Led Zeppelin’s "Stairway to Heaven" Ranked Best Rock Song of All Time

Unlike many songs released more than five decades ago, Led Zeppelin’s 1971 hit “Stairway to Heaven” has managed to remain culturally relevant.

The publication said the top spot went to “Stairway to Heaven” because of the song’s strong lyricism, as well as the swell and intensity of the guitar. (Photo: Led Zeppelin Facebook)

The track, from the band’s untitled fourth record, has been ranked the No. 1 “best rock song of all time” by Shortlist, Nicole Moore reported for Parade on Feb. 8, 2026.

The list, updated in January 2026, also highlighted several other notable rock tunes, including Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” (1975), Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze” (1967), Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” (1991), and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” (1980).

The publication said the top spot went to “Stairway to Heaven” because of the song’s strong lyricism, as well as the swell and intensity of the guitar.

In an October 2014 interview with BBC News, guitarist Jimmy Page explained how the band’s arguably most iconic song came to be.

He said he had “wanted to try to put something together which started with quite a fragile, exposed acoustic guitar.” He added that the use of recorders in “the early part” of the song gave the tune a “slightly medieval feel.”

Page also said that “the idea of ‘Stairway’ was to have a piece of music, a composition, whereby it would just keep unfolding into more layers and more moods.”

“It just keeps opening up as it continues through its sort of passage,” Page said.

He also remarked on the song’s lasting popularity, saying he believed it has remained beloved because the band — Robert Plant, John Paul Jones, and John Bonham — recorded it with authenticity.

“I think the lasting quality of this music over all these years is the fact that everyone’s playing so honestly and with such conviction,” Page said.