Wayne's World was originally a recurring sketch from the NBC television series Saturday Night Live. It spawned two films, and several catchphrases which have since entered the pop-culture lexicon. The sketch centered on a local public-access television program in Aurora, Illinois, hosted by Wayne Campbell, an enthusiastic and sardonic long-haired metalhead, and his timid and sometimes high-strung, yet equally metal-loving sidekick and best friend, Garth Algar (Dana Carvey). The first "Wayne's World" sketch appeared in the 13th Saturday Night Live episode of 1988/1989. (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)
