What is the most played song on 'classic rock' radio in the US?
There are a ton of songs that come to mind, but I think the clear winner, in my own observation and in the various polls taken in the country by classic rock stations to determine what the listeners want, ends up being the one I thought it would be in the first place:
Led Zeppelin: “Stairway To Heaven” (1971)
I swear I heard that song at least 6 times a day when I was in high school in the ?70s. That’s a lot considering I only listened to the radio in the morning and sometimes late at night.
It has become the most requested rock song in history on FM radio. Composed by guitarist Jimmy Page and vocalist Robert Plant for the band's untitled fourth studio record (known as IV, or ZOSO, depending on who you speak to). Page himself recalled, "I knew it was good, but I didn't know it was going to be almost like an anthem ... But I knew it was the gem of the album, sure."
Erik Davis, a social historian and cultural critic, commented on the song's massive success, subsequent backlash and enduring legendary status:
"Stairway to Heaven" isn't the greatest rock song of the 1970s; it is the greatest spell of the 1970s. Think about it: we are all sick of the thing, but in some primordial way it is still number one. Everyone knows it... Even our dislike and mockery is ritualistic. The dumb parodies; the Waynes World-inspired folklore about guitar shops demanding customers not play it; even Robert Plant's public disavowal of the song—all of these just prove the rule. "Stairway to Heaven" is not just number one. It is the One, the quintessence, the closest AOR will ever get you to the absolute.
And, truth be told, I loved it the first 2000 times, but I’ve gone most of my entire life without playing it deliberately home. I was sick of it then. I’m sick of it now. But there’s no getting away from it. It’s one of the most popular classic rock songs ever and it was never even a SINGLE!
