(Credits: Far Out / Alamy)
Sat 25 April 2026 19:36, UK
For a musician as wholly unique as Frank Zappa, the notion of ever covering another band feels alien to the music he would sometimes make.
But he did make it a part of his set to pick up tracks from legendary bands like The Beatles, Cream, and even The Police often to deliver his own version when playing live. But perhaps what is more curious is that he once covered a song he apparently detested.
That contradiction, though, was entirely in keeping with Zappa’s artistic philosophy. He rarely approached music in a straightforward way, often using familiar material as a vehicle for commentary rather than celebration. Covering a song was never just about reinterpretation for him, it was an opportunity to dissect it, to expose what he saw as its flaws or excesses while reshaping it into something that aligned more closely with his own sensibilities.
It also speaks to his curiosity, even when it came wrapped in disdain. Zappa was not content to dismiss something from a distance if it had such a significant cultural footprint. Engaging with it directly, even in a satirical or critical manner, allowed him to place himself within that conversation on his own terms. In doing so, he could challenge both the music itself and the audience’s reverence for it.
Zappa was not afraid of his own opinion. On many occasions, he would take swipes at celebrated cultural icons with a balled-up fist and a hefty smirk hidden beneath his moustache. It was part of his schtick, poking the bear of particular art forms and awaiting the growling beast’s more ravenous fans to attack him. It saw him take shots at The Beatles, Andy Warhol and Jim Morrison, among many others. And, they, in turn, took their own aim and fired the odd cannonball back at him. But, save for the somewhat strange yet brilliant cover of ‘I Am The Walrus’, Zappa never covered those bands or artists.
(Credits: Bent Rej)
A cover is an homage to the original song, no matter how far into a new direction you take it. Truthfully, Zappa’s opinion on The Beatles had cooled by the time he sang ‘I Am The Walrus’ in the 1990s, and if there was ever a Fab Four song for him to pick up, it would be that kaleidoscopic trip. But his most surprising cover came when he took the bane of all guitar shops in the world: Led Zeppelin’s ‘Stairway to Heaven’.
Zappa’s issues with Led Zeppelin are far deeper than one song. The musician would often reference the group during his live performances, chastising them for being the personification of what he deemed to be wrong with rock music. Their grandiose opinions of themselves, mixed with the golden-God energy which had already proved to be a toxic invention, meant, for Zappa, Led Zeppelin were the archetype for how not to be in a band.
In truth, Zappa hated all rock groups, and Led Zeppelin was the biggest of all, so a clash, which included him referencing their infamous mudshark incident during shows with The Mothers of Invention in New York to his references to Robert “Plant-it” and Robert “Planet” on their album, 200 Motels was always on the cards. What wasn’t on the cards was when Zappa decided to cover their anthemic song, a track he seemingly detested.
Frank Zappa had little time for Led Zeppelin. In fact, his disdain ran so deep that when he finally tackled one of their songs on his 1988 tour, it wasn’t out of admiration—it was pure satire. Zappa and his band delivered a completely tongue-in-cheek, reggae-infused rendition of Stairway to Heaven, a performance dripping in sarcasm.
According to tour guitarist Mike Keneally, Zappa had steered so clear of Led Zeppelin over the years that the band was stunned when he asked them to play the song in full. “There was widespread disbelief,” Keneally recalled in Record Collector, “because he had never heard it in its entirety. But he knew it was a huge song and was curious.”
True to form, once Zappa heard ‘Stairway to Heaven’, he had his critiques. “He really didn’t like the chord progression for the guitar solo,” Keneally said. But that didn’t stop him. He knew that throwing Stairway to Heaven into his setlist would leave audiences completely dumbfounded. What transpired was one of the sharpest satires in Zappa’s career and perhaps the most devastating send-up of Led Zeppelin’s grandiosity ever put to tape.
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