Led Zeppelin guitarist Jimmy Page acknowledged the similarity between the Mary Poppins song 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' and his band's iconic hit 'Stairway To Heaven' in court yesterday (June 16).
Page was played the Mary Poppins song by prosecuting lawyer Francis Malofiy and asked if it had helped to inspire 'Stairway To Heaven'. Reuters reports that Page smiled as he listened to 'Chim Chim Cher-ee' but denied it had inspired him musically.
"I think I have said [in the past] that the chord sequence is very similar because that chord sequence has been around forever," Page told the court.
Page had already testified in court on Wednesday (June 16) that he didn't steal the famous guitar riff he plays on 'Stairway To Heaven'. The case, being heard now in Los Angeles, centres on a claim that Led Zeppelin copied the 1971 song's guitar riff from 'Taurus', a 1968 song by Californian band Spirit.
Appearing on the stand on Wednesday, Page claimed that he hadn't heard Spirit's song until a few years ago. "Something like that would stick in my mind. It was totally alien to me," Page said, as reported by Associated Press.
However, Page did acknowledge that he owned three Spirit albums in his personal collection and that Led Zeppelin used a riff from another Spirit track in a medley played during their first tour in Scandinavia.
Mona S Edwards
Meanwhile, former Spirit member Mark Andes also testified on Wednesday, sharing his view that that riffs from both songs were the same.
Andes said that Spirit played 'Taurus' during a show in Denver in 1968 where Zeppelin were the opening act. He also said that he "hung out" and "had a blast" with Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant after a Spirit show in Birmingham in 1970.
Robert Plant and bassist John Paul Jones are expected to testify later in the trial, although Jones is not a defendant in the case.
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Mona S Edwards
