Singer/songwriter Neil Sedaka passed away yesterday. In his honor, today’s classic song of the day is one of his big 1960s hits, “Stairway to Heaven.”
No, this isn’t Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” which came along a decade or so after Mr. Sedaka’s tune. This one was written by Neil Sedaka and his partner Howard Greenfield back in 1960. RCA Victor Records released “Stairway to Heaven” as a single in March of 1960 and it peaked at #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Mr. Sedaka’s “Stairway to Heaven” is all about his longing for the angelic girl next door:
Well a, well a, well a, heavenly angel
I want you for my girl
When I kissed your sweet, sweet lips
I knew that you were out of this world
I’ll build a stairway to heaven
I’ll climb to the highest star
I’ll build a stairway to heaven
Cause heaven is where you are
As to Led Zeppelin’s “borrowing” of Sedaka’s title, here’s what the ever genial Mr. Sedaka had to say:
“You can’t copyright a title, so Led Zeppelin, I forgive you!”
Mr. Sedaka recorded his “Stairway to Heaven” February 5, 1960, at RCA Victor Studio A in New York City. Musicians on the track included King Curtis on saxophone; Don Arnone, Art Ryerson and Everett Barksdale on guitars; Milt Hinton on bass; Irving Faberman on timpani; and Dave “Panama” Francis on drums. Al Nevins and Don Kirshner (from Aldon Music) produced.
Neil Sedaka lived a long and productive life, as both a singer and as a songwriter. His career stretched several decades and included such hits as “Oh! Carol!,” “Calendar Girl,” “Little Devil,” “Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen,” “Breaking Up is Hard to Do” (a hit two different ways in two different decades), “Next Door to an Angel,” “Alice in Wonderland,” “Laughter in the Rain,” “The Immigrant,” and “Bad Blood.” He also wrote “Stupid Cupid” and “Where the Boys Are” for Connie Francis, “Solitaire” for the Carpenters, “Workin’ on a Groovy Thing” and “Puppet Man” for the 5th Dimension, and “Love Will Keep Us Together” for the Captain and Tennille, as well as the English lyrics for ABBA’s “Ring Ring.”
By all accounts, Neil Sedaka was one of the nicest guys in show business. He was friendly, he was happy, he never had a bad word for anyone. He was also an extremely accomplished musician, both as a performer and a composer; he knew his theory and he used it.
Neil Sedaka passed away on February 27, 2026. He was 86 years old. He’s on his own stairway to heaven now.
In memoriam, today’s daily bonus video of the day features a slightly older Neil Sedaka performing “Stairway to Heaven” live at Chile’s Vina del Mar Festival in 1980. The man really enjoyed his work.
