"This Is A Love Song..."

What I Like About This: It reminds me of my youth when I first saw this on television in 1975. "Soul Train," the black answer to American Bandstand was a highlight of my Saturday afternoons back then... it was one of my escapes from the reality of the miserable life of fear and loathing I experienced after my brother learned my secret and made life a hellish nightmare for me.  

Of course as a gay youth watching this performance, I was entranced by the handsome men performing such a passion-filled song. Their choreography, the revealing outfits and the emotive passion in their voices created wonder in my young mind about what it might feel like to experience the things they were singing of. But the truth of what I was most struck by at the time was that this was one of the songs that first brought me to the then surprising realization that virtually all songs are about love.

It would be some 31 years later that I would finally hear this song in my mind as I climbed the stairs hand-in-hand with the beloved one and first experienced all the passions and thoughts that this song so perfectly engenders. It's quite cliché to say this, but yes, nothing was ever the same after that first night of "heaven right here on earth..." Now, whenever I hear this, I'm immediately transported back in time to that autumn night and climbing the "Stairway to Heaven" with him.

"Stairway to Heaven"

Written by Kenneth Gamble & Leon Huff

Here we go climbing the stairway to heaven

Here we go walking the road of ecstasy

Taking a load of the whole world off our shoulders

The door is wide open for you

The door is open for me

Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh

Here we go stealing a moment of pleasure

You and I, we're gonna find the pirate's treasure

Here we go. Aw, aw, aw, baby

Oh baby, here we go

Climbing the stairway to heaven

Climbing the stairway to heaven

And we're going step by step together

Step by step. Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah

Here we go. Aw, baby

Oh baby, here we go climbing

And we're climbing, climbing the stairway to heaven

Gonna climb on up. (High.)

Stairway to heaven

And we're going, we're going step by step together

Step by step on the stairway to heaven

Climbing, climbing

(Stairway to heaven.) Gonna climb on up now

We're going on up. (Stairway to heaven.)

Climbing and climbing

(Stairway to heaven.) It's gonna be our love growing, baby

Spreading here, baby

(Stairway to heaven.) For the rest of our lives, we're gonna be together

(Stairway to heaven.) Just me and you

(Stairway to heaven.) Me and you

Put your hand on my shoulder

Lean closer and we're finding...

(Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go.)

We'll go out and we're gonna find it. (Hey, hey.)

In our own little corner of the world, our own little spot

It'll be me and you. (And I wonder.) Come on

Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go

I said baby, it's gonna be just right going on up

Heaven. Sweet life

Heaven. Nice life

Heaven. Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh

(Heaven.) Woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo, woo

Stealing a moment...Stealing a moment of pleasure

Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go

Just put your hand in mine

Talking 'bout heaven right here on earth

Gonna make it, gonna make it real, real easy

(Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go.)

Easy for you, baby

Come on and go with me right now. (I said it'll be just right.)

Heaven. (Hey, hey, hey, hey.) Sweet

Heaven. Nice. (Heaven's on my mind.)

(Heaven.) Ow! (Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh.)

Hey, hey, going on up

(Heaven.) Going on up, it's gonna be just right

Walk with me, 'cause the door is open

Talk with me. Come on, baby

Love me. (Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go.)

Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, uh, uh, uh, uh. Love me

Step by step now

Put your hand in mine for all times

All the troubles in the world and come on

(Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go. Don't you wanna go.)

Come on. come on. It's gonna be just right, just right

(Oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh, oooh. Come on and go.)

(Heaven.) Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, oh. (Gonna, gonna seem just right,)

(Heaven.) Oh, oh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh. uh

('Cause heaven is on my mind.)

(Heaven.) I said come on, go, go, go

(Heaven's right here on earth.)

(Heaven.) Go on, go on. (Hey, eh, eh, eh, eh.)