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Unlike many songs released over five decades ago,Led Zeppelin's 1971 hit "Stairway to Heaven" has managed to remain culturally relevant.
The song, which is off the band's untitled fourth record, has been ranked as the number one "best rock song of all time" by Shortlist. The list, updated in January 2026, also highlighted several other notable rock tunes, such as Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody," released in 1975, Jimi Hendrix's 1967 "Purple Haze," Metallica's 1991 "Enter Sandman," and AC/DC's 1980 hit "Back in Black."
The publication explained that the number one spot went to "Stairway to Heaven" because of the song's strong lyricism, as well as the swell and intensity of the guitar.
Jimmy Page Shared How the 1971 Song Came to Be in a 2014 Interview
In an October 2014 interview with BBCNews, Led Zeppelin's guitarist, Jimmy Page, explained how the band's arguably most iconic song came to be. He said he had "wanted to try to put something together which started with quite a fragile exposed acoustic guitar." In addition, he said the use of recorders in "the early part" of the song gave the tune a "slightly medieval feel."
Page also said that "the idea of 'Stairway' was to have a piece of music, a composition, whereby it would just keep unfolding into more layers and more moods." The musician also said that the song was composed to "actually accelerate as it went through on every level, every emotional level, every musical level."
"So it just keeps opening up as it continues through its sort of passage," said Page during the BBCNews interview.
Page also remarked upon the song's lasting popularity. He said he believed "Stairway to Heaven" has remained so beloved because the band, which consisted of Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham, had recorded the song with authenticity.
"I think the lasting quality of this music over all these years is the fact that everyone's playing so honestly and with such conviction," said Page in the interview.
