‘Sweet Home Alabama’ is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, released on the band's second album Second Helping (1974). 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. It reached number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1974, becoming the band's highest-charting single. The song remains a staple in southern and classic rock, and is arguably the band's signature song
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. In an interview with Garden & Gun, Rossington explained the writing process: "I had this little riff. It's the little picking part and I kept playing it over and over when we were waiting on everyone to arrive for rehearsal. Ronnie and I were sitting there, and he kept saying, 'play that again'. Then Ronnie wrote the lyrics and Ed and I wrote the music." The introductive signature riff, prevalent throughout the song, was written and played by Ed King. The basic track was recorded with guide lead vocals, Ed King's lead guitar, Leon Wilkeson's bass, and Bob Burns' drums. The final lead vocals from Van Zant, along with Rossington and Collins' rhythm guitars and Powell's piano were added later.
‘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. In addition to the original appearance on Second Helping, the song has appeared on numerous Lynyrd Skynyrd compilations and live albums. Record World called it the group's "most commercial single entry so far."
‘Sweet Home Alabama’ was actually 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. 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. I don't like my words when I listen to it. They are accusatory and condescending, not fully thought out, and too easy to misconstrue."
Label – MCA
Songwriters – Ed King, Gary Rossington, Ronnie Van Zant
Producer – Al Kooper
SONG LYRICS
[Intro]One, two, three
Turn it up
[Verse 1]
Big wheels keep on turnin'
Carry me home to see my kin
Singin' songs about the Southland
I miss Alabamy once again
And I think it's a sin, yes
[Verse 2]
Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her (Southern man)
Well, I heard ol' Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around, anyhow
[Chorus]
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you
[Verse 3]
In Birmingham they loved the governor
Boo, boo, boo
Now we all did what we could do
Now Watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth
[Chorus]
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you
Here I come, Alabama
[Guitar Solo]
[Bridge]
Ah-ah-ah, Alabama
Ah-ah-ah, Alabama
Ah-ah-ah, Alabama
Ah-ah-ah, Alabama
[Verse 4]
Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they've been known to pick a song or two (Yes, they do)
Lord, they get me off so much
They pick me up when I'm feelin' blue
Well now, how 'bout you?
[Chorus]
Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you
Sweet home Alabama (Oh, sweet home, baby)
Where the skies are so blue (And the governor's true)
Sweet home Alabama (Lordy)
Lord, I'm coming home to you
Yeah, yeah
[Outro]
Mont… Montgomery's got the answer