Erik Davis (born June 12, 1967) is an American writer, scholar, journalist and public speaker whose writings have run the gamut from rock criticism to cultural analysis to creative explorations of esoteric mysticism. He is perhaps best known for his book Techgnosis: Myth, Magic and Mysticism in the Age of Information, as well as his work on California counterculture, including Burning Man, the human potential movement, and the writings of Philip K. Dick. (More from Wikipedia)
In an interesting take on the legacy of this song, Wikipedia adds: “Erik Davis, a social historian and cultural critic, commented on the song’s massive success, subsequent backlash and enduring legendary status: ‘“Stairway to Heaven” isn’t the greatest rock song of the 1970’s; it is the greatest spell of the 1970’s. Think about it: We are all sick of the thing, but in some primordial way it is still number one. Everyone knows it. . . . Even our dislike and mockery is ritualistic. The dumb parodies; the Wayne’s World-inspired folklore about guitar shops demanding customers not play it; even Robert Plant’s public disavowal of the song — all of these just prove the rule. “Stairway to Heaven” is not just number one. It is The One, the quintessence, the closest AOR [album-oriented rock] will ever get you to the absolute.’”
(November 2014)
