In 2014, Led Zeppelin faced a lawsuit alleging that their iconic song “Stairway to Heaven” plagiarized “Taurus,” a 1968 instrumental by the band Spirit. The lawsuit, filed by Michael Skidmore, trustee for Spirit’s late guitarist Randy Wolfe, claimed that Led Zeppelin had copied the opening guitar riff of “Taurus” for “Stairway to Heaven.”
During the 2016 trial, guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant testified about the creation of “Stairway to Heaven.” Page described his vision for the song as “a piece of music that would go through many moods and changes,” starting with an acoustic guitar introduction. He presented demo recordings from 1970, showcasing the song’s development at Headley Grange, a country estate in Hampshire, England.
Plant recounted hearing Page play the introduction and feeling that “things had started rolling pretty fast.” He mentioned retreating to another room to work on lyrics inspired by “the pastoral areas of Britain I love,” resulting in the now-famous opening lines: “There’s a lady who’s sure all that glitters is gold, and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.”
Both musicians denied any recollection of encountering “Taurus” before composing “Stairway to Heaven.” Plant acknowledged attending a Spirit performance at Birmingham’s Mother’s Club in 1970 but stated he had no memory of meeting the band or hearing their music, partly due to a severe car accident that night, which left him with head injuries.
In June 2016, the jury ruled in favor of Led Zeppelin, concluding that “Stairway to Heaven” did not infringe upon “Taurus.” Following the verdict, Page and Plant expressed their gratitude, stating, “We are grateful for the jury’s conscientious
