Posted on 03/30/2005 4:35:33 AM PST by Chi-townChief
Maybe it was during the Grammy Awards, when an all-star band jammed to this song onstage, reminding us of a time when you had to play an instrument to be considered a musician. Maybe it was when I was at P.J. Clarke's on State Street on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, and green-clad revelers of all ages started dancing when the song came on the jukebox. I didn't see a man who danced with his wife, but I did see a girl who wasn't born when the song was released -- and she was singing along with every word, as if it had been her homecoming theme.
Maybe it was when I heard the song as the theme for a NASCAR video game.
Maybe it was when Hilary and Hailey Duff appeared at an event at the W Hotel City Center on Adams a couple of weeks ago, and the crowd went wild when DJ AM incorporated the song's famous opening riff into his mix.
Maybe it was when the song popped up during a screening of the upcoming Matthew McConaughey-Penelope Cruz movie "Sahara" -- just the latest of many, many, many films to use this tune on the soundtrack.
Maybe it was all those factors, building to a crescendo.
All I know is that somewhere along the way, it hit me.
"Sweet Home Alabama" is the greatest rock and roll song of all time.
Some Lynyrd Skynyrd purists will tell you that "Sweet Home Alabama" isn't even the greatest Skynyrd song of all time, that the honors should go to "Tuesday's Gone" or some lesser-known album cut. (But probably not the overrated "Freebird.") Still, no Lynyrd Skynyrd song, and few rock songs from any band, have cut such a wide and lasting swath through the popular culture, while somehow retaining power and freshness.
'Big wheels keep on turnin' '
When I hear the first notes of "Stairway to Heaven" or "Smoke on the Water," I lunge for the radio dial. Enough is enough. When I hear the first notes of "Sweet Home Alabama," well, I turn it up.
The opening guitar lick is one of the most recognizable and electrifying intros in the history of popular music, right up there with the first notes of "Ohio," "Layla," "Baba O'Reilly" and "Revolution."
The lead vocals are muscular and clear and unapologetic.
Everybody knows the first line: "Big wheels keep on turnin.' " Not everybody knows the second line ("Carry me home to see my kin"), but it doesn't matter, you can keep singing anyway and catch up with "And I think it's a sin, yeah."
The chorus is just about perfect. You cannot and should not resist singing along with it.
The guitar work is killer.
The chick-singer background work is heavenly.
The lyrics matter. Yes, they're a bit incendiary. The founding members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were from Florida, and they embraced the Confederate flag as a stage prop. "Sweet Home Alabama" was written in part as a response to Neil Young's "Southern Man," and it includes a line seemingly sympathetic to Gov. George Wallace. But Ronnie Van Zant and his bandmates in Skynyrd also recorded "The Ballad of Curtis Lowe," an important song that embraced black music and spoke of the young Van Zant's rebellion against institutional racism.
It's everywhere
Taken as a whole and in the context of the times, "Sweet Home Alabama" is not in any way a racist song. Neil Young understood that, and so did Jimmy Carter, a liberal who welcomed the band's support.
Enough with the defense. If I'm casting my vote for the song with the best message about tolerance and peace and love, I could come up with countless better selections, from "Turn! Turn! Turn!" by the Byrds to "What's Going On?" by Marvin Gaye.
But we're talking pure rock. And as piece of pure rock, "Sweet Home Alabama" kicks ass.
It's also a pop culture touchstone, more so now than 30 years ago. "Sweet Home Alabama" has been featured in "Forrest Gump," "The Girl Next Door" and "To Die For," among other films. Of course there's also the movie "Sweet Home Alabama," with a cover version from Jewel.
In "Con Air," when the inmates take over the plane and party to the sounds of "Alabama," Steve Buscemi's Garland Greene character makes the immortal observation: "Define irony: a bunch of idiots dancing around on a plane to a song made famous by a band that died in a plane crash."
Then there's the scene in "8 Mile" when Eminem's B-Rabbit customizes the lyrics to reflect the sad state of his own life: "Cuz I live at home in a trailer/Mom I'm comin' home to you!"
Over the last five decades, there have been enough great rock and roll songs to make an iPod cry. Rolling Stone magazine recently listed its top 500, with Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" at the top. I could list 100 stronger contenders, from "Won't Get Fooled Again" to "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to "Hey Jude" to "November Rain" -- but none surpasses "Sweet Home Alabama."
Turn it up.
Don't worry Psycho. Your writings are still in the running. ;^)
Excellent :-)
But I just found out my &^%^ Dell has another problem. I just went to play my REO CD and the darn thing won't work. First my DVD - CD player 'went' a while back, then the Iomega Zip drive 'went' and now my CD burner won't work. It recognizes a data CD but not a music CD. grrrrrr Its a good thing I copied the songs into the My Music folder.
For Guitar openings there's no one that can top JERRY REED
When Jerry walks into the room the other guitar players put their guitars away.
Alabama Wild Man, The Claw, Fine On My Mind, Guitar Man,Tupelo Mississippi Flash.
Right group, wrong song. "Keep on Smiling" with that chorus "Keep on smilin' thru the rain...Laughin' at the pain...Just flowin' with the changes...Till the sun comes out again." Words to live by.
My favorite pick me up songs are "I Made I Through The Rain" by Barry Manilow and "Desiderata" by Roger Whittaker(?). Both songs remind me of just how strong I really am and how far I've come.
BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE BY THE TALKING HEADS, Live version.
Almost anything by Bob Seger, but specifically "Like a Rock", "Feel Like a Number", "Beautiful Loser". The heck with it, all of his songs.
Best opening guitar riffs should include Ted Nugent's Stranglehold and Zep's Whole Lotta Love.
Gonna have to vote for Van Halen's 'Dance The Night Away.'
That is an outstanding selection.
I concur. Reed's good but he isn't exactly known for his playing 'Rock'.
However I have a duet with him and Chet Atkins (Now there's (was) a guitar player) and its great. I think they did a few duets together.
Oh and we can't forget Les Paul either :-)
Though you have to admit he was one of the first out of the gate after 9/11 with his "Let's Roll" It was a far cry from all of his earlier work...
Well, that is a bit of a stretch, seeing as how the metal band Jackyl responded to 9/11/01:
Open Invitation
by Jackyl
I HATE YOU BIN LADEN
I HATE YOU BIN LADEN
I HATE YOU BIN LADEN
I HATE YOU BIN LADEN
I’M PISSED OFF AND NOT A PATIENT MAN
I’D DROP A BOMB ON AFGANISTAN
I’D SNATCH THAT TOWEL FROM YOUR HEAD
WRAP IT AROUND YOUR NECK
PULL IT TIGHT UNTIL YOU ARE DEAD
“M F” YOU WANT TO PLAY
YOU WANT TO GO TO HELL
I’LL SEND YOU TODAY
(CHORUS)
YOU’VE GOT AN OPEN INVITATION
TO MEET US FACE TO FACE
YOU FIGHT LIKE A COWARD
YOU’RE NOT A MAN YOU’RE A DISGRACE
YOU STEPPED ACROSS THE LINE
FROM YOUR SAND TO MY GRASS
YOU’VE GOT AN OPEN INVITATION TO KISS OUR A$$
I AIN’T SCARED TO TAKE AN EYE
FOR AN EYE
I AIN’T SCARED
IT’S THE TRUTH
IT’S AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH
I’M PISSED OFF SEEING RED
CANDY A$$ I WANT YOU DEAD
REO Speedwagon? Are you high? Together with Styx, REO Speedwagon is the ultimate Camaro-driving, permed-mullet-having, sensitive-trailer-park-guy band in the world. Any group that could put out such limp-wristed hits as "I Can't Fight This Feeling" is not a rock and roll band. A rock and roll band is a band that plays rock and roll, not syrupy top 40 ballads. The Who is a rock and roll band. The Clash was a rock and roll band. AC/DC is a rock and roll band. REO Speedwagon is a pop band that makes slow-dance ballads for junior high school homecoming mixers.
Not that there's anything wrong with that. People should listen to the kind of music they like, even if it's REO Speedwagon. I'm just saying that REO Speedwagon ain't rock and roll.
I did. That's another great one. I like the lyrics too.
I remember seeing the James Gang and 5-Man Electrical Band in one show in Chicago in 1971, at the Arie Crown Theater, I believe. Awesome show...
Back in the '70s, I thought the '60s were the golden age of rock. But the '70s were the best. The output was amazing, especially compared to the last couple of decades.
(Ok so I'm just a big softy sometimes. Love that song)
The James Gang was a great group. Hard-as-hell Joe Walsh guitar + musical professionalism from the other band members = great '70s bread&butter rock. The early '70s was they heyday of instrumentalism in R&B-based pop musc -- not just rock groups like the James Gang, but in funk/pop like Sly & the Family Stone, soul (Marvin Gaye), and jazz-rock (Steely Dan).
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