The song Stairway to Heaven originated in 1970 when Jimmy Page and Robert Plant spent time at Bron-Yr-Aur, a remote cottage in Wales, following Led Zeppelin’s fifth American tour. According to Page, he wrote the music “over a long period, the first part coming at Bron-Yr-Aur one night.” He always kept a cassette recorder nearby, and the song gradually came together from various taped ideas.
The initial lyrics were written by Plant next to a log fire at Headley Grange, with much of them being spontaneously improvised. Page recalled that “a huge percentage of the lyrics were written there and then” while he played the chords and Plant wrote with pencil and paper.
Led Zeppelin began recording Stairway to Heaven in December 1970 at Island Records’ new studios on Basing Street, London. The song was completed in 1971 during sessions for Led Zeppelin IV at Headley Grange, where Plant finalized the lyrics. Page later returned to Island Studios to record his iconic guitar solo.
The full studio version was released on Led Zeppelin IV in November 1971. Atlantic Records wanted to release it as a single, but the band’s manager, Peter Grant, refused in both 1972 and 1973. As a result, many people purchased the album as if it were a single. 
