"Free Bird" (often spelled "Freebird", including by the band itself on the cover of the single) is a song by the American southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd. It first featured on the band's debut album in 1973, and has been included on subsequent albums released by the band, including the previously unreleased, unfaded-ending version of the original recording (featured onSkynyrd's Innyrds). Amazon.com music reviewer Lorry Fleming calls it "the most-requested song in the history of rock music."[2]
Released as a single in November 1974, "Free Bird" became the band's second Top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1975, where it peaked at No. 19.[3] A live version of the song also reached the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1977, peaking at No. 38.[3] Free Bird also achieved the No. 3 spot on Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos.[4]
It is used as a finale by Lynyrd Skynyrd during their live performances, and is their longest song, often going well over 14 minutes when played live.[citation needed]
Contents[]
- 2 Reception
- 3 Legacy
- 4 In popular culture
- 5 Chart performance
- 6 Personnel
- 7 Cover versions
- 8 References
- 9 External links
Origins[edit][]
According to guitarist Gary Rossington, for two years after Allen Collins wrote the initial chords, guitarist Ronnie Van Zant insisted that there were too many for him to create a melody in the belief that the melody needed to change alongside the chords. After Collins played the unused sequence at rehearsal one day, Van Zant asked him to repeat it, then wrote out the melody and lyrics in three or four minutes. The guitar solos that finish the song were added in originally to give Van Zant a chance to rest, as the band was playing several sets per night at clubs at the time. Soon afterward, the band learned piano-playing roadie Billy Powell had written an intro to the song; upon hearing it, they included it as the finishing touch and had him formally join as their keyboardist.[5]
Allen Collins's then-girlfriend, Kathy, whom he later married, asked him, "If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?" Collins noted the question and it eventually became the opening line of "Free Bird".[6]
Reception[edit][]
"Free Bird" is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll, and at number 193 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2009 it was named the 26th best hard rock song of all time by VH1.[7]
The song—half ballad, half up-tempo guitar solo—quickly became a staple for Lynyrd Skynyrd at their live performances. Many recognize its 5:12 triple guitar solo section that closes it out. It often turned into an extended jam session at concerts. The band would consistently play it as the last song of every show, as it was their biggest crowd pleaser. Overall the song proved to be a huge hit for Lynyrd Skynyrd and it remains a fan favorite to this day. It is also a classic rock radio staple.
Following the plane crash in 1977 in which several band members were killed, all of the songs played by surviving members were performed as instrumentals beginning with the Charlie Daniels Volunteer Jam V in 1979. When "Free Bird" came up, a solitary microphone with a single spotlight would be at center stage while the band played the instrumental version. This tradition lasted until 1989, when an almost-rioting audience coerced Rossington to urge Johnny Van Zant to sing the song for the first time – something he had vowed never to do on stage during the Tribute Tour.[citation needed] The current version has a shortened solo similar to the original studio version.
Legacy[edit][]
It has become something of a humorous tradition for audience members at concerts to shout "Free Bird" as a request to hear the song, regardless of the performer or style of music.[8] The phenomenon began earlier in the 1970s withThe Allman Brothers Band's epic "Whipping Post", but then took off to a much greater extent with "Free Bird", which was very popular by 1979. This can be traced back to Skynyrd's first live album, 1976's One More from the Road. For their second encore, Van Zant asked the crowd, "What song is it you wanna hear?", which was immediately followed by several shouts of "Free Bird", to which the band responded with a 14-minute rendition of the song. The spoken interaction was reproduced on the album as an introduction to the song.
In popular culture[edit][]
The song is featured in Freaks and Geeks in episode 12: The Garage Door.
The song is included on the rhythm game Rock Band 3 as the hardest song for Guitar and one of the hardest songs for Band. It was previously featured as the final song of Guitar Hero 2 and again in Guitar Hero: Smash Hits. It is also featured in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas on the radio station K-DST.
The song is featured in the movie Forrest Gump, in the scene where Jenny contemplates suicide. It is also prominently featured in the finale of Rob Zombie's second film, The Devil's Rejects.
The song is featured in That 70's Show Season 1 Episode 19 "Prom Night"
The song is featured in the film "Cars".
The song is featured in Six Feet Under Season 2 Episode 8 "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"
The song is referenced in The Band Perry's song "Double Heart" off of their "self-titled" debut album.
The song is also referenced to and momentarily played on the harp in Madly Madagascar (2013)
The song is used in the King of the Hill episode "Tankin' It to the Streets," when a distraught, inebriated Bill steals an Army tank. He sings part of the song while in the tank, moments before Hank, Dale, and Boomhauer go into the tank to talk him into taking the tank back to the army base. He also hums the same part at the end.
Chart performance[edit][]
| Chart (1974-1975) | Peak
position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles | 47 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| UK Singles Chart | 21 |
Personnel[edit][]
(Studio version) – 1973
- Ronnie Van Zant – vocals
- Allen Collins – lead guitar, acoustic guitar
- Gary Rossington – rhythm guitar, slide guitar
- Ed King – bass
- Billy Powell – piano
- Bob Burns – drums
- "Roosevelt Gook" (Producer Al Kooper) – organ, mellotron
Additional Personnel[edit][]
- Steve Gaines Addition of lead and rhythm guitar
The addition of Steve Gaines returned Lynyrd Skynyrd to the formula that Ronnie Van Zant felt gave the band its first road to success with a three-headed lead guitar sound. Collins' Free Bird's solo at the end was changed so that the two guitars were complimenting and challenging each other throughout that solo.
Cover versions[edit][]
The American dance-pop group Will to Power created a medley of this song and the 1976 Peter Frampton song "Baby, I Love Your Way" in 1988. Titled "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley", it spent one week at No. 1 on theBillboard Hot 100 chart.[3] It was also covered by Wynonna Judd on the 1994 tribute album Skynyrd Frynds. The song was also covered by Bronx Casket Co. on their 2005 album Hellectric in Goth style. American Jam band Phish often performs an A cappella version of the song live.