National treasure Dolly Parton wants to redo her cover of “Stairway to Heaven,” and she knows who she wants to help her do it. Parton reportedly wants to reunite Led Zeppelin band members Jimmy Page and Robert Plant to provide backup. Ever since her nomination for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Parton has been itching to record an album. She specifically wants to involve the two rock legends.
“When I got nominated, I thought, ‘Why not just go ahead and do it while the iron’s hot?,'” Parton said. The singer is adamant about getting very specific people together to create this new album. “Maybe have some of the greats, the legends of rock ’n’ roll sing along with me. I’m gathering all that stuff and notifying a few people.”
Dolly’s done plenty of rock covers over the years. The songs in the rock genre were her husband Carl Thomas Dean‘s idea. Parton concedes he wasn’t thrilled about her cover of “Stairway to Heaven.” Having given it a bluegrass twist, she’s ready for a do-over. “I’m going to redo that really on the money.”
She’s hoping to convince Page and Plant to join her on the re-recording of “Stairway to Heaven.” The goal here is to make her version closer to the original recording. “I’m trying to see if Robert Plant might sing on it. Maybe Jimmy Page might do the pick-up part on it,” Parton revealed. But they might need a little convincing.
While Page has always expressed an interest in reviving Led Zeppelin, Plant is rather more stubborn. The British singer told the LA Times another revival wouldn’t be stimulating enough. It’s worth noting the surviving members- Page, Plant, and bassist John Paul Jones– reunited with John Bonham‘s son, Jason Bonham, on drums for a 2007 reunion. But Plant believes band members who “perform together after too long look sadly decrepit.”
If there’s anyone with the gumption and determination to reunite the two, it’s Dolly. And if she does, we’re talking Nobel Prize territory.
You can listen to the original rock masterpiece, and Parton’s original cover, below.
