Music expert says if Led Zeppelin really plagiarized “Stairway To Heaven”

Spirit and Led Zeppelin

In a recent video, the music expert Rick Beato talked about the releation between Led Zeppelin and Spirit songs, “Stairway to Heaven” and “Taurus”.

“I could probably play at least 25 more songs that use this line cliche. It’s incredibly common. This lawsuit is totally bogus. You can’t sue someone for something that’s not even close, that uses one small segment of a chord progression.

“It doesn’t matter if Led Zeppelin and Spirit played together. These people grew up hearing these tunes. Jimmy Page was born in, what, 1944? He heard ‘In a Sentimental Mood’ [Duke Ellington’s 1935 tune that also uses the line cliche]; so did Paul McCartney; so did George Harrison.

See the full video below:

Trial

The “Stairway to Heaven” case will get back in court. The classic Led Zeppelin song from 1971 has received a new appeal in the United States, and it was ordered a new trial to defend the band Spirit, that claims that the Zeppelin song intro was inspired by they tune “Taurus”, released in their debut album in 1968.

In 2016 Zeppelin was found not guilty on the case, but a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has unanimously ruled that “the lower court judge provided erroneous jury instructions” and sent the case back to court for another trial

See more News
Rafael Polcaro: I'm a Brazilian journalist who always loved Classic Rock and Heavy Metal music. That passion inspired me to create Rock and Roll Garage over 6 years ago. Music has always been a part of my life, helping me through tough times and being a support to celebrate the good ones. When I became a journalist, I knew I wanted to write about my passions. After graduating in journalism from the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, I pursued a postgraduate degree in digital communication at the same institution. The studies and experience in the field helped me improve the website and always bring the best of classic rock to the world! MTB: 0021377/MG