Juan Badia
English 1301
Guillory
21 October 2014
To be a Rock and Not to Roll

It is easy to get caught up in the earthly possessions that we have. It is far more difficult to let go of your greed and to find your own happiness before your death. This was especially prevalent in the 1970’s when Led Zeppelin produced “Stairway to Heaven.” America was in the middle of an economic downfall that essentially left two classes: rich and poor. Led Zeppelin wrote “Stairway to Heaven” to enlighten those who have lost their way in greed and materialism. They gained their listeners attention by drastically changing their otherwise hard rock tone to a softer power ballad, using a storybook method to make their argument, and using appeals such as ethos, pathos and logos throughout the song to make a long lasting connection to their audience.
When “Stairway to Heaven” aired in 1971, avid Led Zeppelin listeners were taken aback by the song’s sound. Led Zeppelin is known for its hard rock tone and musicality. “Stairway to Heaven” and its musicality begins as a very slow, depressing guitar arpeggio and a story begins to take place. Slowly and deliberately, more and more instruments are introduced to the whole of the song as the true purpose of the song comes to light, ending in a more typical, upbeat Led Zeppelin sound. The composers wanted to grab their listeners’ attention by being so drastically different. What they had to say was worth the initial sacrifice of being the opposite of their norm.
The lyrics of “Stairway to Heaven” are very poetic and are riddled with metaphors, imagery, and symbolism that can be read as many different things; differentiating the most important portions is difficult simply because to understand their meaning, one must understand the whole song. The piece starts with “There’s a lady who’s sure that all that glitters is gold, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven” this verse begins an extended metaphor of a woman who is very materialistic and greedy and is convinced that she can simply buy herself the contentment she desires. When she goes to the “store” and sees that no one is open she’s lead with the false belief that she’s entitled to be served and to buy her own way to heaven. She realizes that she, in fact, cannot buy her way there. She’s still very doubtful of that fact and continues to try to prove herself right. The lady never sees that “not everything that glitters is gold” and she “shines white light and wants to show how everything still turns to gold.” It’s the interpretation of greed still being a perpetual obstacle in man’s life and death cycle. The authors of this song used the lady as an extended metaphor to argue that greed is never satisfied and will call to you always.
Another important aspect of the lyrical value of “Stairway to Heaven” is the imagery of the forest’s night and day and the message behind it. The forest is described as a smoky place that voices reside, singing the same tune until the new day begins with their laughter. This particular aspect of the forest imagery is depicting life and death, the universal truth. We all live, we all die. But the difference in “Stairway to Heaven” and its interpretation of life and death is that the voices when they are living are quiet and simply “standing looking.” Meanwhile, once the “new day” dawns, the death portion of the cycle, the voices are laughing and happy. The line that reads “there’s a feeling I get when I look to the west, and my spirit is crying for leaving,” gives a vision of the sun setting in the west, a euphemism for death, and the spirit is mournful of the sunset and his imminent demise.
The authors of “Stairway to Heaven” fully utilized the appeals such as ethos, pathos, and logos to finalize their point of view. The singular piece of “Stairway to Heaven’s” persuasive argument is not in the metaphorical woman’s heart, and it is not found in the forest; it is the line that reads “Yes, there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run, there’s still time to change the road you’re on.” The authors of “Stairway to Heaven” wanted their listeners to know that you may be on a certain path, but there is never a point in one’s life and death cycle that they cannot make decisions that change the path one is on. That is the main piece of persuasion, and it falls under ethos, the choice of right and wrong. They are saying that only you have the power to choose a path and do right on it. The next form that is key to their argument is pathos. They use “don’t be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean” as a pathos appeal by realizing that death is scary and to not worry. Death is natural and it is supposed to happen. It is very powerful, this piece, because everyone is scared and doubtful about death. The last form that lays down the full meaning to “Stairway to Heaven” is a logos appeal. This powerful line reads “If you listen very hard the tune will come to you at last, when all are one and one is all, to be a rock and not to roll.” It means that, logically, we all die. So if one follows his path and keeps his ears open, the tune that everyone will have to sing eventually comes to you. When dust returns to dust. When one stops existing, “to be a rock,” and their life ends, “and not to roll.” It is logic. All that has a beginning has an end.
When taking a rhetorical look at Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” one comes to realize that it is a piece of powerful persuasion wrapped in guitar strings and greed. From the lady wishing to buy her way into heaven to the realization that everyone is accountable for their own actions and the pearly gates are not for sale, it’s clear that “Stairway to Heaven” had a persuasive agenda for its audience. They gained their listeners attention by drastically changing their otherwise hard rock tone to a softer power ballad, using a storybook method to make their argument, and using appeals such as ethos, pathos and logos throughout the song to make a long lasting connection to their audience. One can walk away from their headset and feel happier and more at peace with his unpredictable demise. The “Stairway to Heaven” is paved with one’s own decisions and leads to the path they choose, so choose wisely. Not all glitter is gold.