Led Zeppelin "Stairway To Heaven"

It's starts very, very slowly, quiet and small, taking quite a bit of time to get going.

Everything about it seems to have deep, deep meaning, though you have no idea what that could possibly be.

Ugh, the middle goes on and on forever, and you really does feel like it could never end.

Then, all of the sudden it speeds up toward the end, which is both exciting and totally throws you off-balance, to the point where your not sure at all what the hell is happening, what you are feeling or what you are supposed to do.

And then it ends, as quietly as it arrived, leaving you to figure out what the hell to do next.

(Maybe you are the same) I went through a long period where I just didn't want to associate with it, but now, looking back, I have fond nostalgia for it.

Am I talking about High School or "Stairway To Heaven"?

My 25th high school reunion is on Friday.  I don't know who the DJ is (not me!), but they should probably play "Stairway," as it was our prom song.

How did we think that was a good idea?  Is there a worse song to dance to?  Sure it starts slowly enough, but what the hell do you do when Plant gets to the "As we wind on down the road" part?  Do you continue to slow dance with your partner, pretending that the tune has not turned into a rock song so you can hold onto those precious last moments where you are pressing your body against a member of the opposite sex?  Or do you give it up and do your "Rock Out!" dance?  ("Freaks And Geeks" explored the same issue with "Sail Away")

I haven't listened to "Stairway To Heaven" in years, but I felt like I should for this post.  And I think I'm finally past the hump of the song being a totally burned-out cliche.  I actually enjoyed it again.  Yeah, some of the lyrics are very hippie-dippy, but it's a helluva song.  I can even put up with the flute.

I kind of feel the same way about high school.  I had no desire to revisit the awkward teenage years for my 5th, 10th or 20th reunion---I steered far clear.

But my view of the long, long, seemed-like-they-would-never-end years (that still somehow managed to end abruptly, dumping me fully into another chapter of life), has softened considerably.

So I'll be in Newburyport on Friday, and hopefully I'll enjoy the trip back to a certain, somewhat cliched place and time, as much as I enjoyed revisiting "Stairway."

But if the DJ plays it, I'll be sure to sit that dance out.


Hear the song on Youtube.


See the "Freaks And Geeks" scene on Youtube.