Download Instrumental    There are some songs that become iconic for no reason whatsoever. They are usually three chords played over and over again (and again) with a monotonous melody line.  Tedious is what it is.  But the minute the first two notes are played, everybody knows what it is and hit the dance floor running.  “Sweet Home Alabama” is one of those tunes.

Lynyrd Skynyrd , a southern rock band formed in 1965 in Jacksonville, Florida, wrote this piece as a tribute to Alabama and to the studio musicians at Muscle Shoals Sound Studio.  Those musicians were nicknamed “The Swampers” by Leon Russell and are  mentioned in the lyrics –  “And Muscle Shoals has got The Swampers”.  This is the one thing I like about  this song.  I’m always in favor of giving backup musicians credit where credit is due.

There is also the line “I hope Neil Young will remember, a southern man don’t need him around anyhow”.  Neil Young had written a couple of songs that were extremely critical of Alabama and the South in general (Southern Man and Alabama).  There was supposedly a nasty feud between Young and the band Lynyrd Skynyrd, but that really wasn’t the case.  They were actually all good buddies but the alleged “feud” helped record sales on both sides.

The song isn’t a complete love affair with the state of Alabama, however.  George Wallace loved the line “In Birmingham they love the governor”, but he really didn’t listen closely enough, because the lyric that follows is “Boo! Boo! Boo!”.  Ronnie Van Zant , lead vocalist for the band, claimed, “We’re not into politics, we don’t have no education, and Wallace don’t know anything about rock and roll”.  Probably all true.

Granted, this piece has some interesting history, but that’s where the fascination ends.  Musically, it’s a yawn.  But, singers, you have to do this one – it’s the law – at least in Alabama.  I’ve made my arrangement short and sweet with no frills or unnecessary solos – so you can get it over with quickly and know you’ve done your duty.  I’m looking at my set list this weekend and, sure enough – there it is – nestled smugly in the middle of the third set – “Sweet Home Alabama”…… sigh.