"sweet home alabama"

[Gato Moteado]

is a crappy song by a crappy band.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. ...

:popcorn:

[pokerfan]

2. Care to elaborate?

[Gato Moteado]

3. i heard it on the radio the other day

after not hearing it for 20 or 30 years and i realized why i never bought any lynyrd skynyrd albums.

[pokerfan]

5. Well, then that explains it!

Thanks for the "elaboration." :banghead:

[In_The_Wind]

4. Sorry. I don't agree.

Some of Lynnard Skynnard stuff was pretty darned good in it's day.

[RebelOne]

6. I don't agree either.

Sweet Home Alabama is one of their best songs and it's a favorite of mine.

[In_The_Wind]

9. Good Mornin'

The woodstock way :hi:

[xmas74]

29. I got your back.

Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the Southland
I miss Alabamy once again
And I think its a sin, yes

Well I heard mister Young sing about her
Well, I heard ole Neil put her down
Well, I hope Neil Young will remember
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you

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

Sweet home Alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet Home Alabama
Lord, I'm coming home to you
Here I come Alabama

Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers
And they've been known to pick a song or two
Lord they get me off so much
They pick me up when I'm feeling blue
Now how about you?

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
Yea, yea Montgomery's got the answer

[LynneSin]

50. Yeah I'm with Joan

Although mind you the only Lynard Skynard album I own (which is Gold & Platinum), I bougt for 50cents about 2 months ago.

[last_texas_dem]

7. I like it

Sure, different strokes for different folks and whatnot, but I think it's a stretch to say Lynyrd Skynyrd is a crappy band especially from a technical viewpoint. Certainly anyone has the right to like or dislike their music, but I think to call it crappy is something else altogether.

Personally, they did some stuff I really like, some stuff I like somewhat, and some stuff I don't care for at all. I think "Sweet Home Alabama" is a very catchy song, and if it just sounds like some sort of "redneck anthem" to anyone out there, I'd recommend a closer listen. Yes, Lynyrd Skynyrd seems to have devolved into a typical mainstream country band with right-wing political sentiments (though slightly better guitar solos) these days, but the original lineup was a whole different animal.

[Orsino]

8. I liked 'em.

Sure, they were a poor man's Allman Brothers (as Molly Hatchet were a poor man's Skynyrd), but they performed with wit and soul, inventing the triple-lead-guitar line-up before it was cliche.

[pokerfan]

22. Exactly

Definately deserves a closer listen.

"In Birmingham they love the governor." Probably the most misunderstood lyric of the song. Pay attention to the chorus of "boos" that follow that line. Ronnie hated Wallace.

I'm definately a fan of classic Skynyrd which traggically ended in 1977. Especially a fan of their first two albums which brought us Tuesday's Gone, Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, and Free Bird.

[WritingIsMyReligion]

10. Naaaaaw...

Skynyrd wasn't bad at all. I don't particularly like the song, but my dad's a Skynyrd addict, and they can really rock out.

:hi:

[auntAgonist]

11. nope don't agree with that assessment..

Skynyrd isn't bad at all. I like them.

[JitterbugPerfume]

12. I have always liked them

Gimme three steps, gimme three steps mister , gimme three steeps toward the door

[nini]

13. You forgot to put 'flamebait' in your subject line

This subject has been beat to hell on here. zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Gato Moteado]

26. 1 didn't know so many would disagree

also, sorry, i had never seen a lynard skynard thread before so i didn't know the subject had already been beaten to death.

[GOPisEvil]

14. I have to disagree with you there.

Placed in it's proper context, it's a great song. I understand why folks don't like the band, but before Ronnie Van Zant died, it was a good band that wrote socially relevant songs. After his death, ehhh, not so much.

[Zomby Woof]

17. Ronnie Van Zant is still my Elvis

Always was, always will be.

Rick Medlocke is the only current member of the line-up who has left-leaning ideals and occasionally sneaks them into the mix. The problem with the current crop is not only the lack of Ronnie's writing and singing, but the fact they get too much outside help with the writing. I think Johnny Van Zant needs his ass kicked, and his big brother isn't around to do it. I am quite positive that Ronnie, who was a hardcore supporter of Jimmy Carter, would not tolerate their current association with the likes of Travis Tritt or Hank Williams Jr. :puke:

[GOPisEvil]

19. Interesting that I thought of this topic while at the gym.

It might have had something to do with the fact that my iPod shuffle was apparently in the mood for a lot of DBT. :think:

[Gato Moteado]

27. elvis costello is THE elvis

presley was great, but costello is king

[Zomby Woof]

30. David Lee Roth said it best

"All the critics love Elvis Costello because they all LOOK like Elvis Costello". :spray:

Now Declan McManus is a boring sonofabitch. He does have great tastes in spouses though.

[Gato Moteado]

38. david lee roth should just stick with what he does best.....

...prancing around with leather pants with the back cut out and annoying people. leave the rocking to people like declan mcmanus.

[mitchum]

15. I'm really sorry that their fans kicked the shit out of you in high...

school.
But you can't really blame a brilliant band for that, can you?

[Zomby Woof]

18. SNARF!

:rofl:

[Maddy McCall]

24. :-)

LOL! :rofl:

[Gato Moteado]

25. not a chance....

i went to high school in chicago. no rebel flag wavers there. we had much more refined taste. when the overplayed freebird (refered to as "boring bird" by many people back then) would come on the radio, most self respecting chicagoans would change the station. in fact, most self respecting chicago rockers back in the 70s listened to wxrt and i don't think they even had a lynard skynard album in their studio.

[Zomby Woof]

28. Yeah

But you went to high school in Chicago, which we all know has the most "refined" public school system in the country. :eyes:

Skynyrd played in front of 90,000 people at Soldier Field in 1977 and received the biggest positive audience response that day. They stole the show. Anyone who says Freebird is boring has never heard it live from the original band. Could 90,000 Chicagoans be so wrong? ;-)

A city with Skokie Nazis in its midst shouldn't be throwing stones. Where I went to high school in the south, we would have kicked their asses. How come you enlightened midwesterners didn't?

As for Chicago's contribution to rock and roll, you gave us some great blues, but what have you done for us lately? The band Chicago? :rofl: Styx? :rofl: Refined taste, my ass.

I rest my case.

[mitchum]

31. Damn! Zomby, you beat me to the Styx reference...

that was the first thing to spring to mind when I saw the laughable reference to the "refined" taste of the Chicago music audience.
Mr Roboto, Hog Butcher of the World

[xmas74]

33. I grew up in the area

and I have no idea what he's talking about. Everyone I knew had Skynyrd albums in their collection.

[DancingBear]

34. What?

(I said I wasn't going to get involved, I said I wasn't going to get involved...)

My good man,

The first Chicago Transit Authority album was, (along with the first Al Kooper- led Blood, Sweat and Tears album), a groundbreaking step in rock music. The introuduction of the large horn ensembles in a rock music context DWARFED anything that the boys from Alabama could ever dream of.

Set the wayback machine for 1968/1969 - then listen to those LP's. They were the talk of the town.

The fact that someone could kick someone else's ass really has nothing to do with anything.

Oh, "you gave us some great blues"? That's like telling Les Paul, "oh, you gave us a nice guitar."

Bedtime now - us old folks need our rest - the better to keep you young whippersnappers in line. :)

[Gato Moteado]

35. ok, ok, ok.....but you made a few crucial mistakes

> But you went to high school in Chicago,
> which we all know has the most "refined" public
> school system in the country.

point well taken. but, i went to lane tech, and though it was a public high school it was one of the best schools in the country. a few of the heads there did rock out to skynyrd, but not many.

> Skynyrd played in front of 90,000 people
> at Soldier Field in 1977 and received the biggest
> positive audience response that day. They stole the show.

i'm not a skynyrd historian, so i'll have to take your word on that one.

> Anyone who says Freebird is
> boring has never heard it live
> from the original band.

their live version that opened up with "what song was it you wanted to hear?" was so overplayed on rock radio in the 70s i think everyone has heard it a million times. that was the original band's recording wasn't it? b-o-r-i-n-g.

> Could 90,000 Chicagoans be so wrong?

probably because most of them went to those crappy chicago public schools. either that, or the majority of the crowd that day was cheeseheads that were bussed in from wisconsin.

> A city with Skokie Nazis in its midst shouldn't
> be throwing stones. Where I went to high school
> in the south, we would have kicked their asses.
> How come you enlightened midwesterners didn't?

ok, here you have it wrong. skokie is a suburb of chicago. the nazis marched in skokie because skokie is a predominantly jewish suburb. the nazis themselves were from the south suburbs (from places where the people listen to stuff like lynyrd skynyrd ;) ). people in the city of chicago would not put up with freeper filth like the nazis. the reasons nobody did anything to them when they marched in skokie are 1) they had police protection and 2) we knew that if we just ignored them they would get no media attention and they would just go away.

> As for Chicago's contribution to rock and roll, you gave us some great blues,

in the words of muddy waters "the blues done had a baby and they named him rock and roll".

> but what have you done for us lately?

hey, you can't expect us to keep taking care of you guys all the time. ;)

> The band Chicago?

chicago (back then) kicks lynyrd skynyrd's ass every day of the week.

> Styx?

you forgot mahogany rush.

[RebelOne]

47. Hey, let's not knock the band Chicago.

They are one of my favorites from the 70s.

[malmapus]

62. Smasing Pumpkins

Only Chicago band I like :D

[xmas74]

32. Really?

I grew up in the Chicago area and I remember hearing Skynyrd being played all the time. And I didn't just hear them on the radio-I heard them on home stereos, in cars, in neighbors backyards.

Sweet Home Alabama was a socially relevant song for the times and I knew of many people in the area who just loved the songs.

Then again, I must be one of those with "less than refined tastes", as was most of my neighborhood.

[Gato Moteado]

37. yeah, skynyrd was really overplayed (like so much other music at the time)

on the classic rock stations (like WLUP, etc). although, i don't remember if they referred to themselves as classic rock stations back then.

i can remember the loop (WLUP) playing the crap out of songs by the Cars and other crappy late 70s and early 80s bands back then. i heard a "triple shot" (three songs in a row) of the Cars on a radio station the other day and it was unlistenable. i felt like i got shot three times.

anyway, like i said, i listened to xrt in those days.

[xmas74]

40. They were not referred to as classic rock stations

at the time Skynyrd was in the mainstream. In order to be considered "classic rock" a song must be at least 20 years old.

This is only your opinion since I remember hearing an awful lot of Skynyrd in the Chicago area growing up. And I remember hearing a number of people singing along w/ them-even those who have never set foot in the South.

BTW-my uncle (by marriage) is black and he was the first one I remember seeing a Skynyrd album in his collection. He used to love his Skynyrd and never seemed to picture them as racists.

[Gato Moteado]

41. hey i believe you

your experience in the chicago area was different. that's cool. i grew up in the city on the predominantly black west side and i can assure you there was no skynyrd blaring out of anyone's house there.

what part of the chicago area are you from?

[DrGonzoLives]

48. PWN'D

:evilgrin:

[ET Awful]

52. Forget pwn'd, he was

[gizmo1979]

16. I agree I hate

Skynard man.

[donheld]

46. I'm a hater too

God I hate that song! :puke:

[tjwash]

20. You know, I was just wondering when someone would start a...

..."your favorite band sucks" thread.

Hint...do Zeppelin next time. They will come crawling out of the woodwork to give you a little :spank:

[Gato Moteado]

23. zeppelin was great

why would i rag on them?

[Penndems]

21. Like all of their recordings - EXCEPT "Sweet Home Alabama"

I was a first-year student at Auburn University when that song came out. There wasn't anywhere I could go where that song wasn't playing.

It drove me nuts! :crazy:

[tarkus]

36. I concur.

Is it possible to concur twice, just for emphasis?

"Southern Man" is pretty great however...

[mitchum]

39. "Southern Man" is a great song if you like incredibly simple minded...

knee jerk self righteous sentiments.
Even Neil Young said that "Sweet Home Alabama" was the better song.
I really love most of Young's work, but every time I hear him bleat out the line "Swear by God, I'm gonna cut him down..."
I always answer, "No you're not, Neil. You're gonna get one of the road crew to do it for you"

[PittPoliSci]

42. couldn't have said it better

[Gato Moteado]

43. i dunno.....you probably could have

i'm taking quite a beating from the skynyrd fans here.

[MRDU]

44. "Where the necks are so red"

NT

[Skittles]

45. I absolutely disagree

I loved Skynyrd and as far as crappy songs go that one doesn't even come close

[MissMillie]

49. No arguments here

no use for Skynard.

[Strong Atheist]

51. It's close to country, and I loathe 99% of country ... nt.

[Bridget Burke]

53. Here's an essay on Neil Young & Lynyrd Skynyrd.

www.thrasherswheat.org/jammin/lynyrd.htm

We'll discuss it later!

I saw Lynyrd Skynyrd early in their career & thought they were great. Much in the (new) tradition of the Allman Brothers--including the tragedies that haunted both bands.

"Sweet Home Alabama" was not my favorite LS song, though.

[proud2BlibKansan]

54. Yes crappy song but good band

[imperialismispasse]

57. Other way around for me-liked the song but not a big Skynrd fan

[proud2BlibKansan]

58. I like them less now than I did back in the 70s

But you really can't ignore their contribution to music, regardless of what you think of the band.

[imperialismispasse]

59. No they were good southern rock

It's just not my favorite type of music. :D

[jpgray]

55. I think it sucks

But there are people I respect who like it.

[begin_within]

56. It's a response to Neil Young's "Alabama" which has far better lyrics

...however the music of "Sweet Home Alabama" is a classic piece of southern rock, never seems to get old no matter how many times you've heard it (but the lyrics are stupid)

[no name no slogan]

60. I think you meant "Southern Man"

n/t

[begin_within]

61. I believe that "Sweet Home Alabama" is a response to "Alabama" more than

it is to "Southern Man," although "Southern Man" is mentioned in "Sweet Home Alabama" but it's more of a retort to Young. "Southern Man" is a general indictment of racism thoughout the south while "Alabama" is a specific slam at Alabama in particular on several topics, not just racism. So I believe that the lyrics to "Sweet Home Alabama" are a direct response to Young's "Alabama" although the singer mentions "Southern Man" as one of his counter-attacks (not a wise decision in my opinion, since that only widens the dialog to include the whole southern U.S.). Whatever....

[name not needed]

63. .

:thumbsup:

[CBGLuthier]

64. Chicago, Styx, Skynard, I like em all

Yeah, Chicago wasn't as good after Terry Kath died but their early stuff was great.

Styx was never everybody's cup of tea but I like everything except The Paradise Theater. Saw them in 77 and it was one of the best shows I have seen.

And as for Skynard. I can go the rest of my life without hearing Freebird again but all the rest is good.