In 1975, Van Zant said: "The lyrics about the governor of Alabama were misunderstood. The choice of Birmingham in connection with the governor (rather than the capital of Montgomery) is significant because it was the site of civil rights activism and violence in the 1960s. Where the skies are so blue and the governor's true In Birmingham, they love the governor (boo boo boo) They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue." Īnother part of "Sweet Home Alabama" was also controversial in its reference to George Wallace, the governor of Alabama and supporter of racial segregation: I don't like my words when I listen to it. In Young's 2012 autobiography Waging Heavy Peace, he commented on his song: "My own song 'Alabama' richly deserved the shot Lynyrd Skynyrd gave me with their great record. Well, I heard Mister Young sing about herĪ Southern man don't need him around anyhow The lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama" include the following lines: "Sweet Home Alabama" was written in answer to two songs by Neil Young, " Southern Man" and " Alabama", because the songs "took the entire South to task for the bloody history of slavery and its aftermath." "We thought Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time. Record World called it the group's "most commercial single entry so far." Controversy In addition to the original appearance on Second Helping, the song has appeared on numerous Lynyrd Skynyrd compilations and live albums. "Sweet Home Alabama" was a major chart hit for a band whose previous singles had "lazily sauntered out into release with no particular intent." The hit led to two television rock show offers that the band declined. The final lead vocals from Van Zant, along with Rossington and Collins' rhythm guitars and Powell's piano were added later. The basic track was recorded with guide lead vocals, Ed King's lead guitar, Leon Wilkeson's bass, and Bob Burns' drums. Then Ronnie wrote the lyrics and Ed and I wrote the music." Ronnie and I were sitting there, and he kept saying, 'play that again'. It's the little picking part and I kept playing it over and over when we were waiting on everyone to arrive for rehearsal. In an interview with Garden & Gun, Rossington explained the writing process: "I had this little riff. None of the three writers of the song were from Alabama Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington were both born in Jacksonville, Florida, while Ed King was from Glendale, California. The song remains a staple in southern and classic rock, and is arguably the band's signature song. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974, becoming the band's highest-charting single. It was written in response to Neil Young's 1970 song " Southern Man", which the band felt blamed the entire South for American slavery Young is name-checked and dissed in the lyrics. Audio production by Simon Dunham." Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album Second Helping (1974). Song of the Day was created by Sheldon Zoldan, and is a co-production with WGCU Public Media. On June 2, 2006, The Muscle Shoals Sound Studio was added to the National Registry of Historic Places. In 1978, The Swampers moved to a bigger studio. They’re mentioned in Lynyrd Skynyrd’s song, “Sweet Home Alabama.” Leon Russell nicknamed the rhythm section the Swampers. Paul Simon, the Rolling Stones, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Otis Redding, Cher, Mac Davis, Etta James, Wilson Pickett and the Staples Singers all recorded there. Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Sam Phillips, who discovered Elvis Presley, grew up nearby. Muscle Shoals was a sleepy southern town until it came to music. They also played on Percy Sledge’s number one hit “When a Man Loves a Woman,” in 1966. She flew them to New York to finish the songs for the album, including “Respect.” The Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section played on her next three albums. The session was cut short when her husband got into a fight with one of the musicians. Our Song of the Day was the only song recorded that day. The surprise at the time – the musicians who developed her sound, known as the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, were white. In 1967, Aretha Franklin, struggling to make a hit album, visits the Muscle Shoals, Alabama, recording studio and records her first hit, our song of the day, “I’ve Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You).”
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