Running Head: “SOUTHERN MAN” & “SWEET HOME ALABAMA”; NEIL YOUNG’S &

LYNYRD SKYNYRD’S MUSIC 1

"Southern Man" & "Sweet Home Alabama"; Neil Young's & Lynyrd Skynyrd's music

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“Southern Man” & “Sweet Home Alabama”; Neil Young’s & Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music 2

"Southern Man" & "Sweet Home Alabama"; Neil Young's & Lynyrd Skynyrd's music

When "Southern Man" the music from Neil Young and that of Lynyrd Skynyrd, which

goes by the title "Sweet Home Alabama," are carefully listened to, one can find that "Sweet

Home Alabama" is part of the American anthem (Contreras, 2018). The song's message most

based on the state's residents, through the song's writers, were not from the state, only that they

drove through. "Sweet Home Alabama" mainly focused on slavery and its aftermath (Contreras,

2018). Therefore, the song's message or theme is mainly referenced to (stereotypical) southern

life.

References to (stereotypical) southern life are also seen in "Southern Man" by Lynyrd

Skynyrd (Erlewine, 2018). Its main theme is mostly based on racism in Southern American.

When this song is listened to carefully, it was more about the civil rights movement than

particularly in the South (Erlewine, 2018). Just like I have stated, then is clear that both songs are

references to (stereotypical) southern life.

In both songs, some misconceptions emerged. In the song "Sweet Home Alabama," they

believed that the song's lyrics were accusatory and condescending. Also, many people had

believed in segregation and all that, which is a form of misconception. Since both songs have the

same message or theme, they all have the same misconceptions. Slavery and oppositions of civil

rights Jim Crow Laws were some of the misconceptions, and both songs were against them

(kkazek@al.com, 2014).

In order to address the issue and get rescued, many other songs with the same message,

which includes "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, were produced. The songs were not

in plenty due to inferiority. Till today, we have several songs that address stereotypes or

misconceptions in South American (Songfacts Writers, no date). Such songs include "A wake"
“Southern Man” & “Sweet Home Alabama”; Neil Young’s & Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music 3

by Lewis Ryan and Macklemore, "About" of Tok Tok Tok, "Accidental Racist" by Paisley Brad,

etc. (Songfacts Writers, no date). From my point of view, I can say that both songs had almost

the same massage. Also, the release of "Sweet Home Alabama" music was a response to

"Southern Man" that was produced by Neil (Songfacts Writers, no date).

“Southern Man” & “Sweet Home Alabama”; Neil Young’s & Lynyrd Skynyrd’s music 4

References

Contreras, F. (2018, December 17). Unfurling 'Sweet Home Alabama,' A Tapestry Of Southern

Discomfort. https://www.npr.org/2018/12/17/676863591/sweet-home-alabama-lynyrd-

skynyrd-southern-discomfort-american-anthem

Erlewine, S. T. (2018, June 25). Lynyrd Skynyrd: Inside the Band's Complicated History With

the South. https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/lynyrd-skynyrd-inside-the-

bands-complicated-history-with-the-south-629080/

kkazek@al.com, K. K. |. (2014, April 8). 15 things we have to explain about the song 'Sweet

Home Alabama.'

https://www.al.com/entertainment/2014/04/15_things_we_have_to_explain_a.html

Songfacts Writers (no date). ShieldSquare Captcha. https://www.songfacts.com/category/songs-

about-racism-or-discrimination.
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