Robert Plant may hate it, but Jimmy Page, millions of Led Zeppelin fans and a hundred nicotine addicted DJs thoroughly disagree with him. “Stairway To Heaven” is one of rock’s biggest ever anthems, but in spite of its huge reputation, the song has never actually been released as a single. Why did this album track become so successful when so many others never catch on? When it was first played live, Robert Plant recalled that it almost sent the audience to sleep, and later renditions tended to extend its already lengthy eight minute duration to over ten minutes as a result of extended indulgent soloing. The song’s popularity was fostered by almost constant rotation on the rock radio playlists of the day, despite it being several minutes longer than standard. In fact, that length was the feature which ensures its success, says Charles L. Cross, author of forthcoming biography Led Zeppelin: Shadows Taller Than Our Souls. “The reason ‘Stairway’ took off was because it was a long song. I literally had a hundred DJs swear to me that they only played the song because they needed a long break to go and smoke a cigarette. If it had been a minute shorter, you couldn’t have smoked a full cigarette. If it had been a minute longer, it would have been too long. It was the perfect length.” Whatever the reason for its success, it remains a classic in the hearts of many fans, and if we are to believe it, an excuse for the filthy lungs of plenty DJs.

The holidays are approaching so it’s time for a gift suggestion: if you’re looking for a present for an ardent Irish boyband fan, Westlife has the perfect idea. The boys have hopped on the celebrity perfume wagon to launch the cunningly titled Westlife X -- the X isn’t a kiss, it represents the ten years Westlife has been together, obviously. The band members assert that they had a significant role to play in the creation of the fruity, flowery scent, but there’s little doubt that no matter what their contribution, Westlife X will have to vie for sales with a multitude of smelly celebrity bottles. Currently fans can spray their allegiance to a startling range of musicians, from the glamorous (Christina Aguilera, Britney, Cher, Gwen Stefani) to the less-glamorous (Kiss, Luciano Pavarotti, Cliff Richard). But as soon as heartthrob singer Nicky Byrne confessed “I like it. I wouldn’t wear it, but it’s something I’d like to smell on a girl,” he sealed the deal for millions of Westlife fans. On the other hand, some fans of more modest means may elect to save their money for the release of the hotly anticipated seventh album Where We Are, which is due for release at the start of December. After all, it’s all about the music, isn’t it?

Jay-Z’s been to No.1 on the Hot 100 before, but never as a top-billed artist until this week. “Empire State Of Mind,” featuring Alicia Keys, is a fourth No.1 in total for both artists: Jay featured on Mariah Carey’s “Heartbreaker” (1999), now-wife Beyoncé’s “Crazy In Love” (2003) and Rihanna’s “Umbrella” (2007); Alicia hit the top with debut single “Fallin’” in 2001, “My Boo” with Usher in 2004, and “No One” in 2007. Meanwhile on the album chart, there’s a second consecutive No.1 for Bon Jovi, whose The Circle sold over 160,000 copies. That’s quite a drop from the 290,000 sold by last album Lost Highway (2007), which was their first Billboard 200 chart-topper for almost two full decades. Lots of people – roughly 130,000 last week – are preparing for the holiday season to the sounds of Andrea Bocelli’s My Christmas, which edged out last week’s No.1 Carrie Underwood to win second place. Carrie’s Play On sticks at No.3, while Michael Jackson’s latest compilation This Is It slips to No.4.