![]() ![]() This interpretation and analysis has been intelligently reasoned, hotly debated, passionately argued, bickered over, volleyed about, and scrupulously dissected.Īfter singing this line, Skynyrd sing "Boo, boo, boo!" as if to disapprove of Wallace and his policies of racism. Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" meaning is often interpreted as being "racist" because of the the lyrics reference "In Birmingham they love the governor " who was a segregationist. Inasmuch as the fact that the band often performed with a Confederate flag as a backdrop, the label and perception has been hard to shake. It is this perceived "attitude" which has led to Lynyrd Skynyrd earning a reputation as a "racist" band. Lynyrd Skynyrd's comeback was intended to mean, at first glance, "Thank you for your opinion Neil, now leave us alone." The lines in "Sweet Home Alabama" are a direct response to Young's anti-racist, anti-cross burning "Southern Man" and "Alabama" songs. Known as a response record, such songs "refer directly to a previous hit and usually do it in a catty, mischievous way". "Southern Man" + "Alabama" Lyrics by Neil Young ![]() Well, I hope Neil Young will remember a southern man don't need him around anyhow. Well, I heard Mister Young sing about her Well, I heard ole Neil put her down. This article came about because we've long been fascinated with Neil Young's influence on other bands ever since we heard Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" which was written in response to two of Young's anti-southern slavery songs, "Southern Man", from the album After the Gold Rush, and "Alabama", from the album Harvest. Rarely has such a widely popular hit song been so vastly misunderstood by so many for so long. As this article demonstrates, the complicated saga of "Sweet Home Alabama" is anything but sweet. The enormously popular song has an extraordinarily complex backstory involving a wide swath of groups which have laid claim to the song's message and symbols. The history of Lynyrd Skynyrd's 1974 song "Sweet Home Alabama" has a long and tortured history. Such is the duality of the southern thing. Somewhere, Ronnie is still having a good laugh at Alabama officials and Neil Young bashers. #The band urban tale licenseSimilarly, with the State of Alabama using the phrase "Sweet Home Alabama" as an official slogan on license plates, one truly has to wonder what they were thinking the song was about. Every day, someone blogs or tweets the "Neil Young putdown" without comprehending that they've actually praised him. Thus, for those who think it's so clever to put down Neil Young using the phrase "Hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don't need him around anyhow" little do they realize that they have the meaning backwards. Without Young's songs that were so critical of the South's segregationist and racist attitudes for inspiration, it is doubtful that the band would have produced a song with such a long lasting duration that continues to sell well 30 years after its release.īut the ultimate irony of "Sweet Home Alabama" is that for so many, the song's implied put down of Neil Young was NOT meant as criticism but as support of Young's anti-racism. ![]() Thanks to Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd was inspired to write the song "Sweet Home Alabama". You see, Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" is more than just an anthem for many - it serves as a statement for a way of life that is intensely protected such that when threatened - it can produce some very uncomfortable results. It seems as if all of our life that whenever the subject of musical tastes came up and we revealed our appreciation of Young's music, almost invariably it was met with those lines above from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama". Growing up in the American South in the 1970's as a Neil Young fan wasn't exactly easy. Verona, Italy - Photo by Paolo Brillo on FlickrĪ southern man don't need him around anyhow" Neil Young with Lynyrd Skynyrd/Jack Daniels Whiskey T-Shirt Oakland Coliseum, JPhoto by Michael Zagaris Ronnie Van Zant with Neil Young "Tonight's The Night" T-shirt ![]()
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