Jury Finds Led Zeppelin Did Not Steal Intro to Rock Epic 'Stairway to Heaven'

NBC News ^ | 6-23-2016

[Snickering Hound]

A Los Angeles jury has decided the band Led Zeppelin did not steal the opening to its classic anthem "Stairway to Heaven."

[Diana in Wisconsin]

I just used Sting as an example; of course there are others.

[VerySadAmerican]

Peter Griffin on THE FAMILY GUY says Stink mumbles a bunch of stuff then you can only understand the last few words.

[eddie willers]

Somebody owes George Harrison a big apology.

[Charles Martel]

Could care less. Never liked Led Zeppelin and never like Stairway to Heaven. Sounded like a druggie song.

At the beginning of the 1970s, probably a third of the top-40 airplay was made up of "druggie songs". It's a byproduct of the era.

[gigster]

" Born under the wrong Sign"

[gigster]

"Skinny legs and all". *Joe Tex ping*

[gigster]

But, did you listen to "Jet Lag"?

[gigster]

Run along to your Beebers. I can't. I'm busy Stuning It.

[gigster]

Led Zeppelin 3 "Since I've been loving You."

[gigster]

Help! My previous tagline was hijacked!

[gundog]

Money.

[gundog]

The alternative was disco.

[-YYZ-]

Good. I heard the recording of the song they supposedly ripped off, and at most it has a similar sounding opening - similar instruments and so forth, but the actual melody was entirely different. Creating a song that sort of sounds like another, in style, is not copyright infringement - in fact I hear music used in various shows all the time that is clearly meant to be reminiscent of some well known song, while staying far enough away in terms of the actual melody to avoid copyright issues.

[DLfromthedesert]

But isn’t there a statute of limitations?

[gundog]

Maybe it restarts every time someone downloads Stairway.

[lone star annie]

“Gallows Poll” Hauntingly beautiful

[gigster]

Hang me on the Gallows Pole.

[P-Marlowe]

This is consistent with the screwed up Supreme Court decisions today. Of course they copied it. It’s virtually identical. Unreal.

Obviously you are not a musician. There is not a single melody written in the last 50 years that wasn't written before by someone else. The opening lead to Stairway to Heaven is a common Baroque theme so it has been around literally for hundreds of years. Just about every blues song and every country song and most rock and roll songs are all built on the same simple chord progression that dates back hundreds of years in folk music and tavern songs. The Beatles ripped off tons of these progressions from the ragtime era, early Jazz, and swing era.

Nobody has a copyright on chord progressions. It is almost impossible to write a song today that can't be traced to a song that was written before.

Frankly I am shocked that this case ever went to trial. It should have been tossed out in pre-trial motions. I hope the loser pays through the nose for costs. This kind of nonsense has no place in the courts.

[MUDDOG]

Skinny legs and all

I had it on an Atlantic Records superhits album. His label had a distribution deal with Atlantic. So did Stax. Atlantic put together some great superhit albums.

[Albion Wilde]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il7JIRCe1zo