She could do it all… and do it better than everybody.
Sadly, the world lost a true angel on earth this week, as country icon Dolly Parton passed away at 80-years-old in Nashville Tennessee. Dolly had been dealing with undisclosed health issues for the last year or so, and she previously shared that she was having issues with severe kidney stones. Aside from that, she understandably didn’t share more, though it has since been revealed that she suffered a “brief battle with cancer.”
“Stairway to Heaven” was of course a Led Zeppelin classic, released on 1971 on the band’s untitled fourth studio album, commonly known as Led Zeppelin IV. It’s one of the greatest rock songs ever, and I’m convinced that Dolly is one of the few country artists that would be able to pull something like this off. Billy Strings would probably be pretty cool too, but I digress…
In 2002, Dolly recorded a bluegrass cover of “Stairway to Heaven” for her album Halos & Horns. The production is an homage to her roots and the Appalachian bluegrass style she was raised on, of course including banjo, acoustic instruments, and a Sunday morning gospel choir. Believe it or not, her husband, Carl Dean, actually told her she shouldn’t record it. He was a huge fan of Led Zeppelin and didn’t feel it should be touched, but Dolly got the blessing of Robert Plant and Jimmy Page and she made a new masterpiece out of it.
Dolly previously said that Carl Dean was concerned that Parton’s cover might compromise the integrity of the track, even sharing distaste for her 2002 version, which posed a bluegrass twang on the song:
“I did a version of “Stairway to Heaven” some years back as a bluegrass kind of thing, and he didn’t think I should have done it. He said, are you sure that’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’ or stairwell to hell?’”
I’m not sure if he actually called it “stairway to hell” or if that is just Dolly being funny, but regardless, Carl Dean wasn’t a fan of it. Parton said that he thought her 2002 version was just “okay”:
“He said, ‘I don’t think you should do that,’ and I said, ‘Why?’ and he said, ‘Because it’s a legend. It’s a classic.’”
Obviously, Dolly was the music expert, and she knew exactly what she was doing.
She turned an already-meaningful song, with a clear message, into a haunting ballad and somehow gave it a much deeper, more moody feel that is just beyond. She just had that “thing” about her, which aside from her obvious talent, gave her some other unnatural ability to do something like this and make it look effortless.
The studio cut is amazing, but this live performance, the one that’s going viral… it’s just next level, there’s nothing else to be said:
Fans responded in awe of Dolly’s pure talent, and I’ve seen multiple posts with the video going around online with millions of views:
“An apt day to remember that Dolly Parton once recorded a cover of Stairway to Heaven – and, in defiance of every moral law in the universe, she absolutely owned it.
“I feel like I just really heard that song for the first time-incredible.”
“Wow! First time I’m seeing Dolly do this cover. Just magical. She was truly a treasure. Thank God for her life and all the wonderful music and memories she’s left for us to enjoy for generations to come.”
“Never realized how bad Zeppelin butchered the song…”
“This is spooky as hell. How she turned Stairway to Heaven into soulful mountain music I can’t articulate. And always the consummate performer.”
“Ethereal and haunting. So lovely.”
“I finally understand the lyrics.”
“Her VOICE is absolutely INCREDIBLE and the BLUEGRASS SOUND was perfection!”
“Oh wow. It’s like a whole different song, yet the same. Absolutely stunning.”
“As a die hard Zep fan, I can honestly say this cover by Dolly is just phenomenal!”
“Brought a tear to my eye…”
“It takes something special to motivate a mandolin player to murder Stairway to Heaven in the best way possible.”
“That s*** gave me goosebumps.”
“Wow!! She sung that like an absolute druidess imparting mysteries. Haunting and delightful!”
“You would think she wrote this the way she commands this song in her Dolly way.”
“Wow this rendition is next level.”
The world lost a one-of-a-kind talent yesterday, and I feel lucky to have been alive at the same time as Dolly Parton because there will never be another.
“Stairway to Heaven”
Dolly re-recorded the song more recently for her rock album Rockstar in 2023, which features pop star Lizzo on flute and Sasha Flute.
