Led Zeppelin Finally Loosen Their Grip on “Stairway to Heaven” for New Narnia Movie

“No ‘Stairway.’ Denied.” It was a joke spoken by Wayne Campbell, played by Mike Myers, in the Wayne’s World movie that spoke to a larger truth. Led Zeppelin held on tight to “Stairway to Heaven” and wouldn’t let it be used in film. That’s changed. A film got the classic rock band to loosen their grip. While film and fantasy novel fans are gushing over the new Narnia: The Magician’s Nephew trailer, music fans with arcane knowledge of soundtracks are staring wide-eyed and mouth agape after their ears perked up. The nearly three-minute trailer is scored by segments of Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven,” ending a documented cinematic and musical division that goes back three decades. The famous guitar intro, the culminating bridge, and Robert Plant’s well-known outro line are featured in the trailer. It ends with Jimmy Page’s magnum opus guitar solo. But none of those were heard in films from previous decades that sought to use the song, starting with a controversial cut in Wayne’s World after its 1992 theatrical run. In the Myers and Dana Carvey SNL skit adaptation, Wayne walks into a music shop, picks up a guitar he’s been fawning over and plays the first couple notes of “Stairway to He...