Sweet Home Alabama (6:46)
1,975,349 plays (418,179 listeners)
Creation and Recording:
At a band practice shortly after bassist Ed King had switched to guitar, King heard fellow guitarist Gary Rossington playing a guitar riff that inspired him (in fact, this riff is still heard in the final version of the song and is played during the verses as a counterpoint to the main D-C+9-G chord progression). In interviews, Ed King has said that, during the night following the practice session, the chords and two main guitar solos came to him in a dream, note for note. King then introduced the song to the band the next day, and a hit was born. Also written at this session was the track that would follow “Alabama” on the Second Helping album, “I Need You.”
A live version of the track on the compilation album Collectybles places the writing of the song during the late summer of 1973, as the live set available on the album is dated October 30, 1973.
The track was recorded at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia, using just King, bassist Wilkeson, and drummer Burns to lay down the basic backing track. Ed King used a Marshall amp belonging to Allen Collins. The guitar used on the track was a 1972 Fender Stratocaster. However, King has said that guitar was a pretty poor model and had bad pickups, forcing him to turn the amp up all the way to get decent volume out of it. This guitar is now displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
At a band practice shortly after bassist Ed King had switched to guitar, King heard fellow guitarist Gary Rossington playing a guitar riff that inspired him (in fact, this riff is still heard in the final version of the song and is played during the verses as a counterpoint to the main D-C+9-G chord progression). In interviews, Ed King has said that, during the night following the practice session, the chords and two main guitar solos came to him in a dream, note for note. King then introduced the song to the band the next day, and a hit was born. Also written at this session was the track that would follow “Alabama” on the Second Helping album, “I Need You.”
A live version of the track on the compilation album Collectybles places the writing of the song during the late summer of 1973, as the live set available on the album is dated October 30, 1973.
The track was recorded at Studio One in Doraville, Georgia, using just King, bassist Wilkeson, and drummer Burns to lay down the basic backing track. Ed King used a Marshall amp belonging to Allen Collins. The guitar used on the track was a 1972 Fender Stratocaster. However, King has said that guitar was a pretty poor model and had bad pickups, forcing him to turn the amp up all the way to get decent volume out of it. This guitar is now displayed at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.
Video
Added by S4nyi
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Sweet Home Alabama
Recorded live at Knebworth Heartfordshire, England on the 21th August 1976.
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Recorded live at Knebworth Heartfordshire, England on the 21th August 1976.
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Shouts
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machsen wrote:
Where is Alabama? Is it between Italy and Greece? Sorry, that's Albania.
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Pudzinski wrote:
If Alabama deserved this song, it would be a paradise.
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Allor1994 wrote:
legendary song
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gazmetal1981 wrote:
Sweet home awesome song!!
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RickMagee1 wrote:
Lynrd give up this North South thing and you'll be a whole lot groovier!
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dannibal62 wrote:
This song never gets old. Love it!
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Mytos41 wrote:
Schöööööön
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PhatBasta wrote:
Turn it UP!!
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sinnaps wrote:
I've been to Alabama and its true...How sweet it is..Play On!
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SharpsRifle wrote:
"it should be sweet home Texas" That's part of what's great about the song. You can relate it to a lot of places that we come from.
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dj_chili_palmer wrote:
Freebird is SOOOOOO much better .....
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jennica_med_c wrote:
Not one for southern values, but I'm all for southern rock if it would all sound like this :)
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batwest wrote:
Probably the best intro ever
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Eruonen wrote:
Amazing song. Almost makes me wish I lived in the States.
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steamboat58 wrote:
Oh ya.
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davidbowiegirl wrote:
Great song <3
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stlthbmr wrote:
Man no matter where your from this song rocks. BTW ROLL TIDE ROLL!
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d_may wrote:
i like this song from the south
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ondr3j wrote:
classic!
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CrimsonTide12 wrote:
THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA is SEC Champions! Rolllll TIDE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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