Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven owes its success to cigarettes (perfect length for DJ smoke break)

[LynneSin]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/nov/16/led-zeppelin-stairway-heaven-cigarettes

Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven 'owes its success to cigarettes'

Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven 'owes its success to cigarettes'Band biographer claims that DJs only played the now classic song because it was the 'perfect length' for a cigarette break


Was the secret to Stairway to Heaven's success the fact that it gave DJs the chance to nip out for a cigarette? That's the theory of Led Zeppelin biographer Charles R Cross, who claims that 100 radio presenters "literally ... swore" that they aired the now classic tune because it was the "perfect length" for a cigarette break.

"The song became successful by accident," Cross told the New York Post. "I had 100 DJs swear to me that they only played the song because they needed a long break to go and smoke a cigarette. If it had been a minute shorter, you couldn't have smoked a full cigarette. If it had been a minute longer, it would have been too long."

Although it was never released as a single, Stairway to Heaven is now one of radio's most broadcast songs. This is, Cross argues, a blessing and a curse for the now defunct band. While guitarist Jimmy Page loves playing the ballad's crescendo, singer Robert Plant now says he "loathes" it. "Page's love of the tune seemed to go in inverse proportion to Plant's hate," Cross said.

[Kutjara]

1. Interesting story, but when the song was popular...

...I don't think DJs had to "nip out" for ciggie breaks. People just smoked wherever they were. I'm sure I've seen photos of BBC Radio DJs smoking away while they spun the platters.

Maybe some of them didn't want to get tar on the tracks.

[Ikonoklast]

2. Radio guy I knew said he always knew when the DJ was taking a dump.

Stairway To Heaven came over the speakers.

[PJPhreak]

3. Ok,Ill believe this,but

What kind of cigs?

Considering the times,I'd say they were "Imported" Smokes

We used to laugh every time a DJ played Inna Godda Divida,Stairway to Heaven or Karn Evel Nine in their entirety

Attitude Adjustment,Ya Think?

[KamaAina]

4. You betcha!

It was MUCH easier to take smoke* breaks playing jazz in college! :smoke:

Also, add "Free Bird" to the list.

[Kutjara]

6. I sometimes think that was the motivation behind "concept albums."

If Stairway to Heaven would cover a joint, then Tubular Bells would cover an entire acid trip.

[KG]

5. they could've taken a dump during Inna-Gadda-Da-Vida.

:hurts:

[gmoney]

7. in college, the DJ ahead of me always closed his set with "Turn the Page"

The live version is like 10 minutes long... he'd start it, then walk out so he had time to make his next class. Meanwhile, I was stuck listening to that awful dreck with the world's worst saxamaphone riff for 10 minutes. Once, I faded it out to play something else, but evidently he got wind of it and gave me a bunch of shit for it.