Sweet Home Alabama

Sweet Home Alabama is a song by American " Southern Rock " band Lynyrd Skynyrd from the album Second Helping of 1974 and is one of Freebird (1973 ) to their greatest successes.

The song was already before 1974 by Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Gary Rossington - ( song idea) and Ed King (Intro ) and singer Ronnie Van Zant ( text ) written but published only on their second album, Second Helping. It represents a response to the song Southern Man (1970) and Alabama ( 1972) by Neil Young, who expressed in his songs about slavery and the segregation problem of the southern states. Lynyrd Skynyrd wanted to know sung about the good sides of the southern states and defended himself against the one-sided presentation Youngs.

Lyrics

Alabama and Neil Young

The first verse and the chorus act by the anticipation of the singer, who is on his way back to Alabama and to his relatives; the second verse refers explicitly to Neil Young ( " I hope Neil Young will remember / A Southern Man do not need him around anyhow "; German: I hope Neil Young will remember that he is not man from the South around her needs ).

Still Young and the band members of Lynyrd Skynyrd were not hostile to each other. Young played Sweet Home Alabama frequently at his concerts, and Van Zant wore during performances, in which he sang Sweet Home Alabama, regularly a black Tonight's the Night T-Shirt.

References to political issues

The third verse contains references to the Governor of Alabama ( at the time, George Wallace, one of the strongest proponents of racial segregation ) and the Watergate scandal.

Towards the end of the song it says then in the chorus that the governor (of Alabama) have rights:

The statement of these lines has been controversial. While critics the text withdrawals consent to the policy of Wallace, reported fans out that follows after " In Birmingham they love the governor " a "boo boo boo" of the background choir, which just expressing criticism of Wallace. Several band members have stated in interviews that the song was not in favor of racial segregation policy, and finally also noted that at the end of the song -heard " Montgomery's got the answer 'could refer to the records kept by Martin Luther King march from Selma to Montgomery.

Muscle Shoals

The fourth and final stanza refers to the music scene in the northwest Alabama town of Muscle Shoals. The mentioned there " Swampers " ( " Now Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers " ) were temporary musicians. Some of them also took music under the name "Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section ," including Jimmy Johnson ( guitar), David Hood ( bass), Roger Hawkins ( drums) and Barry Beckett (keyboards), in 1995 into the Alabama Hall of Fame were taken.

Melody and clock

Sweet Home Alabama is written in 4/4-time; the pace is about 100 bpm, but varies slightly. His key is G major; it starts with the dominant in D Major.

Use of the song

• The song was used in the movie Con Air with Nicolas Cage. There dance the escaped criminals in prison airplane with the song. The serial killer Garland Greene (Steve Buscemi ) commented on this by saying that this is ironic, because the band, which became known by this song ( Lynyrd Skynyrd ) is, indeed crashed later with an airplane.
• In the movie Sweet Home Alabama - Raising Helen starring Reese Witherspoon, the song is also used.
• Sweet Home Alabama is played several times in the movie Forrest Gump with Tom Hanks.
• In the movie 8 Mile Eminem raps on this song.
• In the movie Sahara - Adventures in the wilderness the song on the Caliope is played while record them in Gao.
• In the movie "The Mask " with Cher and Sam Elliot in the lead roles, the song will also be played.
• In the movie I - Despicable the song is played at the beginning.
• In the film, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the song is played on the radio.
• The musician Kid Rock refers to in the song All Summer Long explicitly to Sweet Home Alabama ("[ ... ] Singing Sweet Home Alabama all summer long "). There is also the melody from parts of the melody of Sweet Home Alabama. After this song won first place in the German single charts in July 2008, and Sweet Home Alabama rose for the first time in the German charts and reached number 86
• The band Green Day also coverte this song and used the title of " Sweet Home Alabama ".
• In the game Starcraft 2 by Blizzard Entertainment, the song is played in a jukebox during the campaign in the version of the Scottish Wedding Rock Band " Big Tuna ".
• The U.S. hardcore punk band Gang Green, published 1986, a parody of the song titled " Sold Out Alabama ".