Why John Bonham Called Out Jimmy Page While Recording Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’
Jimmy Page was the architect behind Led Zeppelin, but the guitarist was no dictator. He involved bandmates Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham in much of the songwriting, and the group thrived because of it. Jones once said Led Zeppelin worked so well because of the give and take between the members. Still, Page pushed Bonham so hard while recording the classic “Stairway to Heaven” that the drummer called him a bastard.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ was unlike any other Led Zeppelin song
Led Zeppelin put some long songs on their first three albums, but “Stairway to Heaven” from Led Zeppelin IV was unlike any other song they’d done.
The folk-inspired acoustic opening that turns electric, the sped-up time signature (Page called it the cardinal sin), and the blend of several instruments made it a standout in the Zeppelin repertoire to that point. Jones played five instruments on the song, including three recorders. Page played several guitars on “Stairway to Heaven,” including two 12-string guitars he used to produce slightly different sounds as he played the same notes.
Bonham is notably absent for more than half of the song, but he comes in just in time to propel it toward its epic climax. His playing provides oomph behind the famous guitar solo, but Bonham called out Page while recording “Stairway to Heaven” when the guitarist pushed him too far.
Jimmy Page pushed John Bonham so hard while recording ‘Stairway’ the drummer called Page a ‘bastard’
Page produced Led Zeppelin’s studio albums, and he tended to let the band work quickly. He recorded Presence in less than three weeks as The Rolling Stones breathed down his neck. It was typically one or two takes, pick the best, and move on.
That wasn’t the case when Bonham recorded his drum part for Page’s solo “Stairway to Heaven.”
Perhaps knowing the song (and solo in particular) would become legendary, Page pushed Bonham to do several takes. The guitarist sensed the perfect drum track was just out of reach, so he asked the drummer to keep trying to find it, as George Case writes in Led Zeppelin FAQ:
“According to assistant engineer Richard Digby-Smith, Page requested a retake of the drummer’s first attempts, to Bonham’s annoyance. ‘This always happens,’ [Bonham] complained. ‘We get a great take and then you want to do it again.’ But the master version hears him taking out his impatience on the snare and toms, with spectacular results. ‘And when they play it back,’ Digby-Smith said, ‘Bonham looks at Jimmy like, ‘You’re always right, you bastard.’”
Why John Bonham called out Jimmy Page while recording “Stairway to Heaven”
Bonham always played heavy, but he channeled his anger on the final take. His fill at six minutes and 22 seconds sees him roll from his snare to toms roughly 300 times (we’re guesstimating) in a few seconds. Bonham nearly pounds through his snare head at the end of Page’s solo.
Page pushed Bonham so hard while recording “Stairway to Heaven” that the drummer called him a bastard. But the guitarist got the perfect take, and Bonham’s powerful performance deserves to be celebrated as much as Page’s solo.
‘Stairway to Heaven’ has a mixed legacy among Led Zeppelin’s members
“Stairway to Heaven” became a staple of Led Zeppelin’s concerts even before IV came out in late 1971. The song received a positive response from the get-go, and little has changed.
Page said the song has an everlasting quality that makes it powerful, which explains why it resonates with generations of music fans. It showcases each band member at the height of their powers, which led to Jones once calling “Stairway” a Led Zeppelin sampler.
Plant has expressed mixed feelings about the song. He wrote the lyrics in less than an hour when he was in his early 20s, Case writes in Led Zeppelin FAQ. He sang “Stairway to Heaven” hundreds of times in concert, and the repetition wore on him to the point where he donated money to a radio station that promised not to play it anymore. At the same time, he defended “Stairway to Heaven” when critics accused the band of hiding Satanic messages in the song.
John Bonham called out Jimmy Page for pushing him while recording “Stairway to Heaven.” Still, the drummer’s powerful performance remains as spectacular now as it was in 1971.
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