I am a lover of music in all of its forms and sounds. So for a moment, I want to take some time to discuss the greatness that is Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Free Bird”.
I remember watching Freaks and Geeks one day and at the time I was making a playlist of the songs featured on the show. This one and some others stood out to me in particular. After hearing it initially, I couldn’t stop listening to it. Here’s this song that is 40+ years old and here I am a teenager in the new millennium and I felt some sort of connection with the people that made this song. I felt as if I understood the message they were trying to convey in the lyrics and instrumentation. Luckily, it is a message that has successfully lasted decades and still connects with people.
The overall song is a about a man telling the girl that he loves he needs freedom to do what he wants. If that means leaving her behind in the process then so be it. Ronnie Van Zant has to be the perfect person to sing this song. I can’t imagine anyone else interpreting the lyrics through song better than he did. The song begins really slowly and somber which fit the opening lines of, “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?” As the lyrics continue and develop so does the crescendo of the music. As the person in the song is coming to terms with his need for freedom, he begins to take ownership of it. In doing so the song reaches a peak and not only is there a sense of unapologetic confidence in Van Zants voice but also the music increases from a slow tune to an energized one.
The song, which is about nine minutes long, includes a guitar solo that goes on throughout the later half of the song. I wouldn’t call myself an expert on rock music but out of the rock that I have listened to, this is one of my favorite guitar solos. When I first listened to it I thought, “How is this possible?” The solo seemed as if it would never end, but it also perfectly interpreted this freedom that the narrator talks of. The guitar solo literally sounds like something an eagle would fly to.
The emotion that this song evokes is overwhelming at times and the guitar specifically takes you on a rollercoaster. I hope that 40 years from now another young person will hear this song and connect with it the way I did. Until then, “Free Bird” will continue to be one of my favorite songs to listen to.
