Just Talking Music: Stairway to Heaven & The Boss

 As a teenager I worked at a Summer Camp. I remember talking to my fellow co-workers about music. We all agreed that “Stairway to Heaven” was a great song.  We also agreed who doesn’t have respect for “The Boss”. We loved our parent’s generation of music.

As we continued to talk and get deeper into how “Stairway to Heaven” was really a great song, we all slowly realize that we were talking about two different songs.  All of my fellow camp counselors who were white had no idea who The O’Jay’s were and I wasn’t talking about Led Zepplin.  I only heard Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” maybe once or twice and they had never even heard of The O’Jays.

After our shock that we were speaking about two different songs by two different artists, we also realize that “The Boss” wasn’t the same either.  In my house “The Boss” refers to Diana Ross. You probably guessed by now they were talking about Bruce Springsteen.

Led Zepplin – Stairway to Heaven was released in 1971

The O’Jays – Stairway to Heaven was released in 1975

Bruce Springsteen is known as “The Boss”

Diana Ross – The Boss was released in 1979

 After all the years I can appreciate Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven” but when I say “Stairway to Heaven” I’m still talking about The O’Jays song.  I still rarely listen to Bruce Springsteen because he sounds a lot like Cher or Cher sounds like Bruce Springsteen. When I speak about “The Boss” I’m talking about Diana Ross.