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Race relations in the south have always been, and still are, different than in the north. We wil never know exactly what the writers of the song were thinking when they wrote it. However, in Ed King, co-writer of the song and guitarist of the band, contradicted this. He said the boos referred to northerners reacting to Alabama’s love of Wallace, but they love him in the south because he stood up for the average southern man. I think the "we all did what we could do" is also a reference to that - Alabama did all it could to prevent Nixon from getting into office. General CommentMerry Clayton is an African American woman who is singing, further making the statement that the band was against segregation.
Ronnie Van Zant, Gary Rossington, and Ed King wrote the song. The Billboard Hot 100 listed “Sweet Home Alabama” as the eighth-highest song. Enjoy Gamazda’s amazing piano rendition of “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd. For another southern song, but much more modern, check out our breakdown of the Fancy Like lyrics and their meaning. But perhaps, not all southern values of the time period deserved defending. Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote it in response to another famous musician, as a defense of southern values.
Download Sweet Home Alabama - Lynyrd Skynyrd (Lyrics)
Rivers of ink have flowed in the history of rock’n’roll about the famous controversy between Lynyrd Skynyrd and Neil Young in the seventies. This generated a lot of controversy, because this defense included the then-governor of the state, a staunch supporter of segregation. However you feel about the meaning of the song, there is no denying it is an absolute classic. If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
As mentioned, Neil Young had written two songs a few years earlier entitled Southern Man and Alabama”. In the lyrics, he openly criticized the blatant racism of that Southern state. The lyrics to Sweet Home Alabama dedicate an entire verse to Neil Young and mention him by name several times. As mentioned above, they also refer to the then-governor of Alabama and seem to defend him and his involvement in the Watergate scandal. In the line about Watergate, they're comparing Wallace to former President Nixon. By the time of this song, Nixon was a discredited liar & an embarrassment to all Americans.
Popular Lynyrd Skynyrd Lyrics
The lesson is that politicians are jerks, whether it's the Californian Nixon or the Alabaman Wallace. Skynyrd's stand for Wallace is more fatalist than enthusiastic. At this point, the controversy was dead in my mind. Then I noticed the lyrics about the people loving Governor Wallace. Not so cool to rally around a well-known segregationist. Gamazda, on the other hand, used her abilities, excitement, and talent to turn her piano into a timeless piece of Rock and Metal music.
Read their interviews, this is not a racist anthem. I'm sick of all these northern assholes thinking we're uneducated racists unanimously. Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Sweet Home Alabama is the biggest southern rock hit of all time. This song was released in 1974, as a single from the band’s second album Second Helping. Many saw it as a piece of music that defended the way of life of the southern states, particularly Alabama.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Lynard Skynard - Sweet Home Alabama Lyrics
They mention the beautiful blue sky and what a pleasure it is to live in Alabama. They also seem to praise Wallace, as mentioned above. It was also where race riots took place in Birmingham in 1963, the capital of the most segregated state in the south, with harsh laws against blacks. It was the place that consecrated the fight for civil rights led by Martin Luther King. One the other side, you have another rock heavyweight, but one who is the complete opposite. Neil Young is Canadian, educated and progressive, and he tended to give moral lessons from the north of the United States.
Sweet Home Alabama is the biggest southern rock hit ever. @UShudNoBtr Ronnie said in a few interviews that the song was kind of a joke and that they "did all they could do" to end segregation. If you check out the album cover of Street Survivors Ronnie is wearing a Neil Young T-shirt. Funny how many people think of this as a Pro-Alabama song. This song was meant to mock southern racist, hence the "BOO BOO BOO" referring to Wallace. Whatever the case may be there it is best to enjoy the song as a great song, and to not worry about the lyrics themselves.
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In response, they wrote a song to defend the south. Lynyrd Skynyrd was always a big proponent of the values and way of life in the southern United States and songs like Sweet Home Alabama and Free Bird have become quintessential southern rock classics. Let’s all enjoy this authentic wonder that stands out for its three guitars, its playful piano, and its female choirs. It is a glorious page from the songbook of the twentieth century and of southern rock. Both parties resolved their little spat with a chivalry unusual in the world of rock. And no, they were not enemies, nor did they hate each other.
Even the Lynyrd Skynyrd themselves can’t seem to agree what they meant when they wrote the lyrics, but it seems some of them are perhaps reluctant to be honest about what they were truly feeling at the time. Even though two of the writers of Sweet Home Alabama were from Florida and the third from California, Lynyrd Skynyrd felt the need to defend Alabama and the southern way of life. All of this inspired Neil Young to write his two songs, in which he questioned the whites of Alabama. He basically accused them of being accomplices to the racism and oppression.
She has sung on many of the greatest songs recorded. They dedicated an entire verse to the Canadian Young, saying southerners have no need for him or his opinion. The rest of he lyrics praise various aspects of the south.
Nor was the best song in the history of southern rock racist, although it may have been defending racist ideas, not directly, but as a by-product of defending the south. General CommentI just wanted to say that Lynyrd Skynyrd did NOT support George Wallace. That whole "in Brimingham they love the governor...but we all did what we could do" refers to the fact that while the majority supported segregation and Wallace, Skynyrd did not.
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