![]() The album version runs 9:08, with the last lyric uttered at 4:55 (“fly high, free bird, yeah”). The opening lines, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” were inspired by Allen Collins’ girlfriend Kathy, who had asked him this very question during a fight. The lyrics are about a man explaining to a girl why he can’t settle down and make a commitment. If you can get through that one you’ve had a good night at a Skynyrd show.” Of course at the end it was dedicated to Duane Allman from the band Allman Brothers because it goes into the guitar part. ![]() And really it’s a love song, its one of the few that Lynyrd Skynyrd’s ever had. This kid was telling me that they used it for their graduation song and not too long ago somebody told me that they used it at a funeral. He said: “For years Skynyrd has always closed the show with that song and the song has different meanings for different people. It peaked at #38 in the Billboard 100 and #48 in Canada.įrontman Johnny Van Zant discussed this song in a track-by-track commentary to promote the band’s 2010 CD/DVD Live From Freedom Hall. In 1976, a live version was released from the One More For the Road live album. The song was released as a single in 1974 and peaked at #19 in the Billboard 100 adn #58 in Canada. Even the band never thought it was going to be a hit. They thought it was too long and that no radio station would play it. ![]() Van Zant finally got inspired one night and had Collins and Gary Rossington play it over and over until he wrote the words.Īt the time of recording, the song was only 7 1/2 minutes long, but throughout the next year, Collins continued to refine the song until it was recorded for the final cut of the Pronounced album in 1973. Collins wrote the music long before Ronnie Van Zant came up with lyrics for it. Guitarist Allen Collins had been working on the song on and off for the previous two years. This song began as a ballad without the guitar solos at the end, and Lynyrd Skynyrd recorded it that way for the first time in 1972. They would soon open up for The Who on their Quadrophenia tour and that helped build their audience. ![]() The album was a very solid album and it peaked at #27 in the Billboard Album Chart, #47 in Canada, and #44 in the UK in 1973. The double guitar solo at the end is the same style as many early Allman Brothers songs.įree Bird was on their debut album Pronounced Leh-nerd Skin-nerd…They gave it the title because well… they knew people would not be able to pronounce their name. The song was written long before his death. The song was usually dedicated to Duane Allman and he died in 1971, two years before “Free Bird” was released. I’ve heard this live before and it is one of the great live songs you can hear. Like the others this week it builds up and it does have an electrifying solo to close it out. There would always be one drunk j ackass person in the back that yelled “Free Bird”…it never failed! I have to admit it was funny the first few times. We didn’t know many Lynyrd Skynyrd songs. When I was playing in clubs and bars we played mostly British rock. There is one more song coming after Free Bird…and we will finish this up.
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