The main reason why "Stairway to Heaven" is jokingly considered "banned" in guitar stores is due to its extreme overuse and the resulting annoyance it causes to store employees. The iconic opening riff of the song is very popular and easy for beginner guitarists to learn, so many try to play it in stores to show their skill. This has led to the riff being played repeatedly to the point where it became tiresome for staff. The idea was popularized and cemented in popular culture by a famous comedic scene in the movie "Wayne's World," which humorously portrayed a sign forbidding the song in a guitar store. This "ban" is generally not a serious or enforced rule but more of a humorous tradition or cultural joke among guitarists and store employees. Additional contributing factors include the song's cultural significance as a classic, the repetitive and often imperfect attempts by amateur players, and the mythos around it, including a notable copyright lawsuit that brought more attention to the song. However, the copyright case was resolved in favor of Led Zeppelin, so no legal ban exists. In summary, the "ban" on playing "Stairway to Heaven" in guitar stores is mostly a humorous response to how often it is played there and how tired employees have grown of hearing it, rather than an actual enforced rule or legal restriction.
Key points:
- "Stairway to Heaven" is very frequently played by amateur guitarists in stores.
- Store employees get tired of hearing it repeatedly.
- The "ban" is a cultural joke popularized by the movie "Wayne's World."
- There is no actual legal or formal ban in stores.
- The song has been the subject of a copyright lawsuit, but it was resolved in Led Zeppelin's favor.
