue earlier, but nothing came of it.

Your Comment

Email (will not be published)