Robert Plant Of Led Zeppelin Had Emotional Reaction To Heart’s Cover Of ‘Stairway To Heaven’: 'We're Not Worthy'

Feb 08, 2023 by apost team

Led Zeppelin vocalist Robert Plant has finally talked at length about his emotional reaction to the version of "Stairway to Heaven" performed by Heart at the Kennedy Center Honors in 2012. 

During the prestigious event in Washington, D.C., Ann and Nancy Wilson, the powerful singing duo behind Heart, gave a rousing rendition of the iconic song. Jason Bonham, the son of Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980 at 32 years old, accompanied Heart on the drums as well, making the tribute a lot more personal to the remaining members of the legendary rock band. 

Plant, who sat at the honorees' section of the balcony with Jimmy Page and John Paul Jones, was seen brushing off tears in his eyes as the group watched. The stirring performance has received more than 19 million views since it was uploaded on YouTube on Nov. 25, 2016. 

In 1964, Bonham met Plant at a Birmingham club in the U.K. when they were both 16 years old and he thought they should form a band together. But it wasn't until the summer of 1968 that the pair established Led Zeppelin after meeting Page and Jones. Three years later, the group released their most successful song, "Stairway to Heaven."

The foursome went on tours across the country and even in the U.S. as 20-something kids who were also starting their own families. But it was the vocalist and the drummer who had a very tight bond and were each other's lifeline through their many ups and downs.

When Bonham died, Plant announced to the press that Led Zeppelin cannot go on without their drummer as he was irreplaceable, thus signaling the end of the band. Over the years, however, the remaining three would reunite for special performances only. 

In 2021, Nancy revealed in an Eddie Trunk Podcast interview that Plant told them during the dinner after the tribute event that he had such a negative feeling about the song because “everybody murders it.” However, Heart's performance made him change his mind. Nancy also thought that having Bonham's son on stage with them was really special for the group.

“He was the little kid that grew up with them, like his uncles. So I’m sure that was a lot about the emotional reaction that they got, that they were surprised to have, during that song.”

But in a new interview with Vulture in January 2023, Plant admitted that he felt "estranged" from “Stairway to Heaven” because it had "its own life." It's played at weddings or in guitar shops by aspiring musicians. It’s also covered by other singers many times over.

“It began intimate and vulnerable and sincere, and then the years carried on. It was no longer ours and neither should it be,” Plant said.

The vocalist added that he certainly didn't expect to be sitting in a theater and be honored for a song that defined Led Zeppelin after he'd said it was all over for them following Bonham's death. Nonetheless, Plant said that he was truly impressed by Heart's "spectacular performance." He described their cover as a “we’re not worthy” moment, even for them.

"It’s just a magnificent performance to watch and it kills me every time. It kills me in two or three different ways. It’s just like, Oh my God.”

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Does Heart's version of "Stairway to Heaven" also hits the spot for you? What can you say about Robert Plant's feelings toward their famous song? If you know a Led Zeppelin fan, tell them about this story!