Buzz
In the 1992 classic, Wayne’s World, Wayne (Mike Myers) and Garth (Dana Carvey) are in for a surprise when their visit to a guitar store takes an unexpected turn. As Wayne plays the first notes of Led Zeppelin’s 'Stairway to Heaven', an irritated staff member points at a sign reading: 'No ‘Stairway to Heaven.’'
Wayne, seeing the sign, remarks: 'No ‘Stairway,’' and quips, 'Denied.'
It might seem like just a quick gag in a '90s comedy favorite, but it reflects a real frustration shared by many guitar store owners who—like the one in Wayne’s World—have had to endure hearing 'Stairway' played (often poorly) on repeat for years.
In a 2002 Chicago Tribune profile of Guitar Works in Evanston, Illinois, staff members were reportedly known for telling guitar players 'no Stairway to Heaven.' Similarly, The Spokane-Review in Spokane, Washington, called it 'the unspoken guitar store rule.'
But does this rule allude to the movie or is it a serious attempt to stop the song from being played? Is starting with 'Stairway to Heaven' really that much of a faux pas?
Stairway, (Sometimes) Denied
For the most part, the 'Stairway' ban is a playful concept with a grain of truth to it. Guitar shops don't usually toss out potential customers just for playing the song poorly, as a beginner’s money is just as valuable as that of a seasoned player. But what if an employee did take offense to your version of the song and asked you to leave—or even banned you from the store? Is that even legal?
Jed McKeehan, a lawyer from Knoxville, Tennessee, explains to Mytour, 'The short answer is, yes, the business could enforce such a rule, but it might not be the wisest choice. Customers are generally considered invitees, meaning businesses are welcoming them onto their property, so they have the right to be there.'
Businesses do have the ability to revoke an invitation. While there doesn't seem to be a documented case of someone being explicitly banned for playing 'Stairway to Heaven,' the store likely holds the right to ask anyone to leave, as long as the individual isn’t part of a federally protected class under the Federal Civil Rights Act, and there’s no discrimination based on race, religion, color, or national origin. Additionally, service cannot be refused based on a disability, and many states impose further restrictions on refusing service based on gender or sexuality.
However, stores can—and often do—ask customers to leave if they're being disruptive or causing a disturbance. Would playing 'Stairway to Heaven' badly count as disruptive?
According to McKeehan, 'Businesses can deny service for inappropriate behaviors like profanity, harassment, threats to staff, poor hygiene, or trying to access the store outside of normal hours.' He adds, 'Can a store ban a song from being played? Yes, but what kind of example does that set? Is becoming the Soup Nazi from Seinfeld really beneficial for business? Personally, I wouldn’t think so, but as far as I know, it’s legal to prohibit specific songs from being played.'
One might argue that a disability prevented you from performing 'Stairway to Heaven' correctly, in which case the store could face some consequences for kicking you out. More realistically, they’d just earn a bad reputation for being intolerant of imperfect guitar playing.
It’s also possible that the belief people flock to the song because it’s one of the first tracks they learn or because it’s easy to play is a myth. Neither of these reasons holds up. The true appeal likely lies in how beloved and familiar the song is, prompting many to project their rock star dreams onto it.
In Wayne’s World, the joke that made the trend famous had a deeper, meta layer. The original movie had Wayne playing a few notes of the actual song before the clerk steps in. However, when the producers learned that keeping even a few seconds of the song would cost $100,000 in royalties for broadcast and home video, they decided to cut it. In the final version, Wayne doesn’t play the song in any recognizable way. It seems that even Led Zeppelin doesn’t want anyone playing 'Stairway to Heaven.'
