‘Stairway to Heaven’ Has Been Claimed for Jesus
'Stairway to Heaven' has been a lot of things over the years -- a Led Zeppelin fan favorite, an FM rock radio staple, the bane of guitar-shop employees all over the world -- but we think we can safely say you've never heard it quite like this.
As of Feb. 5, 2014, the song has been claimed by YouTube user Bold for Jesus, a musician whose religious conversion inspired him to bring others to the gospel by, among other things, uploading videos of himself singing and playing bass. You can read a more in-depth account of his faith at his website, the Way to Heaven, but if all you've got is 10 minutes to experience the gist of the Bold for Jesus message, his 'Stairway to Heaven' is the place to start.
But be forewarned, rockers -- this isn't the 'Stairway' you know by heart. As he explains on the video's page, "I have not played the real 'Stairway To Heaven' song since 1981." We don't want to spoil anything for you before you play the Bold for Jesus version, but we can share this much: at the end of the video, you can hear him share some of the details of his former "radical rock 'n' roll life," including the time he slammed a pie on top of a teacher's head.
Others have branded this the worst 'Stairway to Heaven' cover in history, but we're not willing to go to such extremes; suffice it to say that Bold for Jesus' take on the song is very...different, and Robert Plant probably doesn't have anything to worry about.