The Motor City Madman!
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.
Has anyone mentioned "The Boys Are Back In Town" yet?
For comparative purposes, I have included three versions. The first is with Sir Paul McCartney & the Beatles (before Sir Paul was a Sir), the second John Denver & Sir Paul, and the third Ray Charles.
P.S. - The bandwidth has been reduced to 64kbps to give my poor server a break. Although in the Catskill Mountains, I can smell it smoking all the way in Arizona ;-)
Even though the rain hides the stars,
Even though the mist swirls the hills,
Even when the dark clouds veil the sky,
God is by my side.
Even when the sun shall fall in sleep,
Even when at dawn the sky shall weep,
Even in the night when storms shall rise,
God is by my side. God is by my side.
Best song of all time
Somewhere over the rainbow!
Absolutely were fun and knew how to write the catchiest songs of that period, by any band. They wanted so badly to have a pop hit, unlike most bands of the time, that were happy with college radio airplay. "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" is of the 10 best singles ever I think.
Of New Wave, I still like some Blondie, particularly "Eat to the Beat," and Elvis from the "Armed Forces" era. I used to like the Talking Heads, but they seem too art-school, in retrospect.
Totally -- Elvis' "Armed Forces" is his best and that's saying something considering his output between like 1977 and 1982 or so. The Heads were definitely art school but the lp's "Fear of Music" and "Remain in Light" really are great..mainly for the production of Brian Eno along with the catchiest songs (see: Once in a Lifetime).
I know- Zydeco is just SO DAMMM FUN!
Man, that's too funny. I just got that song added to my collection after a whole lot of tryin'.
I searched Kazaa for weeks. I couldn't even find it on iTunes.
I finally got it by downloading the latest LimeWire P2P package. I'd given up on LimeWire ages ago while using WinME...but with WinXP the newest version of LimeWire rocks.
I love the piano work in the Johnny Rivers arrangement.
Well...now that you twisted my arm ;-)
The author who claims this as his favorite song of all time has apparently not listened to the lyrics.
From memory: "In Birmingham they love the governor....now we all did what we could do".....not sympathetic to Wallace but to the State after Neil's sanctimonious rub.
As far as Skynyrd.....Simple Man or "the song about the used up girl(?)"
I had a minor role last year in a Skynyrd concert production.
They can still command 90-200K for two hours play and deliver a profit to the venue.
The venue that night doubled their money and LS will be back again this year at about 25% higher price.
Last year was their first show after the old man died. It was emotional and good and a shiteload of babes from 15-45...amazing. Not nearly as "Coe" a crowd as I would have guessed. I had seen them a lot dazed and confused in the early 70s as a teen lad.
Plus they play the stuff right on the money with three exceptional journeyman guitarists.
One of rock's hardest working bands still turning it out live 35 years later. They are an American Institution.
Who can still do that today outside of the current ringholders Metallica?
A Pink Floyd (complete) reunion? probably....who else?
I feel bad for young folks. Life ain't fair and the culture has been cruel to them.
that's an eclectic mix there sir.
"When Shrimps learn to whistle" early Kottke.
Are those tracks or CDs?
Surf music! I've always liked how "Sheena is a Punk Rocker" is pretty much "Little Honda" with different lyrics. And "Rockaway Beach" is "Surfin' Safari."
What about the self deferential Rock star anthem "lifes been good to me so far"? Always one I have to turn up if it comes on no matter where I am
CC
Lately it's been:
A Hazy Shade of Winter - Simon and Garfunkel. Dunno why, never really thought much about it until a couple of weeks ago.
I'm a Believer - Smash Mouth
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - The Animals
Peter Gunn - Emmerson, Lake and Palmer or Hugo Montenegro
Shape I'm In - (The real) Fleetwood Mac
Burned - Buffalo Springfield
Cisco Kid and Slipping Into Darkness - War
Anything by Cassandra Wilson.
Go figure.
Opps, instead of "Shape I'm In" it should be "Oh Well".
POOR SOME SUGAR ON ME....
Def Leppard
LIGHTS
Journey...
Blaze of Glory
Bon Jovi
I think I love You! David Cassidy....
Chicago was - is - one of my favorite bands. Think it might be my favorite. b.
CD's. Reign in Blood is considered the best thrash metal album of all time!
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