"Free Bird",[4][5][6] also spelled "Freebird",[7][8][9] is a song by American rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd, written by guitarist Allen Collins and lead singer Ronnie Van Zant. The song was released on their 1973 debut studio album. Released as a single in November 1974, "Free Bird" debuted on the US Billboard Hot 100 on November 23 at No. 87[10] and became the band's second Top 40 hit in early 1975, peaking at No. 19 on January 25.[11] A live version of the song re-entered the charts in late 1976,[12] eventually peaking at No. 38 in January 1977.[13]
| "Free Bird" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US single of the shortened studio recording | ||||
| Single by Lynyrd Skynyrd | ||||
| from the album (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd) | ||||
| B-side | "Down South Jukin'" | |||
| Released | November 1974 | |||
| Recorded | April 3, 1973 | |||
| Studio | Studio One, Doraville, Georgia, U.S. | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length |
| |||
| Label | MCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Al Kooper | |||
| Lynyrd Skynyrd singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "Free Bird" (album version) on YouTube | ||||
| "Free Bird" (Extended Music Version) on YouTube | ||||
| "Free Bird" (live, undubbed, 1976) on YouTube | ||||
| Live video | ||||
| "Free Bird" (live, 1977) on YouTube | ||||
"Free Bird" achieved No. 3 on Guitar World's list of greatest guitar solos of all time in 2010 and 2016,[14][15] while placing at No. 8 in their rankings by 2022.[16] It is Lynyrd Skynyrd's signature song, the finale during live performances, and their longest song, often going well over 14 minutes when played live.[17] "Free Bird" was once the most requested song on FM radio,[18] and remains a staple on classic rock stations.
Origins
editAccording to guitarist Gary Rossington, for two years after Allen Collins wrote the initial chords, vocalist 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 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 introduction to the song; upon hearing it, they included it as the finishing touch and had him formally join as their keyboardist.
In subsequent interviews, Gary Rossington stated that the record company executives initially felt the song was too long and "wouldn't get any airplay", and that it "needed to be shortened to 3 or 3-1/2 minutes for radio". Also, the band was told, "Why would you ruin a pretty song like that with a wild "LSD-type" ending?" Rossington stated that the band refused to change the length of the song and that "we weren't changing our ways, hell no".
Allen Collins's 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." Also, in an interview filmed during a fishing outing on a boat with Gary Rossington, an interviewer asked Ronnie Van Zant what the song meant. Van Zant replied that in essence, that the song is "what it means to be free, in that a bird can fly wherever he wants to go." He further stated that "everyone wants to be free...that's what this country's all about."[19]
The song is dedicated to the memory of Duane Allman by the band in their live shows.[20] During their 1975 performance on The Old Grey Whistle Test, Van Zant dedicated the song to both Allman and Berry Oakley, commenting, "they're both free birds".[21][22]
During the 1987–1988 Lynyrd Skynyrd Tribute Tour, the band played "Free Bird" as an instrumental. Johnny Van Zant first sang the song on its Lynyrd Skynyrd 1991 Tour in Baton Rouge, where the band had been headed in 1977 when several members were killed in a plane crash.
Reception
editUpon the single release, Record World said that the band "sees this country-tinged tune soar to further feather their hit nest."[23]
"Free Bird" is included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll and at number 407 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.[24]
In 2008, the 1973 recording of "Free Bird" from the Lynyrd Skynyrd (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nerd 'Skin-'nerd) album on MCA Records was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[25]
Legacy
editOn Skynyrd's first live album, 1976's One More from the Road, Van Zant can be heard asking the crowd, "What song is it you want to hear?" The calls for "Free Bird" led into a fourteen-and-a-half-minute rendition of the song. 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.[9] For example, during Nirvana's 1993 MTV Unplugged in New York show, a shout-out for "Free Bird!" eventually resulted in a lyrically slurred, if short, rendition of "Sweet Home Alabama". An attendee of a Bob Dylan concert on June 9, 2016 in Berkeley, California, shouted during the last encore for "Free Bird" to be played, and Dylan and his band unexpectedly obliged, performing an instrumental snippet of the song as the closing track of the show.[26][27]
Notable cover versions
edit- A medley by the dance-pop band Will to Power combined "Free Bird" with the Peter Frampton song "Baby, I Love Your Way" in 1988. Titled "Baby, I Love Your Way/Freebird Medley," the song spent one week at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[28]
- Dolly Parton covered "Free Bird", accompanied by Lynyrd Skynyrd, on her 49th studio album Rockstar. [29]
Personnel
editLynyrd Skynyrd
edit- Ronnie Van Zant – vocals
- Allen Collins – guitars
- Gary Rossington – rhythm and slide guitar
- Ed King – bass
- Bob Burns – drums, percussion
- Billy Powell – piano
- "Roosevelt Gook" (Producer Al Kooper) – organ, Mellotron
Additional personnel on 1976 live version
edit- Leon Wilkeson – bass
- Steve Gaines – guitars
- Artimus Pyle – drums
Chart and sales performance
editThe song has sold 2,111,000 downloads in the digital era, as of 2013.[30]
Weekly charts
editStudio version
| Chart (1974–1975) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[31] | 58 |
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 19 |
| US Cashbox Top 100 | 25 |
Live version
| Chart (1976–1977) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Top Singles[32] | 47 |
| US Billboard Hot 100[33] | 38 |
| US Cash Box Top 100[34] | 32 |
| Chart (1979–1980) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK Singles Chart | 43 |
| Chart (1982) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Ireland (IRMA)[35] | 13 |
| UK Singles Chart | 21 |
| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs (Billboard)[36] | 24 |
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| Italy (FIMI)[37] | Gold | 50,000‡ |
| Spain (PROMUSICAE)[38] | Gold | 30,000‡ |
| United Kingdom (BPI)[39] | Platinum | 600,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
In popular culture
edit- In the 2004 action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, the song is featured on the in-game radio station K-DST.
- The 2014 film Kingsman: The Secret Service, the song's solo plays during a scene in which Harry Hart (Colin Firth) engages in a massive, extremely violent, church brawl. Director Matthew Vaughn revealed he picked "Free Bird" specifically because its guitar solo was long enough to encompass the whole scene.[40]
References
edit- ^ "The History Of Southern Rock In 30 Songs". Classic Rock Magazine. June 5, 2016. Retrieved June 2, 2019.
The track that, more than any other, defined the southern rock genre.
- ^ Cavanagh, David (2015). Good Night and Good Riddance: How Thirty-Five Years of John Peel Helped to Shape Modern Life. Faber & Faber. p. 158. ISBN 978-0-57130-248-2.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (June 11, 2021). "The Number Ones: Will To Power's "Baby, I Love Your Way / Freebird Medley (Free Baby)"". Stereogum. Retrieved October 10, 2022.
...Peter Frampton's "Baby, I Love Your Way" and Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird," two entries in the grand pantheon of '70s lighters-up arena-rock power ballads.
- ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. (Pronounced 'Lĕh-'nérd 'Skin-'nérd). Songs of the South (Universal City), 1973. Hosted at Discogs Archived April 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Free Bird / Searching". MCA Records (Universal City), 1976. Hosted at Discogs Archived April 24, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel. The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 9th ed., p. 403. Billboard Books (New York), 2010. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. "Free Bird / Sweet Home Alabama / Double Trouble". Leeds Music Ltd. (London), 1976. Hosted at Discogs "Discogs". Archived from the original on June 29, 2004. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link). Retrieved June 9, 2014. - ^ Lynyrd Skynyrd. Official Website. "(pronounced leh-nerd skin-nerd) Archived February 27, 2012, at the Wayback Machine". Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ a b Fry, Jason. "Rock's Oldest Joke: Yelling 'Freebird!' In a Crowded Theater" in The Wall Street Journal. March 17, 2005. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, November 23, 1974". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, December 4, 1976". Billboard. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ "Billboard Charts Archive, December 4, 1976". Billboard. January 2, 2013. Retrieved July 16, 2018.
- ^ Guitar World Magazine (October 1, 2010). The Complete History of Guitar World: 30 Years of Music, Magic, and Six-String Mayhem. Backbeat Books. ISBN 978-1-4768-5592-9.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ "Hear Allen Collins' Isolated Guitar Solo from Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird" | Guitar World". July 18, 2016. Archived from the original on September 20, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "The 50 greatest guitar solos of all time". Guitar World. July 20, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
- ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Biography". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on January 14, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2014.
- ^ Kozak, Roman (August 30, 1980). "U.S. Rock Groups Will Play In China". Billboard Magazine: 10. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Google Books.
"'Free Bird,' the only Skynyrd number they perform on stage now, has become FM radio's most popular request song, overtaking Led Zeppelin's 'Stairway to Heaven,' they say.
- ^ "Free Bird by Lynyrd Skynyrd Songfacts". Songfacts.com. Retrieved March 7, 2012.
- ^ Paul, Alan (March 4, 2009). "Prime Cuts: Lynyrd Skynyrd". Guitar World. Archived from the original on May 15, 2013. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
- ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd-Free Bird Live Old Grey Whistle Test 1975". YouTube. May 27, 2013. Archived from the original on December 22, 2021.
- ^ The Old Grey Whistle Test (DVD). Warner Home Video. 2003.
- ^ "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. November 16, 1974. p. 1. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ "spreadit.org music". Archived from the original on February 12, 2009. Retrieved February 7, 2009.
- ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
- ^ "Bob Dylan Actually Plays 'Free Bird' After Fan Request: Watch". Billboard.com. June 16, 2016. Retrieved April 23, 2021.
- ^ "Bob Dylan Setlist - Jun 9 2016 at William Randolph Hearst Greek Theatre, Berkeley, CA, USA". www.setlist.fm. July 2024. Retrieved July 31, 2024.
- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
- ^ "36 Albums We Can't Wait to Hear This Fall; AUDIO". Brave Words. August 24, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
- ^ Grein, Paul (November 27, 2013). "Chart Watch: Eminem Returns to #1, Gaga Sinks to #8". Yahoo Music. Retrieved November 27, 2013.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. January 25, 1975. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. January 15, 1977. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Singles, January 15, 1977". Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved March 7, 2019.
- ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Free Bird". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved March 8, 2019.
- ^ "Lynyrd Skynyrd Chart History (Hot Rock & Alternative Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
- ^ "Italian single certifications – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird" (in Italian). Federazione Industria Musicale Italiana. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
- ^ "Spanish single certifications – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird". El portal de Música. Productores de Música de España. Retrieved May 15, 2024.
- ^ "British single certifications – Lynyrd Skynyrd – Free Bird". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason. "One of the most memorable scenes from 'Kingsman' was originally longer and more violent". Business Insider. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
