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Gamazda is known for frequently covering rock tunes, which is unusual for a pianist and makes her distinctive. She is quite good at it, though, and her covers thrill plenty of people. As we would say today, it was a smack in the mouth of good old Neil Young. He applauded the song and agreed that the lyrics to his song Alabama were not great. He also became a fan of Lynyrd Skynyrd, as they were of his. But the Allmans also didn’t record a song like Sweet Home Alabama, which was misunderstood in its day and has continued to be misunderstood in the decades since.
That is what we do every day with brainless pop songs, after all. It is best just to enjoy it as a great song, and not worry too much of the lyrics. That’s what you generally need to do with most music anyway.
Sweet Home Alabama Meaning
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.
However you choose to interpret these lyrics, it is undeniable that the song is marked by political and social events of the time. It clearly illustrates the contrast between the South and the North. General CommentThis is one of the greatest American songs ever! It even has the supernatural ability to make mullets almost sexy. When the band was still in high school they had a gym teacher that hated hippies and his name was lynard skynard, thus the basis of its appeal.
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Also at the end they state Montgomery's got the answer and that was in direct reference to the boycott of the buses by the blacks in the south during that time. People mistook this song as Pro Racism and Pro Segregation and it was the extreme opposite. Ronnie Van Zant is on record saying that he disliked governor Wallace very much and that the "Boo Boo Boo" in the song was to boo the citizens of Montgomery. Also the line "we all did what we could do" was about ending segregation. Lynyrd skynyrd was actually a very progressive band that wrote songs that were pro gun control and praised Jimmy Carter in their 1976 movies Free Bird.
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.
Missing lyrics by Lynyrd Skynyrd?
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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.
Some music has become synonymous with the southern United States. But perhaps the single most “southern” song ever released is Sweet Home Alabama, by the mythical and tragic band, Lynyrd Skynyrd. The song “Sweet Home Alabama” was included on Lynyrd Skynyrd’s album Second Helping.
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.
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.
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.
I decided to do a lyric video on my favorite song since the one already posted had a lot of grammar and spelling issues. The song belongs to Lynyrd Skynyrd and MCA Records. If you liked this article, check out our discussion of the Southern Cross lyrics meaning. That song also has a Neil Young connection, although he did not have anything to do with creating the actual song in that case either.
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