This article is about the song, for the movie, see Sweet Home Alabama
(film)
"Sweet Home Alabama" is a song by Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd that first appeared in 1974 on their second album, Second Helping.
"Sweet Home Alabama" was an answer to two controversial songs, "Southern Man" and "Alabama" by Neil
Young, which were critical of social conditions in the South. "We thought
Neil was shooting all the ducks in order to kill one or two," said Ronnie Van Zant at the time (Dupree 1974). Van Zant's musical
response, however, was equally controversial, with references to Alabama Governor George Wallace and the Watergate scandal. Despite (or perhaps because of) the debate, the song has become one of the most
popular examples of Southern rock. It reached the top ten of the US charts in 1974 and was
the band's second hit single.[1]
The Song and the Band's Career
"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 TV rock-show offers, which the band turned down.[2]
Creation and recording
At a band practice shortly after bassist Ed King had switched to guitar, King heard fellow guitarist Rossington playing a
guitar riff that inspired him (in fact, this riff is still heard in the final version of the song and is played during the verses
as a counterpoint to the main D-C+9-G chord progression). In interviews, Ed King has said that, during the night following the
practice session, the chords and two main guitar solos came to him in a dream, note for note. King then introduced the song to
the band the next day, and a hit was born. Also written at this session was the track that would follow "Alabama" on the
Second Helping album, "I Need You."
A live version of the track on the compilation album "Collectybles" places the writing of the song during the late summer of
1973, as the live set available on the album is dated October 30, 1973.
The track was recorded at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia, using just King,
bassist Wilkeson, and drummer Burns to lay down the basic backing track. Ed King used a Marshall amp belonging to Allen Collins.
The guitar used on the track was a late-1960's Fender Stratocaster. However, King
has said that guitar was a pretty poor model and had bad pickups, forcing him to turn the amp up all the way to get decent volume
out of it. This guitar is now displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Interesting to note is that the famous "Turn it up" line uttered by Van Zant in the beginning was not intended to be in the
song. Ronnie was just asking producer Al Kooper and engineer Rodney Mills to turn up the volume in his headphones so that he could hear the track better.
Following the two "woo's" at the start of the piano solo, Van Zant can be heard ad-libbing "My, Montgomery's got the answer."
The duplicate "my" was produced by Kooper turning off one of the two vocal takes.
There is also a semi-hidden vocal line in the second verse after the "Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her" line (at
approximately 0:50). In the left channel, you can hear the phrase "Southern Man" being sung lightly. This was producer Al Kooper
doing a Neil Young impression and was just another incident of the band members messing around in the studio while being
recorded.
The count-in heard in the beginning of the track is spoken by Ed King. The count-in to the first song on an album was a
signature touch that producer Kooper usually put on albums that he made.
Ironically, none of the three writers of the song were originally from Alabama.
Ronnie Van Zant and Gary Rossington were both
born in Jacksonville, Florida. Ed King was from Glendale, California.
Political references
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In conjunction with the defense of the South, the song contains political references which have caused controversy,
particularly this verse:
In Birmingham, they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
Some deny the song expresses support for Wallace's politics, interpreting the lyrics as saying that the band did all they
could do to keep Wallace out of office. They argue that a jeer "Boo, boo, boo!" can be heard after the line "In Birmingham, they
love the governor" and they interpret this as an attack on Wallace. In 1975, Van Zant said: "The lyrics about the governor of
Alabama were misunderstood. The general public didn't notice the words 'Boo! Boo! Boo!' after that particular line, and the media
picked up only on the reference to the people loving the governor"[3]. Footage of concerts where they performed the song also confirms the presence of this line (Lyve from
Steeltown). Although again this is an area for contention, particularly when regarding the lines "Sweet home Alabama, Oh sweet
home baby, Where the skies are so blue, And the governor's true."
Various band members have denied that the song endorses segregation; in a recent radio interview, surviving members stated the
last line "Montgomery got the answer" was a reference to the Selma to Montgomery
civil rights marches led by Martin Luther King, Jr.
Fans and music historians also argue that the band was clearly sympathetic to African-Americans during the Civil Rights
movement, citing the songs "Things Goin' On", and "The Ballad of Curtis Loew", in addition to their obvious admiration for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section (which recorded numerous Soul and R&B classics) as prime
examples of the group's true political leanings.
Another claim often made is that the third line of the above verse is downplaying the Watergate scandal. Again, many fans disagree, interpreting the line as either a reminder to critics
that the South is not alone in having scandals or as a statement that corruption in politics is nothing exceptional.[citation needed] Another theory is that Van Zant was
simply saying that the Watergate scandal was nothing that concerned him because he (and the South) had their own
problems.[citation needed]
The consensus today regarding the song (and the band's) political leanings is that the group was actually more "liberal" in
their social/political beliefs than they were given credit for during their heyday.[citation needed]
Muscle Shoals
One verse of the song includes the line "Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers/And they've been known to pick a song or two."
This refers to the Alabama town Muscle Shoals, Alabama, a legendary location for
recording popular music due to the "sound" crafted by local recording studios and back-up musicians. "The Swampers" referred to
in the lyrics included (among others) Jimmy Johnson, David Hood, Barry Beckett, Roger
Hawkins, Eddie Hinton, Pete Carr and
Spooner Oldham who crafted the "Muscle Shoals Sound". Sometimes recording under the
identity of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, these musicians included
Jimmy Johnson (guitar), Roger Hawkins (drums), David Hood
(bass), and Barry Beckett (keyboards), and they were inducted into the Alabama
Music Hall of Fame in 1995 for a "Lifework Award for Non-Performing Achievement." The nickname "The Swampers" was given to
the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section by singer/songwriter Leon Russell.
Part of the reference comes from the 1971-1972 demo reels that Lynyrd Skynyrd had recorded in Muscle Shoals with Johnson as a
producer/recording engineer. Johnson helped refine many of the songs first heard publicly on the "Pronounced" album, and it was
Van Zant's "tip of the hat" to Johnson for helping out the band in the early years and essentially giving the band its first
break.
Lynyrd Skynyrd remains connected to Muscle Shoals having since recorded a number of works in the city and making it a regular
stop on their concert tours.
Versions
- Hank Williams, Jr. performs this song on his 1987 live album, Hank Live.
- In addition to the original appearance on Second Helping, the song has appeared on numerous Lynyrd Skynyrd collections
and live albums. The song also appeared on the famous late night talk show The Tonight
Show. A few covers have appeared, notably a slowed-down rock version by Big Head Todd and the Monsters, as well as a more faithful version by the
Charlie Daniels Band and an altered version by the country group Alabama (who changed the lyrics involving the Watergate
scandal with a verse talking about Alabama football). The song even spawned a 2004 hip hop
version by Alabama-based rap/hip-hop group Boyz After Money Always, which was
performed at the Comedy Central Roast of Jeff Foxworthy. Former Saturday Night Live
band leader G.E. Smith led the backing band for this performance.
- Eminem performs a pseudo-rap version of this song in the film 8 Mile with one of his co-stars.
- Perhaps the most unusual rendition of the song is by the surrealist Finnish rock group Leningrad Cowboys, featuring the Red Army Choir on the
choruses.
- Argentine rock singer Javier Calamaro realeased a song in Spanish called "Sweet Home Buenos
Aires", with the music of this song. Later, argentine rock icon Charly García, released
the song in his album "Demasiado ego" with Calamaro as a guest. He usually performs this song after playing "Encuentro con el
diablo", from his former band Serú Girán, which has a strong likeness to the Lynyrd Skynyrd
song.
- Argentine band Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota
(a.k.a. Redonditos de Ricota or Los Redondos) play a song named Caña Seca y un Membrillo, which has a big
likeness to Sweet Home Alabama.
- Band Moonshine Bandits did a rap-rock remake of this song
called "Sweet Home California".
- Spanish band Siniestro Total did a semi-parodic cover of this song called "Miña terra
galega", in a reference to their homeland Galicia.
- Jewel made a cover version of the song for the movie Sweet Home Alabama.
- Killdozer covers the song on the Touch and
Go Records compilation "God's Favorite Dog"
- Canadian jam band The Clumsy Lovers included a version on their CD Under the
Covers.
In the Media and Popular Culture
Sweet Home Alabama has appeared in many commercials, movies, and subsequent recordings by other bands. It remains a
popular request on classic rock radio stations and has been featured in many
movies, including To Die For, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003), Con
Air, 8 Mile, Forrest Gump,
Joe Dirt, The Girl Next Door,
Sweet Home Alabama and Sahara. The song has become a favorite among University
of Alabama students and alumni. Shaun Alexander, the Seattle Seahawks MVP running back and University of Alabama alumnus, has the song played after each
home game touchdown. The song's reach also extends to "virtual" sporting events. It was featured on the PS2 and Xbox versions of NASCAR
Thunder 2002 because the game creators, EA Sports, had just announced sponsorship of
the fall race at Talladega Superspeedway, located in Alabama. Further, Sweet
Home Alabama has been used in multiple advertising campaigns. An adaptation of the song is used in advertisements for
KFC. In September 2007, Alabama Governor Bob Riley announced the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" would be used to promote Alabama state tourism in a multi
million dollar ad campaign. No indication has been given if the song itself will be included in the campaign[4].
Recognition and Awards
Members
See also
References
- ^ Songfacts.com[1]
- ^ a b c Dupree, T. (1974),
Lynyrd Skynyrd in Sweet Home Atlanta [Electronic version]. Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 17, 2007.
- ^ Ballinger, L. (2002). Lynyrd Skynyrd - An Oral History. Los Angeles:
XT377 Publishing.
- ^ Associated Press (2007). Lynyrd
Skynyrd Song Turns Alabama Tourist Theme [Electronic version]. USA Today. Retrieved
October 17, 2007.
External links
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